How do you use talk to text on a laptop?

"Talk to text" on a laptop means the built-in speech-to-text tool on its operating system. On a Windows laptop that is voice typing, started with Windows key + H. On a Mac laptop it is Dictation, which you turn on in System Settings. Both put your spoken words where the cursor is, and both depend on a working microphone. The steps are short. The harder question is whether the built-in tool meets your needs for internet use, accuracy and editing.

On a Windows laptop, press Windows key + H in a text box

Windows 11 starts voice typing with a keyboard shortcut. Press Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, or press the Microphone button on the touch keyboard ¹. The steps:

1. Click into the document, email or search box so the cursor is in it.
2. Press Windows key + H. Voice typing starts listening.
3. Speak in whole sentences. The words appear at the cursor.
4. To stop, say "Stop listening", or press the microphone button on the voice typing menu.

On Windows 10, the key is the Windows logo key + H, which is the same key combination, and it opens the dictation toolbar ². Our question on dictation on Windows 10 covers the older version's limits.

Voice typing needs a microphone, an internet connection and a text box

Each of the three requirements can fail on a laptop. Microsoft says voice typing on Windows needs an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ³. Check the three in that order when nothing appears.

The microphone is where laptops most often let people down. When voice typing enters the wrong words, Microsoft suggests trying a headset or external microphone if you are using the built-in microphone ⁴. Our question on whether a laptop microphone is good enough explains when the built-in one is enough.

On a Mac laptop, dictation is turned on from Keyboard settings

On a Mac, you turn Dictation on or off from the Dictation section of Keyboard settings in System Settings ⁵. Once it is on, you can start it with the shortcut shown there. Apple also advises that the Mac's microphone should not be blocked while you speak ⁶, so keep clothing and your body from blocking it while you dictate. For Mac steps in more detail, see our overview of dictation on Mac.

Without internet, Windows voice typing will not work, so choose another tool

This is the most common reason people look for another option. Windows voice typing needs a connection, so it fails on a plane or in a place with no signal. Windows 11 Voice Access is different: Microsoft says it controls the PC and writes text by voice without an internet connection ⁷. Voice Access also does commands, such as opening apps and clicking, so it is a different tool rather than an offline copy of voice typing. Our guide to Voice Access in Windows 11 covers setup.

If you want a dedicated offline app for writing, our guide to offline speech to text on Windows lists the options that work without a connection.

Correcting dictated text takes more time than speaking it

The speed of speaking is not the whole cost. Vertanen's 2006 study found that, when people dictated with a large-vocabulary recognizer, correcting errors took up most of the task time ⁸. That study predates today's recognizers, so it does not measure your laptop. It does show that a dictated draft still needs reading and correcting, and that you should budget time for it.

Voice typing has a few spoken editing commands, and the voice typing commands guide lists them. Test the tool on a page of your own writing before you rely on it for anything important.

What to do when talk to text does not work on a laptop

1. Confirm the internet connection. Microsoft says voice typing needs one, so open a web page to check.
2. Confirm the microphone. Check that the microphone you want is the one the laptop is using, and that its input is loud enough. Try a headset if the words come out wrong.
3. Confirm the text box. Click into a field first, then press Windows key + H or start Dictation on the Mac.
4. Test with a short sentence. A short test shows whether the microphone and connection work before you dictate a long draft.

For the full list of voice typing settings, see our guide to voice typing on Windows. For the wider subject, the dictation glossary entry and the voice typing entry define the terms, and the Windows overview links every guide in the series.