Voice typing: type with your voice

Steps

1. 01

   Put the cursor where the words should land

   • Click into the email, document or text box first
   • Voice typing types into whatever has your cursor — it is not an app you open separately and copy out of

   ✓You should see: A normal flashing cursor in the place you want the text.

2. 02

   Press Windows logo key + H

   • Microsoft's instruction is exactly that: press the Windows logo key + H
   • On a tablet or touchscreen you can instead tap the microphone button on the touch keyboard
   • Start talking at a normal pace — there is no need to slow down or over-enunciate

   ✓You should see: A small toolbar with a microphone on it, and your words appearing as you speak.

3. 03

   Say the punctuation out loud

   • Say the mark you want as you go — ‘period’, ‘comma’, ‘question mark’, ‘new line’ — and ‘delete that’ takes back what you just said. Those are examples, not the whole list
   • On Windows 11 the voice typing toolbar has a settings button with an automatic punctuation option, which adds the marks for you
   • Dictate in short sentences and glance at the screen between them; correcting as you go beats a wall of text to fix afterwards
   • Dictate in short sentences and glance at the screen between them; correcting as you go beats a wall of text to fix afterwards

   Why?

   Treat the first pass as a rough draft. Dictation is quick at getting thoughts down and poor at formatting — tidy up with the keyboard at the end.

4. 04

   Stop when you are done

   • Say 'stop dictation', or tap or click the microphone button again
   • The toolbar closes and your text stays where it was typed, like anything else you had typed by hand

   ✓You should see: The toolbar disappears and the microphone stops listening.

5. 05

   Know what leaves the machine

   Voice typing is an online service, so what you say is sent to Microsoft to be turned into text

   • Microsoft states that voice data is sent only to provide the service and create transcriptions, and that it does not store, sample or listen to voice recordings without your permission
   • Contributing voice clips to improve the service is separate and optional — you can use voice typing without it

   !Careful: Because the audio leaves your PC, do not dictate anything you would not send in an email — card numbers, passwords, confidential case details.

   Also see: Stop Windows tracking your location