How to Dictate on Windows 11 with Voice Typing
To dictate on Windows 11, click into any text box and press the Windows key + H. A small voice typing bar pops up, shows “Listening...”, and whatever you say lands at the cursor. That's the whole trick, and it works almost anywhere you can type: Word, Outlook, a browser tab, Notepad, Slack.
The trouble starts a few sentences in. Microsoft's Q&A forum is full of people saying voice typing got less accurate, or asking how to teach it one stubborn word (you can't, at least not in voice typing). This guide covers the setup that fixes most bad results, the commands worth knowing, how voice typing differs from Voice access, and when a free built-in tool stops being enough. It describes Windows 11, with a note on Windows 10.
Voice typing on Windows 11, step by step
- Put your cursor in a text field. Voice typing only opens when there's somewhere for the words to go.
- Press Windows key + H. On a touchscreen, tap the microphone key on the touch keyboard.
- Wait for “Listening...” before you speak. Start early and the opening words can go missing.
- Talk in whole sentences. With automatic punctuation on, Windows adds commas and full stops itself; say “comma” or “new paragraph” when it guesses wrong.
- Fix mistakes out loud. “Delete that” removes what you just said, “select that” highlights it, and “undo that” reverses the last change.
- Stop. Say “stop listening” or click the mic. Windows key + Alt + H moves keyboard focus into the bar.
On Windows 10 the same shortcut opens what Microsoft calls dictation. It also needs an internet connection, and most of what follows still applies. One habit worth forming on either version: finish a thought before you press the shortcut. Automatic punctuation copes far better with a whole sentence than with fragments.
Ten minutes of setup that fixes most bad results
A lot of “voice typing is useless” turns out to be a microphone, a language setting or a privacy switch.
Pick the right microphone
Open Settings > System > Sound and look under Input. A laptop with a webcam, a headset and a built-in array may be listening through the wrong one. Open the device's properties and use Start test, then play the sample back and adjust Input volume if you sound faint. Microsoft's voice typing troubleshooting page suggests a headset or external mic when the built-in one struggles, and in a busy room that change does more than any setting.
Let Windows use it
Voice typing can't hear you if apps are blocked from the microphone. Under Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, turn on Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone (Word, Outlook and your browser all count as desktop apps). Then open Speech on the same page and check that Online speech recognition is on: Microsoft's support article says voice typing runs on its Azure-powered online speech service. If that switch is greyed out on a work laptop, IT controls it through policy.
Match the language to how you spell
Voice typing follows your input language: switch it with Windows key + Spacebar, and add one at Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Microsoft lists 46 supported variants, six of them English. Homophones are where the variant shows: one user on Microsoft Q&A kept getting “cheque” and “philtre” for check and filter. Pick the English whose spelling you actually write in.
Open the gear menu once
The gear icon on the voice typing bar holds five settings: the voice typing launcher (a little mic that appears when you click into a text box), automatic punctuation, a profanity filter, your default microphone, and a wait time before acting on commands. That last one helps slower speakers.
Got a Copilot+ PC? Look for Fluid dictation in the same menu. Microsoft says it fixes grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak, using small language models that run on the device, and it's on by default in English. Say “revert” or press Ctrl+Z when it tidies a sentence you wanted left exactly as spoken.
The commands worth learning
Voice typing understands only a short list of editing commands, which means less to memorize. These are the US English phrases from Microsoft's voice typing page.
| What you want | What to say |
|---|---|
| Stop voice typing | “Stop listening” or “pause voice typing” |
| Remove the last thing you said | “Delete that” or “scratch that” |
| Highlight the last thing you said | “Select that” |
| Reverse the last change | “Undo that” or “revert” |
| Keys | “Press Enter”, “press Backspace”, “press Tab”, “insert space” |
| Breaks and basic punctuation | “New line”, “new paragraph”, “comma”, “period”, “question mark”, “open quotes” / “close quotes” |
Spoken punctuation goes much further than that, into brackets, currency symbols and even a “heart emoji”, but a table that long deserves its own page. Our complete list of dictation commands for Windows, Mac and Word has all of it.
Voice typing and Voice access are different tools
Voice typing is for words. Voice access, available from Windows 11 version 22H2, runs the whole computer by voice: opening apps, saying “click send”, scrolling, and dictating text too. It's built for people who can't or shouldn't use a keyboard and mouse, including many with RSI. If Voice access is already running and you press Windows key + H, Windows tells you Voice access can type as well, so there's no reason to run both.
Turn it on at Settings > Accessibility > Speech. The first launch downloads a speech model, and after that Microsoft says recognition happens on the device, without an internet connection. It also has what voice typing lacks: Add to vocabulary for names and jargon, plus a spelling mode. The catch is coverage: Microsoft's setup page lists 15 language variants, and a command system takes days to feel natural. From September 2024 it also replaces the old Windows Speech Recognition on 22H2 and later.
| Voice typing | Voice access | Dictate in Microsoft 365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to start | Windows key + H | Settings > Accessibility > Speech | Dictate button on the Home or Message tab |
| Where it works | Any text box | The whole PC, dictation included | Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote |
| Internet | Required | Only for setup | Required |
| Languages (Microsoft's lists) | 46 variants | 15 variants | 15 supported, about 36 in preview |
| Your own words | No | Yes, Add to vocabulary | No option documented |
| Best for | Quick text in any app | Hands-free control | Long drafts inside Office |
Office's own dictation has its own button and its own reasons for turning grey. We cover it separately in how to use dictation in Microsoft Word, and the email side of it in dictating emails in Outlook and Gmail.
When voice typing won't start or keeps mishearing
- Nothing happens when you press Windows key + H. The cursor isn't in a text field, or Voice access is already open.
- “Voice typing needs access to your microphone.” See the microphone switch above.
- “Voice typing isn't available in the current language.” Switch with Windows key + Spacebar, or install a listed language.
- The bar is listening but no text appears. Raise the input level, then try a headset.
- Grey words that hang, then vanish. Grey text is still being processed online, and answers on Microsoft Q&A point at the mic, the language or the service itself. Test in Notepad: if it works there, the other app is the problem.
- The same words keep coming out wrong. Quieter room, correct language variant, better mic, in that order.
If voice typing works but Dictate in Word or Outlook is greyed out, that's an Office licence or privacy setting. The fixes are in our Word dictation troubleshooting guide. And if accuracy is poor everywhere, why voice to text gets words wrong covers causes your settings can't reach.
When the free tool isn't enough
Two complaints kept coming up in the Windows threads we read: voice typing stumbles on specialist words, and there's no dictionary to fix it. An answer on Microsoft Q&A confirms Windows key + H dictation doesn't support editing or training its dictionary. For a few emails a day in a quiet room, that's a fair trade for a free, preinstalled tool. For a recruiter spelling surnames or a developer saying “Kubernetes” all day, it wears thin.
The realistic next steps:
- Voice access, if your language is listed. It's free, and its vocabulary list is aimed squarely at proper nouns.
- Dragon Professional, the heavyweight for deep custom vocabularies and macros, at a professional price. Our Dragon speech-to-text review covers who it still suits.
- A cross-app AI dictation tool on a hotkey that types into any app and tidies text on the way. Wispr Flow is a well-known example.
Laxis's Voice Keyboard is our own entry in that last group, and it runs on Windows. Press a hotkey, talk, and cleaned-up text appears at your cursor, with filler words and repeats removed and a Personal Dictionary for the names voice typing fumbles. It processes speech in the cloud, like voice typing, so it needs a connection. The free Basic plan includes 300 minutes a month shared with meeting transcription, and new accounts get a 14-day Premium trial with no card required.
For pricing side by side, see our comparison of the best dictation software. And if you're buying a laptop with dictation in mind, note that Microsoft has been putting more speech work on the PC itself: Voice access already recognizes speech locally, and Fluid dictation needs Copilot+ hardware. That spec may matter more than the microphone count.
Frequently asked questions
What is the keyboard shortcut for voice typing in Windows 11?
Press the Windows key + H with your cursor in a text box to start voice typing in Windows 11. Wait until the bar shows Listening, then speak. On a touchscreen, tap the microphone key on the touch keyboard. Say stop listening or click the microphone when you are finished.
Does Windows voice typing work offline?
No, voice typing in Windows 11 needs an internet connection because it uses Microsoft's online speech recognition. Voice access is the offline option: after a one-time language download it recognizes speech on the device and can dictate as well as control apps, though it supports far fewer languages.
Why is voice typing not working on Windows 11?
Voice typing usually fails because of a blocked microphone, the wrong input device or an unsupported language. Allow microphone access for desktop apps under Privacy and security, pick the right device under Sound, Input, and check that Online speech recognition is on. Then test Windows key + H in Notepad.
Can I add custom words to Windows voice typing?
No, Windows voice typing has no custom dictionary, so you cannot teach it names, acronyms or jargon. Voice access, the other speech feature in Windows 11, can: say add to vocabulary or use its settings to store difficult words. That missing word list is the gap most third-party dictation apps target.
What is the difference between voice typing and Voice access?
Voice typing only turns speech into text at your cursor, while Voice access controls the whole PC by voice and dictates text as well. Voice access needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or later and runs on the device after setup. Voice typing needs the internet but covers far more languages.
Is there free dictation software for Windows?
Yes, Windows 11 and Windows 10 include free dictation that you start with Windows key + H in any text box. Windows 11 adds Voice access for hands-free control, and Microsoft 365 subscribers get Dictate in Word and Outlook. Paid tools add custom vocabularies, clean-up and one hotkey across apps.
