Does Windows voice typing work offline?

No. Win+H voice typing needs an internet connection every time you use it, because Microsoft's online speech service does the recognition ¹. Voice Access is the built-in tool that works offline, but only after a one-time setup that needs the internet. If you need dictation with no connection at all, an offline app is the more dependable choice.

Win+H voice typing needs the internet every time

Microsoft says voice typing "uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services" ¹. The same page lists what you need to use it: an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ².

The support page does not describe an offline mode, and the word "offline" does not appear on it. So a flight, a train or a site with a weak signal will stop voice typing. Our overview of Windows voice typing covers how to start it.

Voice Access works offline after a one-time setup

Voice Access controls the PC and writes text by voice. Microsoft says it lets you control your PC and author text "without an internet connection" ³.

The catch is the first run. Microsoft says setup needs an internet connection ⁴. Voice Access is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later ⁵, so check your version before you plan around it.

To set it up while you are online, follow these steps. The menu names come from Microsoft's setup page for Windows 11, as it read on 2026-10-16.

1. Connect the PC to the internet.
2. In the Start menu, select Settings, then Accessibility, then Speech.
3. Turn on the Voice access switch.
4. Follow the prompts to download the language files, and wait for the download to finish.
5. Turn off Wi-Fi, then say a few commands or dictate a sentence to confirm that it works.

Fluid dictation is a Voice Access feature on Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft's record of Voice Access updates calls fluid dictation "a new feature in voice access on Copilot + PCs" ⁶. It corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak ⁷. Microsoft says the feature runs on on-device small language models ⁸, and that it is currently available in all English locales ⁹.

This is the one case where the answer changes. On a Copilot+ PC with an English locale, Voice Access dictation can clean up your text on the device. But fluid dictation belongs to Voice Access, not Win+H. The voice typing page still describes online recognition, so do not assume that Win+H uses the same on-device path.

It depends on your PC, your language and what you dictate

Accuracy is the open question. We found no published word error rate for Voice Access, from Microsoft or from an independent tester. Judge it on your own speech, including long documents, before you depend on it.

Use an offline app when you need dictation into any app

If you want dictation into any app, with no network at all, an offline app is the better fit. Our question on open-source dictation apps for Windows compares the ones that run on a PC. Check each app's release page before you install it, and test it with the network turned off.

Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows. You can download it and test it with Wi-Fi off.

What to do

1. Turn off Wi-Fi and try Win+H in a text box. If nothing is typed, you have confirmed the connection requirement on your PC.
2. If you want the built-in route, set up Voice Access while online, then test it offline on your own speech.
3. If you need offline dictation into any app, install one offline app and test it with your own voice. Our guide to offline speech to text on Windows compares the options and gives a ten-minute test.

For the basics of the Win+H feature, see our glossary entry on voice typing and the general definition of dictation. For related answers, read whether Windows has built-in dictation, how to install Whisper on Windows and whether there is a Whisper app for Windows. The full set of Windows answers is in our Windows dictation overview.