How do you use dictation on Windows 10?

Dictation on Windows 10 starts with one key combination: Windows logo key + H. Microsoft describes it as dictation rather than voice typing, and it covers a smaller set of languages and commands than the newer tool on Windows 11. The steps below come from Microsoft's Windows 10 article and its dictation toolbar page, which lists Windows 10 among the versions it covers ( Microsoft's current dictation toolbar page).

Press Windows logo key + H in a text box to start dictation

Microsoft's instructions put the cursor first and the key second. Select a text field, then press the key ¹. To dictate a paragraph:

1. Click the document, email or search box so the cursor is blinking in it.
2. Press Windows logo key + H to open the dictation toolbar.
3. Speak in whole sentences. Your words appear where the cursor is.
4. To stop, say Stop dictation. On a tablet or touchscreen, you can also tap the microphone button on the touch keyboard to start, and tap it again to stop ( Microsoft's Windows 10 article, archived copy).

The stop phrase is the one Microsoft documents for Windows 10 ². Use it instead of reaching for the mouse, especially when your hands are on the keyboard for a correction.

Dictation needs an internet connection and nothing has to be installed

Windows 10 dictation is part of the operating system. Microsoft says it uses speech recognition that is built into Windows 10 ³, so there is no separate program to find or install. The feature does need the network: Microsoft says "To use dictation, your PC needs to be connected to the internet" ⁴.

The internet requirement is the reason dictation most often does nothing. If you are on a plane, in a building with poor Wi-Fi or on a hotspot that has dropped, the toolbar may open but produce no text. Reconnect first, then try again.

Windows may also ask you to turn on online speech recognition before dictation works. AbilityNet's walkthrough of dictation on Windows 10 notes that you may be asked to do this ⁵, but it does not say where that switch is. Microsoft's article does not mention the prompt, so treat it as a first-run step you may see, not a setting you must check every time.

Windows 10 dictation commands work only in US English

Windows 10 has two language lists, and they are not the same. Microsoft lists 12 variants for dictating basic text, symbols, letters and numbers: Simplified Chinese, four English variants (Australia, Canada, India and United Kingdom), two French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and two Spanish variants (Mexico and Spain) ⁶.

Spoken editing commands are a narrower list. Microsoft says that dictation commands are available in US English only ⁷. The commands are the ones that edit as you go, such as "delete that" or "select the previous word", which Microsoft gives as examples in its command table.

If you dictate in French or German, you can still dictate the text. You need to correct mistakes by hand, mouse or keyboard, because the editing commands do not apply to those languages.

Windows 10 no longer gets security updates, so plan a move to Windows 11

Microsoft says Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, after which it no longer provides technical assistance, feature updates or security updates ⁸. Dictation is only one feature of the PC, and a PC that gets no security fixes carries risk for everything you do on it.

If you dictate every day, plan an upgrade to Windows 11. Our guide to voice typing in Windows 11 covers the newer built-in tool, and our question on the shortcut for voice typing gives its key combination in one line.

If dictation does nothing on Windows 10, check three things in order

1. Check the connection. Dictation needs the internet, so open a web page to confirm you are online.
2. Check the microphone. Make sure the microphone you want to use is connected and selected in Windows settings. If you use a built-in microphone and the words come out wrong, try a headset or an external microphone.
3. Check the text box. The cursor must be in a text field. Click into the box, then press Windows logo key + H again.

If the words still do not appear after those checks, the problem is usually the connection or the microphone rather than the shortcut.

It depends on whether you need the built-in tool at all

For short notes, the built-in dictation is free and needs no setup. It is the wrong choice when you need to work offline, because Windows 10 dictation needs the internet. Our guide to offline speech to text on Windows lists tools that do not need a connection.

Dictation of any kind also needs correction, so plan time to read back and fix what you dictated, especially for anything you will send.

For the wider topic, see our guide to dictation on Windows and the Windows overview. If you are asking about talking to text on a laptop in general, our question on talk to text on a laptop covers both Windows and Mac. The dictation glossary entry and the voice typing entry define the terms used here.