How to Start Dictating

To start dictating from anywhere in Windows, select a text field and then press Windows Key +H on your keyboard. You’ll see a bar with “Listening” appear.

How to Dictate Text and Enter Punctuation

Just start speaking after pressing Windows+H or tapping the microphone button. While “Listening…” is displayed, Windows will listen for your voice. You’ll need a microphone hooked up to your computer for this, but the microphones integrated into modern laptops should work fine.

While the “Listening…” text appears and the microphone icon is blue, what you say into your microphone will appear as text in the application your text cursor is placed in.

After five seconds or when you say “stop dictating” aloud, the microphone icon will turn black again, “Listening…” will vanish, and your PC will stop listening to your voice. Windows will also stop listening after you start typing with your keyboard. You’ll hear a quick beep whenever Windows starts or stops listening to your voice.

To start dictating again, press Windows+H or click the microphone icon.

Just speaking normally may be fine for writing down some quick notes or performing a web search, but it probably won’t be good for writing a document or email. That’s because dictation doesn’t automatically enter punctuation. You have to speak the punctuation you want to use.

Just say things like “period”, “comma”, “exclamation mark”, “open quotes” and “close quotes” aloud to do this. For example, to enter the text “She said “hello”.”, you’d need to say “she said open quotes hello close quotes period” aloud.