How do you choose the microphone Windows dictation uses?

To choose the microphone Windows dictation uses, open Start > Settings > System > Sound > Input and select the device you speak into. Then open the voice typing settings and check that Default microphone names the same device. Microsoft's own troubleshooting for voice typing starts with this step ¹, so it is the first thing to check when nothing appears after you speak.

Windows can list several microphones at once: a laptop's built-in microphone, a webcam, a headset, and a USB or Bluetooth device. Dictation records from the microphone that is selected. The steps below are for Windows 11. Our guide to fixing Windows dictation covers the other causes, for when the microphone is right and dictation still fails.

Select the input device in Sound settings first

Windows keeps the main microphone choice under Sound. Microsoft's steps for a microphone say to select Start, then Settings, then System, then Sound, and to go to Input to see the connected microphones ².

1. Select Start, then choose Settings > System > Sound.
2. Under Input, select the microphone you speak into.
3. Run the microphone test described below, before you open a dictation tool.

If the microphone you want is not in the list, check its connection or driver first, because a dictation setting cannot add a device that Windows does not see. Reconnect a USB device straight into the PC, or add a Bluetooth device with Add device first.

Voice typing has its own Default microphone setting

Voice typing has a second place to choose a microphone. Microsoft lists Default microphone among the voice typing settings, which open from the gear icon on the voice typing flyout ³. The same menu includes the voice typing launcher ⁴.

Microsoft's voice typing pages do not say how this setting relates to the input device you chose under Sound, or which one wins when they differ. So the safe rule is to set both to the same microphone:

1. Click into a text box, so the cursor is blinking in it.
2. Press Windows key + H to open the voice typing flyout.
3. Select the gear icon, and check that Default microphone shows the device you selected under Input.

If the two settings differ, change one to match the other, then run the test below. Do not assume that voice typing will follow the Sound setting.

Test the microphone before you rely on it

Microsoft's test runs on the device's own page, not inside a dictation tool. Select the microphone under Input, choose the arrow to the right of the device to open its Properties page, then select Start test under Input settings and speak normally. Select Stop test and choose Play to hear the recording. Microsoft says to adjust the Input volume slider if needed ⁵.

Use the playback as your check. If your words are too quiet to hear, raise the input volume. If the room noise is louder than your voice, move the microphone closer or switch to a headset. Raising the volume does not fix a microphone that is too far from your mouth, because it also raises the room noise.

If the test works but the text box stays empty when you dictate, check that the microphone is still the one selected under Input and in the voice typing settings, then raise the input level and try again.

Use a headset when the built-in microphone gets words wrong

Words that appear but come out wrong have a different cause. Microsoft suggests trying a headset or an external microphone if you are using the built-in microphone ⁶.

Distance is the likely cause. In a published test of a different speech engine, Whisper Large V2, the word error rate on a single distant microphone recording of AMI meetings was about 2.15 times the rate on the headset recording of the same meetings ⁷. That study does not test Windows voice typing, so it shows the size of the effect for one engine, not a guaranteed result on your PC. The direction is the one Microsoft recommends: a microphone close to your mouth beats a distant one.

Bluetooth headsets can switch to a lower-quality call microphone

A Bluetooth headset is convenient, but its sound can change once it starts listening. Apple describes this on the Mac: Bluetooth has two modes, and the second is the one used for speaking through the microphone while also listening to audio ⁸. Unity's developer documentation says audio over a Bluetooth voice connection is lower quality, similar to a standard phone call, and mono ⁹.

The Microsoft pages we read do not describe this switch for Windows, so test it on your own PC. Dictate one sentence through the Bluetooth headset, then through a wired headset or a USB microphone, and compare the text. If the wired option is clearly better, select it under Input and in the voice typing settings.

Which microphone to choose, by situation

For a deeper look at the laptop's built-in microphone, read whether a laptop microphone is good enough for dictation.

If the right microphone is chosen and dictation still fails

If the microphone is right and the test passes, but voice typing still does not start, check microphone access. Our question on how to allow microphone access on Windows walks through the switches under Privacy & security > Microphone.

If the shortcut itself does nothing, the question is different, and why the Windows key + H is not working covers it. For the feature itself, see our guide to Windows voice typing, and the term is defined in our glossary entry for voice typing.

We have not confirmed these steps for Windows 10. On that version, check the Input setting under Sound and test the microphone there, and look at the voice typing gear menu on your own PC. For every Windows dictation topic, see our overview of dictation on Windows.