Snapdragon X and other Arm PCs
Dictation on a Windows on Arm PC.
Laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips run Windows on Arm. Apps made for Intel and AMD processors still work there, translated on the fly, while an app with its own Arm version runs natively. Yap has one: hold Ctrl + Win, speak, release, and your words are typed into the app you are using, recognized on the PC.
Windows on Arm, 64-bit · 108 MB. $6.90 USD/month or $69 USD/year. 3 days free, no account or card, then a 10-day trial with a card.
First, check your PC
Is it an Arm PC?
Open Settings → System → About and look at System type under Device specifications. If it says “ARM-based processor”, your PC runs Windows on Arm. If it says x64-based processor, it has an Intel or AMD chip and needs the standard Windows version.
“Copilot+ PC” does not settle it: Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X chips are Arm PCs, while those with Intel or AMD chips are not.
What works on Windows on Arm
Your options for typing by voice.
Windows voice typing (Windows key + H)
Built into Windows, so it runs on Arm PCs too. Microsoft says it “uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services”, so you need an internet connection, and your speech is processed by Microsoft’s online service.
Source: Microsoft: voice typing.
Voice access, with Fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs
Built into Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. Microsoft says it “enables everyone to control their PC and author text using only their voice and without an internet connection”. On Copilot+ PCs, in English, its Fluid dictation also corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak; Microsoft says it is “powered by on-device small language models (SLMs)”. It is designed for controlling the whole PC by voice.
Source: Microsoft: voice access · Fluid dictation.
Dragon Professional 16
Nuance’s system requirements ask for a “2.2 GHz Intel® dual core or equivalent AMD processor” and do not list Arm processors. Windows 11 on Arm can run Intel and AMD apps through emulation, but Nuance does not list that setup as supported.
Source: Nuance: Dragon 16 release notes.
Yap
- A native Arm64 version, no emulation. Hold Ctrl + Win in any text field, speak, release.
- Recognition runs on your PC. Your voice is not sent to a speech service.
- 25 languages, recognized per recording with no language switching.
- Free for 3 days with no account or card. One subscription also covers a Mac.
If you want to control your whole PC by voice, start with voice access, which is already on your Arm PC. Yap is for people who mainly want to talk instead of type, in the apps they already use, in more than one language.
Native or emulated.
Windows 11 on Arm runs Intel and AMD apps by emulation, which Microsoft describes as “just-in-time compiling blocks of x86 instructions into Arm64 instructions”. Its Prism emulator, in Windows 11 24H2, makes that faster, but a native Arm64 app skips the translation altogether. How emulation works on Arm.
Speech recognition works the processor hard for every sentence you say, which is why Yap ships a separate Arm64 build. The speech model, about 0.7 GB, downloads once the first time you dictate; after that, recognition works without a connection while your access is valid. Languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, and Maltese.
Install the Arm version.
The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows may show “Windows protected your PC”. Choose More info, then Run anyway. It installs for your account only, with no administrator rights.
Allow the microphone.
In Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone.
Say your first sentence.
Keep your connection on while the speech model downloads. Then place your cursor in a note, hold Ctrl + Win, speak and release. No account or card needed for 3 days; after that, a 10-day trial. See plans and pricing.
Questions.
- Is Yap a native Arm app?
- Yes. Yap for Windows has its own Arm64 version, so it runs without emulation on Snapdragon X laptops and other Windows on Arm PCs. The Intel and AMD version is a separate download.
- Does Yap use the NPU?
- No. Yap recognizes speech on the PC’s processor with NVIDIA’s Parakeet model. It does not need an NPU, so it runs the same way on Arm PCs with or without one.
- Can I run Dragon on a Snapdragon laptop?
- Nuance’s system requirements for Dragon Professional 16 ask for a “2.2 GHz Intel® dual core or equivalent AMD processor” and do not list Arm processors. Windows 11 on Arm can emulate Intel and AMD apps, but that is not a configuration Nuance lists as supported.
- Is every Copilot+ PC an Arm PC?
- No. Copilot+ PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips run Windows on Arm. Copilot+ PCs with Intel or AMD chips run regular 64-bit Windows and use the standard Intel and AMD version of an app.
- Is my voice uploaded?
- No. Recognition runs on your PC and your recordings are not uploaded or saved. The internet is needed to download the app and the speech model, to start your free days or your trial, and for periodic access checks.