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TYPE WITH YOUR VOICE

Talk to text on your computer.

For most people, talking is about three times faster than typing. Your computer can already turn speech into text; here’s how to start for free, how to speak so the result needs less fixing, and when a dedicated app saves you time.

Download Vokalu

The quickest way to start

On Windows, press Windows key + H in any text field and talk. On a Mac, press the microphone key, or turn on Dictation in System Settings › Keyboard and use its shortcut. In Google Docs on Chrome, use Tools › Voice typing. All three are free.

Say the punctuation, or let it guess

The built-in tools add some punctuation automatically, and they all understand spoken punctuation: say “comma,” “period,” “question mark,” “new line” or “new paragraph” where you want them. Vokalu understands the same words, and with formatting on it punctuates for you, so you can talk normally.

Speak in whole thoughts

Pause between thoughts, not between words. Finish a sentence before checking the screen. If you say something wrong, carry on and fix it at the end, or, in Vokalu, just correct yourself out loud: “meet at three, actually four” types “meet at four.”

When the free options stop being enough

Windows voice typing needs the internet, Mac Dictation stops after 30 seconds of silence, and Google Docs voice typing only works in Chrome. None of them remove fillers or format for the app you’re in. If you spend more time fixing text than you saved by talking, try an app built for it. Win + H compared · Apple Dictation compared · Google Docs compared

Talk to text with Vokalu

Install it, hold Ctrl + Win on Windows or Control + Option on a Mac, speak, and let go. The text appears wherever your cursor is. For long stretches, add Space to the shortcut and talk hands-free. Download Vokalu; you start with $1 free.

Questions worth asking

How do I talk to text on Windows 11?

Click into a text field and press Windows key + H, then speak. For cleanup, formatting and offline use, a dictation app like Vokalu adds a hold-to-talk shortcut that works in every app.

How do I talk to text on a Mac?

Turn on Dictation in System Settings › Keyboard, then press the microphone key or the Dictation shortcut and speak. Vokalu works the same way with Control + Option.

Is talk to text accurate?

For clear speech with a decent microphone, modern recognition is very good. Names and jargon are the usual errors: in Vokalu, add them to Vocabulary so they’re spelled right.