To use Windows voice typing, click into a text field and press Win+H (the Windows logo key plus H). The voice typing bar opens and listens, and your words appear at the cursor as you speak. To stop, say "stop listening", click the microphone button, or press Win+H again.
Voice typing is free and built into Windows. It works in text fields in most apps, including Word, Notepad and web browsers.
Start Windows voice typing with Win+H
- Click where you want the text to go, such as a document, an email or a browser field.
- Press Win+H. The voice typing bar opens.
- If it isn't already listening, click the microphone button in the bar.
- Speak in full sentences at a steady pace. Text appears at the cursor.
- To stop, say "stop listening" or "pause voice typing", click the microphone button, or press Win+H again.
You can also use the bar from the keyboard. Press Win+Alt+H to move through the voice typing menu.
Voice typing only types into a field that has the cursor in it. If nothing is selected when you press Win+H, there's nowhere for the text to go, so click into a text field first.
Say punctuation and line breaks
If auto punctuation is off, add punctuation by saying it, for example "comma", "period", "question mark" or "new line". Voice typing also takes spoken editing commands. See our list of Windows voice typing commands.
Turn on auto punctuation
Auto punctuation adds punctuation for you, so you don't have to say every comma and period.
- Click into a text field and press Win+H.
- Click the settings (gear) icon in the voice typing bar.
- Turn on Auto punctuation.
Auto punctuation guesses from how you speak, so it works best when you pause at the end of each sentence. When the guess would be wrong, for example in a list of short items, you can still say the punctuation out loud.
Show or hide the voice typing launcher
The same gear menu has a Voice typing launcher switch. When it's on, Windows shows a microphone button when you select a text field, so you can start voice typing with a click instead of Win+H. That helps on touch screens, or if your Win+H shortcut isn't working.
The labels in this menu can vary between Windows 11 updates. If an option is missing, install the latest Windows updates and check again.
Choose the right microphone
Voice typing listens through the input device Windows is set to use. If you have more than one microphone, such as a headset, a webcam mic and a laptop's built-in mic, Windows may pick the wrong one, and the results will be poor.
To set the microphone in Windows 11:
- Open Settings and go to System > Sound.
- Under Input, choose the microphone you want to use.
- Open that microphone's settings and check its input volume. Run the microphone test and speak to confirm the level moves.
These things help accuracy most:
- Mic distance. A headset or desk mic close to your mouth picks up your voice more clearly than a laptop mic at arm's length.
- Background noise. Voice typing uses echo cancellation to focus on your voice. Even so, music and other people talking still cause mistakes.
- Input level. If the level barely moves when you speak, raise the input volume in the microphone's settings.
Change the voice typing language
Voice typing uses your current input language. To dictate in another language, open Settings, search for "Language", and add that language. Then switch to it before you press Win+H. You can install extra languages for voice typing, but voice typing doesn't support every language Windows does.
What Windows voice typing can't do
Voice typing turns your speech into text wherever the cursor is, and that's all it does. Before you rely on it, know its limits:
- It doesn't keep anything. Voice typing has no notes, lists or history of its own. Your text exists only in the app or field you dictated into.
- It needs an open text field. Before you can dictate a quick thought, you have to open an app and click somewhere you can type.
- It writes what it hears. It doesn't rewrite or tidy your wording the way AI dictation apps do.
- It's Windows only. On a Mac, the built-in equivalent is Apple Dictation (see how to use dictation on Mac).
For emails, forms and documents, that's usually all you need. It costs nothing and you don't have to install anything.
When a dictation app makes more sense
A separate app is worth looking at in three cases: dictation is a big part of your job, you want AI to clean up your wording, or you want what you say saved somewhere instead of typed into whatever field happens to be open.
| Option | Price (as of November 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing | Free, built in | Everyday dictation into documents, email and web forms |
| Dragon Professional v16 | One-time license, about $699.99 at resellers | Professional, all-day dictation; industry editions such as Dragon Legal |
| Wispr Flow | Free plan (2,000 words a week on Windows); Pro $15/month or $144/year, per third-party pricing pages | AI-polished writing, typed into any app |
| Superwhisper | Free plan; Pro $8.49/month, $84.99/year or $249.99 lifetime, per third-party pages | Offline and cloud transcription with custom AI modes, in any app |
| Gubb | See the Microsoft Store listing | Dictating into saved notes, alongside to-dos and clipboard history |
Dragon for heavy, professional dictation
Dragon is long-running desktop speech-recognition software from Nuance. The current version is Dragon Professional v16, and it runs on Windows only. There are industry editions such as Dragon Legal. You pay once instead of a subscription, but the upfront cost is high. Nuance doesn't publish a price on its own site, and resellers list Professional v16 at around $699.99 as of November 2026. One third-party source reports no major release since 2023.
Pick Dragon if you dictate for a living. For occasional use, Win+H does the job. Our page on Dragon dictation software has more detail.
AI dictation apps that type into any app
Wispr Flow and Superwhisper both run on Windows. Like voice typing, they type into any app, and they also clean up or reformat what you say. Wispr Flow's paid plan is subscription only. Superwhisper also sells a lifetime license. Our roundup of free dictation software for Windows compares the free options.
Dictating notes with Gubb
Gubb is our app: a small notes window with voice-to-text built in, available on the Microsoft Store. It does a different job from voice typing. Your words go into a Gubb note and stay saved there, next to your checklists, to-dos and clipboard history.
To dictate into a note:
- Open Settings > Voice to Text. Under Available Models, click Download next to a Whisper model. Whisper Small is 480 MB.
- Select the downloaded model under Active Model.
- Hover over the right edge of the note and click Speech to Text.
- Click the microphone to record, then click Stop. The transcript is inserted at the cursor in your note.
The trade-offs:
- Text goes only into Gubb notes. Gubb doesn't type into Word, your browser or any other app, so it can't replace Win+H.
- Local models run on your computer. They transcribe English only, and only the first 30 seconds of each recording, so record longer thoughts as several short takes.
- There's no global hotkey to start recording from another app.
Gubb is a good fit if you mostly want to capture ideas and to-dos by voice and keep them in one place. If you need to dictate into any app, use voice typing or one of the apps above.
If voice typing doesn't work
Nothing happens when you press Win+H. Click into a text field and try again. If the Windows key doesn't open the Start menu either, your keyboard may have a Windows-key lock (common on gaming keyboards). Turn it off.
Win+H types the letter "h". This usually means the Windows key isn't registering. Check for a Windows-key lock, or try another keyboard. As a workaround, turn on the voice typing launcher (see above) to get a click-to-start button.
The bar opens but no text appears. Windows is probably listening to the wrong microphone. Go to Settings > System > Sound, choose the right input device, and check that its level moves when you speak.
Windows can't use the microphone at all. Microphone access may be turned off. Open Settings, search for "Microphone", open the microphone privacy settings and make sure access is on.
The text is in the wrong language or makes no sense. Switch your input language to the one you're speaking before you press Win+H.
No punctuation appears. Turn on Auto punctuation in the voice typing settings, or say the punctuation out loud.
For more fixes, see Windows voice typing not working.
FAQ
Is Windows voice typing free?
Yes. It comes with Windows, and there's nothing extra to buy.
Does voice typing work in every app?
It works in most text fields, including Word, Notepad and web browsers. It needs a field with the cursor in it.
Can I use voice typing to take notes?
Yes. Dictate into any notes app, such as Notepad. Voice typing doesn't save anything itself, so the notes app is what keeps your text.