Windows Speech to Text: How to Use It and Where It Fails
Windows speech to text is built in: click into any text box, press Windows key + H, wait for "Listening..." and start talking. It needs an internet connection. Below is the setup, the settings worth changing, the commands, the fixes when it won't start, and where it falls short.
- Press Windows key + H in a text box, wait for "Listening...", talk. Say "Stop listening" to stop.
- In the gear on the voice typing flyout, turn on the launcher and automatic punctuation, and pick your microphone.
- Use automatic punctuation or spoken punctuation, not both.
- Voice typing needs internet. Voice Access is the built-in option that works offline.
- Windows Speech Recognition is deprecated; Voice Access replaced it on Windows 11 22H2 and later from September 2024.
- If Win+H does nothing, check internet, Online speech recognition, mic permissions, and that a text box is selected.
- Voice typing has no custom vocabulary, few edit commands and no hold-to-talk key.
How to turn on voice typing in Windows 11
You need 3 things: an internet connection, a working microphone and your cursor in a text box (Microsoft Support). Miss the text box and Win+H simply does nothing, which looks a lot like it's broken. These steps match current Windows 11 (version 26H2 is the latest as of October 2026).
Step 1: Click into a text box
A Word document, an email, a browser search bar. Voice typing only starts where the cursor can type.
Step 2: Press Windows key + H and wait for "Listening..."
A small voice typing menu appears. Wait for the "Listening..." alert before you speak, or the first few words go nowhere.
Step 3: Talk, then say "Stop listening"
When you're done, say "Stop listening" or press the microphone button on the voice typing menu. Echo cancellation suppresses sound from your speakers, so a background video shouldn't end up in your document.
Using a touch keyboard or keyboard-only navigation
On a tablet, press the Microphone button on the touch keyboard instead. If you'd rather not reach for the mouse, Windows key + Alt + H moves you through the voice typing menu with the keyboard.
The voice typing settings worth changing
All of these live in one place: press Windows key + H, then select the gear icon from the voice typing flyout. Microsoft documents no route through the main Settings app, so don't go hunting.
Voice typing launcher
Turn this on first. Microsoft says the launcher "lets you quickly use voice typing when you're in a text box". In Kevin Stratvert's walkthrough, that means a small mic button shows up whenever you click into a text field. A shortcut you have to remember becomes a button that's already sitting there, which is the difference between using voice typing and forgetting it exists.
Automatic punctuation, filter profanity and wait time
Automatic punctuation adds commas and full stops as you speak. Filter profanity does what you'd expect. "Wait time before acting" sets how long voice typing waits before carrying out a voice command.
Default microphone and testing your mic
Pick your microphone in the same gear menu. With a laptop mic, a webcam and a headset all connected, Windows will happily pick the wrong one. To check it's hearing you, go to Start > Settings > System > Sound > Input, select the mic to open its properties, then choose Start test, speak, Stop test and Play. Adjust the Input volume slider if you sound faint. Or use our free mic test tool in a browser.
Languages: 46 in Windows 11
Voice typing in Windows 11 supports 46 languages, including 6 kinds of English, French, German, Hindi, Irish, Japanese and Korean. Microsoft's page has the full list.
To add one, go to Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Preferred languages > Add a language, search for it and choose Next. The optional features offered during setup, "including speech recognition, aren't required for voice typing to work." Switch voice typing language by switching input language: use the language switcher in the corner of the taskbar, or Windows key + Spacebar.
Windows voice typing commands and punctuation
Editing commands
The command list for Windows voice typing is short. These are Microsoft's English (United States) commands:
| What you want | What to say |
|---|---|
| Stop or pause | "Stop listening", "Pause voice typing", "Stop dictation" |
| Delete last word or phrase | "Delete that", "Erase that", "Scratch that" |
| Select last word or phrase | "Select that" |
| Press Enter | "Press Enter" |
| Backspace | "Backspace", "Press Backspace" |
| Tab | "Tab", "Press Tab" |
| Space | "Insert Space", "Press Space" |
| Undo previous change | "Undo that", "Revert" |
In UK English, say "Ignore that" instead of "Scratch that". If you've selected a word or phrase, any "delete that" command removes it.
Punctuation you can say
The basics work: "comma", "period" or "full stop", "question mark", "colon", "open quotes", "new line" and "new paragraph". There are extras like "pound sterling sign" and, for reasons best known to Microsoft, "smiley face". The full table is on Microsoft's page.
Pick one punctuation method
Simon Sez IT points out that saying "period" with automatic punctuation on can double up your marks. Choose one. Automatic is less tiring; spoken is more predictable.
Windows 10 dictation vs Windows 11 voice typing
Same shortcut, different name, slightly different feature set.
| Windows 10 | Windows 11 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it's called | Dictation | Voice typing |
| Shortcut | Windows key + H | Windows key + H |
| Needs internet | Yes | Yes |
| Edit commands | Richer: move by word or paragraph, select ranges, spelling mode | Short list (see above) |
| Command language | US English only | Many languages, listed per language by Microsoft |
| Dictation languages | US English plus 12 others | 46 |
| Extra settings | Few | Launcher, auto punctuation, wait time and more |
Windows 10 has richer editing commands
Windows 10 dictation understands "select the next three words", "go after that" and "start spelling", with the ICAO phonetic alphabet. That's more control than Windows 11 gives you.
But only in US English, and Windows 10 is out of support
Microsoft is blunt: "Dictation commands are available in US English only." Support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025, so this isn't a reason to stay on it.
Nothing to install, but still needs a connection
There's nothing to download, but your PC needs to be connected to the internet. Same deal as Windows 11.
Voice typing vs Voice Access vs Windows Speech Recognition
Windows has collected 4 voice tools over the years, and old guides mix them up.
| Voice typing | Voice Access | Fluid dictation | Windows Speech Recognition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Dictation into a text box | Full PC control and dictation by voice | Clean-up layer inside voice typing | Older voice control tool |
| How you start it | Windows key + H | Start > Settings > Accessibility > Speech | On by default on Copilot+ PCs | Windows key + Ctrl + S |
| Works offline | No | Yes, after setup | Clean-up is on-device; recognition isn't | Not covered here (replaced on Windows 11 22H2+) |
| Windows versions | 10 and 11 | 11, version 22H2 and later | Copilot+ PCs | Older versions |
| Custom words | No | Yes, "Add to vocabulary" | No | Not covered here |
Voice Access: full PC control that works offline
Voice Access lets you control the PC and write text by voice, with recognition on your PC. Turn it on at Start > Settings > Accessibility > Speech, then switch on Voice access. Say "Voice access wake up" to start and "Voice access sleep" to pause, or press Alt + Shift + B. It can be started at any time, text box or not.
Fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs
On Copilot+ PCs, voice typing fixes grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak, using small language models on the device, in all English locales. "Revert", "Undo that" or Ctrl + Z restores your original words. Recognition still happens online.
Windows Speech Recognition is retired
Microsoft's deprecated features list says it plainly: "Windows speech recognition is deprecated and is no longer being developed." On Windows 11 22H2 and later, Voice Access replaced it from September 2024. Guides that mention Windows key + Ctrl + S, mic calibration or "Train your computer" are about this older tool, and none of it applies to Win+H.
Does Windows speech to text work offline?
No, not the standard version. Windows voice typing "uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services", so no connection means no typing. Voice Access is the built-in option that works offline, once you've done a one-time online setup.
What gets sent to Microsoft
Microsoft's privacy page splits speech features into 2 types. Device-based ones process audio locally. Online ones, including voice typing, send voice data to Microsoft to provide the service and create transcriptions. It adds: "Microsoft does not store, sample, or listen to voice recordings without your permission." Contributing voice clips is optional.
If you dictate client work or health details, that's worth knowing before you start.
The Online speech recognition switch
On Windows 11 it's at Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Speech. On Windows 10, Start > Settings > Privacy > Speech. Turn it off and, in Microsoft's words, "only device-based features (such as Narrator) are available." Voice typing stops working.
The offline route: Voice Access
Microsoft describes it this way: "Voice access uses modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and works even without the internet." The catch is the initial setup, which needs internet to download language files. Microsoft's setup page lists English (US, UK, India, New Zealand, Canada, Australia), Spanish, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Japanese and Italian.
Win+H not working? Check these first
Most failures come down to one of 4 things. Work through them in order.
Connection and Online speech recognition
No internet, no voice typing. If you're connected, check Online speech recognition is on at Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Speech.
Microphone permissions
Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone and "Let desktop apps access your microphone" should all be on. Desktop apps don't appear in the app list, so that last switch is easy to miss.
Default input device and the sound troubleshooter
Check Start > Settings > System > Sound > Input > Choose a device for speaking or recording. If the right mic is selected and still silent, go to Settings > System > Sound, scroll to Advanced and run Troubleshoot common sound problems > Input devices. There's more in Microsoft's microphone fixes.
Cursor in a text box, a supported language, and drivers
Click into a text box first, and make sure your input language is one of the 46. Still dead? Open Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers, uninstall the device (tick "Attempt to remove the driver for this device"), restart, then Scan for hardware changes.
For deeper fixes, see our guide to speech to text not working.
Where built-in talk to text on a computer falls short
Windows speech to text is fine for a quick email. It gets wearing if you dictate all day.
Needs a connection and a focused text box
Train Wi-Fi or a flaky hotel connection breaks it. And it only starts in a text box.
No custom words and few edit commands
You can't teach voice typing your colleague's surname or your product name. Fixing mistakes means "Scratch that" or the keyboard.
No hold-to-talk key
You press Win+H, talk, then say "Stop listening". There's no hold, talk, let go. Some of Kevin Stratvert's commenters remap a spare mouse button with X-Mouse to fake one, which tells you how much people want it.
These gaps hit hardest if you're dictating because of wrist pain from typing, since every correction sends you back to the keyboard you were trying to rest.
Better options for Windows voice to text
If the built-in tool covers your quick emails, keep using it. If you want offline use, your own words or a push-to-talk key, try these.
- Voice Access. Free, built into Windows 11 22H2 and later, works offline after setup, and lets you add your own words to its vocabulary. Try this first.
- A dedicated dictation app. Our roundup of the best dictation software for Windows compares the options, and our Windows Speech Recognition alternative guide covers people moving off the old tool.
- Blazing Transcribe for Windows. This one's ours, so weigh that accordingly. It's an early version, available since 20 October 2026, and it isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning when you install it. Hold Ctrl + Win, speak, and the words appear in whatever app you're in. Recognition runs on your PC with the Parakeet model on your graphics card (or the CPU), so the Online speech recognition switch doesn't come into it. Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, currently free.
If you want hold-to-talk on Windows, Blazing Transcribe for Windows is free to try.
FAQ
Is Windows speech to text free?
Yes, Windows speech to text is free. Voice typing is built into Windows 10 and 11, so there's nothing to buy or install. You do need an internet connection for it to work.
Does Windows voice typing work offline?
No. Voice typing uses Microsoft's online speech recognition, powered by Azure Speech services. Voice Access is the built-in option that works offline after a one-time online setup on Windows 11 22H2 and later.
What's the difference between voice typing and Voice Access?
Voice typing puts words into a text box and only starts when your cursor is in one. Voice Access controls the whole PC, starts any time, works offline and takes custom words, but it's Windows 11 only.
What happened to Windows Speech Recognition?
Windows Speech Recognition is deprecated and no longer being developed. On Windows 11 22H2 and later, Voice Access replaced it from September 2024; older versions of Windows still have it.
How do I add punctuation with voice typing?
Either turn on automatic punctuation in the gear on the voice typing flyout, or say marks like "comma", "full stop" and "new paragraph" out loud. Pick one method, because using both can double up your punctuation.