How to dictate on Windows 11 in any app

How does Windows Voice Typing (Win+H) work?

1. 1Click into any text field — a browser, Word, Outlook, Teams.
2. 2Press Win+H. A small voice typing bar appears.
3. 3Speak. Words are typed as you go.
4. 4Press Win+H again or click the microphone to stop.

Voice Typing is free and built in. In its settings you can turn on automatic punctuation. For most languages it relies on online speech recognition, so it needs a connection, and it gives you a straight transcript — you still remove the "ums", fix the sentence breaks and shape it into an email yourself.

How do I dictate into any app with F5Type?

1. 1Download F5Type from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11).
2. 2Allow microphone access: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and F5Type.
3. 3Turn on Settings → Privacy & security → Speech → Online speech recognition, which Windows uses to turn your voice into text.
4. 4Click into any text box and press Ctrl+Shift+Space.
5. 5Talk naturally, then press Ctrl+Shift+Space again.
6. 6Your finished text is typed at the cursor.

There is no copy-paste step on Windows: F5Type types the text where your cursor is, and it never selects or deletes what is already there. Every dictation is also saved to your history.

Why is the default shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Space and not F5?

On most Windows laptops the function keys are shared with media controls, so F5 alone often needs Fn. Ctrl+Shift+Space works the same on every keyboard. If you have a full-size keyboard or prefer the F5 habit, switch in F5Type → Settings → Hotkey → Change shortcut. See How to set a dictation hotkey.

Can I dictate on Windows without internet?

Yes, with F5Type. Open Settings → Local Mode and turn on Offline processing. It downloads a speech model of about 141 MB once; after that, dictation works with no connection. Your recordings are always saved on your PC first, and the AI cleanup runs once you are online again. Win+H, by contrast, generally needs online speech recognition.

What about apps that run as administrator?

Windows does not let normal apps type into apps that run as administrator. In those, F5Type copies your text instead — press Ctrl+V to paste it. The same fallback kicks in for any app that blocks typing, so the text is never lost.

How do I keep F5Type ready all the time?

• F5Type keeps running in the system tray after you close its window.
• Keep the tray icon visible: Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Other system tray icons → F5Type.
• Turn on Launch at startup in F5Type’s settings so it is ready every time you sign in.

Which apps does it work in?

Anything where you can type: Outlook and Gmail, Word and Google Docs, Slack and Microsoft Teams, Notion, ChatGPT, VS Code and Cursor, browser forms and comment boxes. Pick an output style to match — Email for mail, Message for chat, Summary or Action Items after a meeting. See dictation for Slack and Teams and dictation for email.

Win+H or F5Type: which should I use?

Use Win+H for a short sentence when you do not want to install anything. Use F5Type when you write a lot by voice and want text you can send without editing, an offline option, your own dictionary and snippets, and the same tool on your Mac and phone. The full side-by-side is in F5Type vs Windows Voice Typing.