Best dictation app for Windows 11 and 10 (2026)
For most people the best dictation app for Windows 11 and 10 is F5Type: press F5 (Fn+F5 on most laptops) in any app, speak, and clean, finished text is typed at your cursor — filler words removed, punctuation fixed. It has an offline mode, a free plan with 60 minutes a month, and Pro for $14.99 a month or $107.99 a year. Windows Voice Typing (Win+H) is free for quick sentences, and Dragon suits people who need to control the PC by voice.
Key facts
- Best overall
- F5Type — AI cleanup, any app, offline mode
- Free, built in
- Windows Voice Typing (Win+H)
- Voice control of the PC
- Dragon, Windows Voice Access
- F5Type price
- Free 60 min/month; Pro $14.99/month or $107.99/year
What makes a good Windows dictation app?
- It types into every app — Outlook, Teams, Slack, Word, Chrome, VS Code.
- It gives you finished text, not a raw transcript you have to fix.
- It has one global shortcut you can change.
- It does not lose your words if the Wi-Fi drops.
- It never replaces or deletes text you already wrote.
1. F5Type — best for writing by voice all day
Install F5Type from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11), allow the microphone, click into any text field and press F5 (Fn+F5 on most laptops). Speak, press again, and the text is typed at your cursor. Styles turn the same words into an email, a chat message, a summary or a to-do list.
- Offline: Settings → Local Mode → Offline processing downloads a speech model of about 141 MB once.
- Audio is saved on your PC before upload, with retry on failure.
- Apps run as administrator block typing from other apps, so F5Type copies the text and you press Ctrl+V.
- The same account works on Mac, iPhone and Android, with notes synced.
2. Windows Voice Typing (Win+H) — free and built in
Press Win+H in any text field. It is free and fine for a sentence or two. It gives you a transcript without rewriting, generally needs online speech recognition, and has no custom dictionary. See F5Type vs Windows Voice Typing.
3. Dragon — for full voice control
Dragon is the classic choice when you need to open apps, click and navigate by voice, often in professional settings. It is a paid product and expects you to say punctuation. See F5Type vs Dragon.
How do they compare?
| F5Type | Win+H | Dragon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Types in any app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI cleanup and styles | Yes, 7 styles | No | No |
| Offline | Optional offline model | Generally online | Desktop editions |
| Phone apps | iPhone and Android | No | Separate mobile product |
| Price | Free 60 min/month; Pro from $9/month (yearly) | Free | Paid — check their site |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free dictation app for Windows?
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Windows Voice Typing (Win+H) is free and built in. F5Type has a free plan with 60 minutes a month and gives you cleaned-up text instead of a raw transcript.
Can I dictate on Windows without the internet?
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Yes, with F5Type: turn on Settings → Local Mode → Offline processing. Recording always works offline.
Can I use F5 as the dictation key on Windows?
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Yes — F5 is the default (Fn+F5 on most laptops). If another app uses F5, switch to Ctrl+Shift+Space in Settings.
Does F5Type work in Outlook and Teams?
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Yes — anywhere you can type on Windows.