Dictation on Windows: Voice Typing, Voice Access, Apps

Every Windows 11 PC can dictate for free, with nothing to install. Put the cursor in any text field and press the Windows key + H: voice typing opens and types what you say ¹. It needs a working microphone, an internet connection and a cursor in a text box ², because it uses online speech recognition powered by Microsoft's Azure Speech services ³. If you want to run the whole computer by voice (open apps, click buttons, select and correct text), turn on Voice Access instead. It is available in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later ⁴, it works without an internet connection ⁵, and it has replaced the old Windows Speech Recognition ⁶.

The choice between the tools comes down to four questions: does your audio have to stay on the PC, do you need to work offline, are you writing long or specialist text, and do you need hands-free control? Voice typing is the quickest for short text in 46 languages and variants ⁷. Voice Access covers control and offline use in fewer languages. On a Copilot+ PC, fluid dictation cleans up grammar and filler words on the device. When none of them is enough (hours of dictation a day, strict privacy, medical or legal vocabulary), a dedicated Windows dictation app is the next step. This page gives the essential answer for each part of the subject and links to the guide that covers it in depth.

Windows has four voice tools, and only two of them type into your apps

Windows ships more than one speech feature, and their names overlap, which is the main source of confusion. Two of them put text into other apps: voice typing and Voice Access. A third, Windows Speech Recognition, is the legacy tool that Voice Access replaced. The fourth, Copilot voice, talks back to you and does not type into your documents. Fluid dictation is not a separate tool: it is an option inside voice typing on Copilot+ PCs.

Voice typing and Voice Access do not run at the same time. If Voice Access is on and you press the Windows key + H, voice typing does not open: Windows tells you to dictate with Voice Access instead ⁸. In practice, pick one per session. Voice typing is the lighter tool for someone who types with a keyboard and wants to speak a paragraph. Voice Access is for someone who wants to keep their hands off the keyboard and mouse for long stretches, or who cannot use them.

The flowchart below is the short version of the rest of this page.

Speaking is about three times faster than typing, which is why dictation pays off

The reason to bother with any of these tools is speed. In a controlled study at Stanford University and the University of Washington, people entered English text by speech at 153 words per minute ⁹, against 52 words per minute on the phone's keyboard ¹⁰. That study used a phone, not a PC keyboard, and short phrases rather than documents, so treat the ratio as an upper bound for desktop writing: a fast touch typist closes part of the gap, and editing a dictated draft takes time. Our guide to speaking versus typing speed covers the desktop numbers.

Speed is not the only reason. Voice Access sits under Accessibility in Windows settings because it lets people with limited hand use, or pain from typing, operate the PC without a keyboard or mouse. Our overview of speech to text for accessibility covers that side of the subject.

Voice typing is the quick answer: press the Windows key + H in any text field

Voice typing is the dictation tool built into Windows 11, and its shortcut is the Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, or the microphone button on the touch keyboard ¹. There is nothing to download or turn on first: the answer to whether Windows has built-in dictation is yes, on every edition. To dictate:

1. Click into the text field where the words should go (a document, an email, a browser box).
2. Press Windows key + H. The voice typing menu appears and starts listening.
3. Speak normally. Text appears as you talk.
4. Say "Stop listening" or press the microphone button on the menu to stop ¹¹.

Three requirements explain most problems: a working microphone, an internet connection, and the cursor in a text box ². The internet requirement surprises people. Voice typing does not recognize speech on the PC: it sends audio to Microsoft's online service and gets text back ³.

The gear icon on the voice typing menu opens its settings. They include the voice typing launcher, a small button that offers voice typing whenever you click into a text box ¹²; Automatic punctuation, which inserts punctuation based on what you say ¹³; Filter profanity, which blocks or allows swear words ¹⁴; the default microphone; and a wait-time setting that controls how long voice typing pauses before acting on a command, which Microsoft says helps whether you speak slowly or quickly ¹⁵. The question on the voice typing launcher shows each option.

On Windows 10, the same shortcut opens an older dictation toolbar. It accepts speech in 13 language variants, but its spoken commands work only in US English ¹⁶. Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025, and no longer receives feature or security updates ¹⁷, so Voice Access and fluid dictation will not come to it. The question on dictation in Windows 10 covers that version step by step, and how to turn off dictation in Windows 11 covers the reverse. On a laptop, everything above works with the built-in microphone; the question on talk to text on a laptop adds the laptop-specific checks.

The full walkthrough, including what voice typing does poorly, is in our guide to Windows voice typing. The question on the voice typing shortcut is the one-line version.

Voice typing understands spoken punctuation and a short list of editing commands

Voice typing types words, and with Automatic punctuation switched on it adds periods and commas for you ¹³. For anything else you say the name of the mark or key. Microsoft's tables list phrases such as "question mark" for ? and "new line" or "new paragraph" for line breaks ¹⁸. You dictate most numbers and punctuation simply by saying them ¹⁹, and an uppercase letter by saying "uppercase" before it ²⁰.

Editing by voice is limited. Voice typing understands commands such as "delete that" and "select that" for the text you just dictated ²¹, and if a word or phrase is selected, a delete command removes it. It does not let you move around a document, select an arbitrary sentence or replace one word with another by voice. Those are Voice Access features.

The complete command and symbol tables for Windows 11 and Windows 10, and which commands exist only in Voice Access, are in our guide to voice typing commands and punctuation. Two questions cover the most common needs: adding punctuation with voice typing and correcting a mistake by voice. The same ideas apply on every platform; our overview of dictation and voice typing compares them.

Voice Access dictates and controls the whole PC, and it works offline

Voice Access is the Windows 11 accessibility feature that lets you operate the entire computer by voice and write text with it. Microsoft describes it as a way to control the PC and author text "without an internet connection" ⁵. It needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or later ⁴, so the answer to whether Voice Access runs on Windows 10 is no.

Turning it on takes one switch and a download:

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Speech and turn on Voice access (or search for "voice access" from Start).
2. On first launch, pick your language and select Agree and continue. Voice Access downloads the language files used by its on-device speech recognition, which needs an internet connection this one time ²².
3. Optionally tick Start voice access before you sign in to your PC or after you sign in to launch it automatically.

There is nothing to buy or install from the Store; the question on downloading Voice Access explains what that one-time download is. After setup, Voice Access is controlled by a bar at the top of the screen and by spoken commands. Say "Voice access sleep" or "Mute" to stop it reacting while you talk to someone, and "Voice access wake up" or "Unmute" to resume ²³. Say "What can I say" to see the command list on screen ²⁴. Say "Show numbers" to put a numbered label on every clickable item, then say the number to click it ²⁵; "Show grid" divides the screen into numbered squares to reach any point. These number and grid overlays are what make it possible to control Windows 11 entirely with your voice.

Correction is where Voice Access beats voice typing. "Select that" selects your last dictation ²⁶, "Correct that" offers alternatives for it ²⁷, "Delete that" removes it ²⁸, and commands such as "Delete previous word" work word by word ²⁹. If you want to type a phrase that sounds like a command, say "Type" or "Dictate" before it ³⁰.

The trade-off is writing quality. Voice Access is built for control first, and long-form dictation with it is slower to correct than in a dedicated dictation app. The answer to whether Voice Access is any good depends on which of those jobs you need. Three guides cover it in depth: Voice Access in Windows 11 for setup and day-to-day use, Voice Access commands for the full command list by task (including custom commands), and how to turn off Voice Access for when it keeps popping up, which usually means one of the automatic start boxes is ticked. The question what is Voice Access is the short definition.

Windows Speech Recognition is deprecated, and Voice Access has replaced it on Windows 11

Windows Speech Recognition was the built-in voice control and dictation tool in earlier versions of Windows. Microsoft added it to its list of deprecated features in December 2023, saying it "is no longer being developed" and is being replaced with Voice Access ³¹. The replacement took effect in September 2024 for Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, and Speech Recognition remains only on older versions of Windows ⁶.

What you lose and gain in the move:

• Gained: on-device recognition that works offline, overlays, and active development. Voice Access gets new languages and fixes; Speech Recognition does not ³².
• Changed: the old voice training wizard and speech dictionary are gone. Voice Access instead has an Add to vocabulary command for hard-to-pronounce words ³³, and the question on training Voice Access explains what that does.
• Languages: Speech Recognition supported 11 variants: five kinds of English, French, German, Japanese, two forms of Chinese, and Spanish ³⁴. Voice Access now covers 15 ³⁵.

If you are on Windows 10, Speech Recognition is still your built-in voice control. If you upgrade to Windows 11, expect to relearn some commands. Our guide to Windows Speech Recognition gives the full timeline, a command mapping, and the speech APIs developers can still build on, such as the Windows Speech API and Azure AI Speech. The questions on whether Speech Recognition still exists in Windows 11 and Voice Access versus Speech Recognition answer the two most common searches.

Voice typing covers 46 language variants, Voice Access 15, and the older tools fewer

Language support is the biggest practical difference between the tools, and it follows from where the speech is processed. Voice typing runs on Microsoft's cloud service and lists 46 languages and regional variants, from Bulgarian to Vietnamese, including Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Korean, Japanese and Thai ⁷. Voice Access recognizes speech on the PC, and each language needs its own downloaded speech pack, so it covers 15 languages and dialects ³⁵. Windows 10 dictation covers 13 ¹⁶, and the retired Speech Recognition 11 ³⁴.

Microsoft's own pages do not always agree. Its Voice Access FAQ still lists four languages, while the setup page lists 15 variants, including Japanese, Chinese and Italian; we count the longer, more recent list ³⁵. Fluid dictation works in English only ³⁶.

You change the voice typing language by switching the Windows input language (the language switcher on the taskbar, or Windows key + Spacebar) ³⁷. If the current input language is not supported, voice typing will not start and Microsoft tells you to install a supported language ³⁸. Spoken commands and punctuation change with the language you dictate in.

The full side-by-side table and the steps are in our guide to Windows dictation languages. The questions on changing the voice typing language, Voice Access languages and voice typing in Bangla, Urdu or Arabic cover the common cases. For languages Windows does not support, our overview of dictation languages and accents lists the alternatives.

Voice typing sends your voice to Microsoft's cloud, while Voice Access and fluid dictation stay on the PC

Windows 11 has two kinds of speech recognition, and the privacy answer depends on which one a feature uses. Device-based recognition processes your voice locally, and no voice data is sent to Microsoft ³⁹. Online speech recognition sends voice data to Microsoft to create the transcription; Microsoft says it does not store, sample or listen to those recordings without your permission ⁴⁰. Voice typing uses the online kind ³. Voice Access uses on-device recognition ²². Fluid dictation's cleanup runs on small language models on the device ⁴¹.

The switches that control this:

A privacy setting is not a compliance program. If you dictate patient notes, client files or anything under HIPAA or similar rules, the question is whether your organization has an agreement covering the service, not which switch is on. The question is Windows dictation HIPAA compliant explains what the documentation does and does not say. The full map of every speech-related switch is in our guide to Windows dictation privacy, with short answers on what online speech recognition is and whether Voice Access sends audio to Microsoft. For the wider subject, see our overview of speech to text privacy.

Offline dictation on Windows means Voice Access or an app that runs a local model

Voice typing stops working without an internet connection, because the recognition happens on Microsoft's servers ². The question does Windows voice typing work offline has a short answer: no. You have two offline routes.

The first is Voice Access. Once its language files are downloaded, it recognizes speech on the PC ²² and keeps working with Wi-Fi off ⁵. It is free, but it is built for control, and its languages are limited to 15 variants.

The second is a dictation app that runs an open speech model locally. OpenAI's Whisper models, trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual audio ⁴⁵, and NVIDIA's Parakeet models, which cover 25 European languages in their latest version ⁴⁶, are the engines behind most of these apps. Free, open-source options run on Windows: Handy works on Windows, macOS and Linux ⁴⁷, OpenWhispr runs Whisper and Parakeet models offline ⁴⁸, and Buzz transcribes audio files offline on a personal computer ⁴⁹. The trade-off is a one-time model download and some CPU, GPU or NPU work on your machine, in exchange for audio that never leaves the PC and no network delay.

Our guide to offline speech to text on Windows compares the options and the hardware they need, with questions on installing Whisper on Windows and open-source dictation for Windows. The engines themselves are covered in our overview of speech recognition, including how to run Whisper locally.

Fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs cleans up your words on the device, in English only

Fluid dictation is an option in voice typing on Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft says it corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak ⁵⁰, using small language models that run on the device ⁴¹. It is available in all English locales ³⁶ and turns itself off in secure fields such as passwords and PINs ⁵¹. The question what is fluid dictation gives the one-paragraph answer.

A Copilot+ PC is defined by its neural processing unit: Microsoft says many of the new Windows AI features require an NPU that can run at 40 or more TOPS (trillion operations per second) ⁵². That figure measures the chip's peak AI throughput, not dictation accuracy, and you do not need a Copilot+ PC to dictate well: voice typing, Voice Access and third-party apps all run on ordinary Windows 11 hardware.

Many Copilot+ PCs use Arm processors, which raises a compatibility question. Windows on Arm runs native Arm apps and many unmodified x86 and x64 apps ⁵³, helped since Windows 11 24H2 by the Prism emulator ⁵⁴. The built-in voice tools are part of Windows and run natively. The catch for dictation is drivers: emulation covers only user-mode code and does not support drivers ⁵⁵, so dictation software, foot pedals or microphones that install their own drivers need Arm64 versions. Check with the vendor before you buy an Arm laptop for dictation.

Our guide to fluid dictation, Copilot+ PCs and Windows on Arm covers this in depth, with questions on whether dictation software works on Windows on Arm and whether Voice Access uses AI. Our page on dictation on Windows on Arm covers app compatibility.

Copilot listens and answers, but it does not type into your other apps

Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant, and its voice features are for talking to Copilot, not for dictating into Word or email. You can start a voice chat by saying "Hey Copilot", but that wake word is off by default: you turn on Listen for "Hey Copilot" in the Copilot app's settings ⁵⁶. The PC detects the phrase locally, with an on-device service that keeps a 10-second audio buffer in memory that is never recorded or stored ⁵⁷. Once Copilot hears the wake word, the conversation goes to Microsoft's service, so Copilot needs an internet connection to answer ⁵⁸. A voice chat ends after one minute without speech ⁵⁹.

So the answer to whether Copilot can take dictation is: it can take a spoken prompt and write a draft from it, but it does not type your words verbatim into the app you are in. For that, use voice typing, Voice Access or the Dictate button in Microsoft 365 apps, then ask Copilot to summarize or rewrite the result. Our guide to Copilot voice and dictation on Windows separates the Copilot app, Microsoft 365 Copilot and voice typing, with questions on talking to Copilot by voice and whether Copilot can transcribe audio. The difference between assistants and dictation in general is covered in our overview of speech to text AI.

Voice typing works in almost every app, while Word and Google Docs bring their own dictation

Voice typing types into any app that accepts keyboard text: browsers, email, chat apps, Office, note apps. Two popular editors also have their own dictation, which works differently.

Microsoft Word has a Dictate button. In Word for Windows you can start it with Alt + ` (the backquote key) or Alt+H, D ⁶⁰. It needs Microsoft 365 and a reliable internet connection ⁶¹, and it has its own command set. Google Docs voice typing runs in the browser: Google says it works in recent versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari ⁶², and you start it from Tools > Voice typing or with Ctrl + Shift + S ⁶³.

Which one to use? In Word, Dictate adds Word's own editing and formatting commands, such as "capitalize" followed by a word or phrase ⁶⁵; voice typing behaves the same in every app. The question Word Dictate or Windows voice typing weighs them. Our guide to dictation in Windows apps gives the app-by-app details, with questions on whether voice typing works in every app, a Google Docs voice typing app for Windows and a voice keyboard for PC. The app guides themselves, such as dictating in Word and Google Docs voice typing, are in our overview of voice typing in apps and browsers.

When dictation stops working, check the microphone, the connection, the language and Voice Access in that order

Voice typing fails for a short list of reasons, and checking them in order fixes nearly every case:

1. Microphone permission. In Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, Microphone access must be on ⁴⁴, and desktop apps have a separate switch that must also be on ⁶⁴. Microsoft names microphone access as the first thing voice typing needs ⁶⁶. Then check that the right input device is selected in the voice typing settings.
2. Internet and online speech recognition. Voice typing needs a connection ², and with Online speech recognition off, only on-device features work ⁴².
3. Language. If your current input language does not support voice typing, it will not start ³⁸. Switch to a supported input language.
4. Voice Access. If Voice Access is running, the Windows key + H shows a message instead of opening voice typing ⁸. Turn Voice Access off or dictate with it.
5. The shortcut and policy. If the Windows key + H does nothing at all, check whether another utility has remapped it, and on a work or school PC ask whether an administrator has turned speech features off.

Voice typing that stops mid-sentence is a different problem from voice typing that never starts, and its causes (long pauses, an unstable connection, the wait-time setting) need different fixes. Voice Access problems usually trace back to its language download, which needs an internet connection the first time ⁶⁷.

Our guide to Windows dictation not working orders every fix with exact Settings paths. The common symptoms each have a question: the Windows key + H not working, dictation stuck on initializing, voice typing that keeps stopping, allowing microphone access and Voice Access not working. The microphone itself is covered in our guide to choosing a dictation microphone.

Built-in tools are enough for short text; a dedicated app pays off for long, private or specialist work

Start with what Windows includes. Voice typing and Voice Access are free, and for messages, emails and short documents they are often all you need. The question best free dictation software for Windows starts there, and is Windows dictation any good gives an honest assessment. Pay for software only for what the built-in tools lack: offline processing with good accuracy, custom vocabulary, AI cleanup in languages other than English, or Dragon-style command control.

Windows dictation software falls into a few groups:

Dragon Professional 16 is the long-standing choice for command-heavy professional work. Nuance lists Windows 11 and Windows 10 among its supported systems ⁶⁸, with Windows 11 support new in version 16 ⁶⁹, and a minimum of 4 GB of RAM ⁷⁰. It is not cheap: CDW listed a one-user license at $685.99 when we checked ⁷¹. The questions is Windows voice typing as good as Dragon and does Dragon work with Windows 11 cover the comparison.

Cloud AI dictation apps such as Wispr Flow, which lists Mac, Windows, iOS and Android ⁷², rewrite your speech into polished text, which requires sending it to their servers. On-device apps keep audio on the PC: Superwhisper's free plan dictates with local Whisper models ⁷³ and one Pro license covers unlimited Macs and Windows PCs ⁷⁴, while the open-source apps above are free. Talon, a hands-free input tool popular for programming by voice, offers downloads for Windows, macOS and Linux ⁷⁵. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Windows and Mac; see Yap for Windows or download it if that is what you need.

Before you pay, test any app on your own vocabulary, in the apps you actually use, and check where it sends audio. Our guide to the best dictation software for Windows compares the groups and named apps with dated facts and a test checklist, and the question on AI dictation apps for Windows lists the current options. Our overview of dictation software covers how to choose across every platform, and how to choose a dictation app is a shorter checklist.

Windows dictation works much like dictation on a Mac, with different trade-offs

Both platforms give you free system-wide dictation and a separate full voice control feature. The main differences are where the speech is processed and how the tools are split. On a Mac with Apple silicon, Apple Dictation processes 48 language variants on the Mac itself ⁷⁶, and Voice Control replaces Dictation while it runs ⁷⁷. On Windows, voice typing is cloud-based, and Voice Access is the on-device option. If you use both computers, our overview of dictation on Mac is the matching page, and a dictation app that runs on both keeps your habits and vocabulary the same across them.

The full set of Windows guides, in the order we suggest reading them:

1. Windows voice typing: the Windows key + H, settings and limits.
2. Voice Access in Windows 11: setup and daily use.
3. Best dictation software for Windows: free and paid options compared.
4. Windows dictation not working: every fix, in order.
5. Voice Access commands: the command list by task.
6. How to turn off Voice Access: every off switch.
7. Voice typing commands and punctuation: the tables.
8. Windows Speech Recognition: deprecation and replacement.
9. Windows dictation languages: what each tool supports.
10. Offline speech to text on Windows: what works without internet.
11. Copilot voice and dictation: what Copilot does and does not do.
12. Dictation in Windows apps: Word, Outlook and browsers.
13. Windows dictation privacy: online speech recognition and voice clips.
14. Fluid dictation, Copilot+ PCs and Windows on Arm: the newest hardware.

For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to dictate on Windows. To try dictation without installing anything, online dictation works in the browser, and audio to text transcribes recordings you already have.