Typing less on Windows, by voice.

If typing is painful, see your GP or a physiotherapist first. This page isn't medical advice, and no app is a treatment for anything. What it covers is practical: how to move more of your typing, and some of your mouse use, to your voice on a Windows PC. Free options first, then Voktik, the app we make.

What Windows already gives you

Voice typing (Windows key + H)

Click in any text box, press Windows key + H, and talk. It's built into Windows 11 and free. It needs the internet. From the gear icon on its bar you can switch on automatic punctuation, so there are fewer commas to type in afterwards, and the voice typing launcher, a microphone button beside text boxes that you can click instead of pressing keys. See how to dictate on Windows 11.

Voice access

Voice access goes further than typing. You can open and switch between apps, click, scroll, browse and write, all by voice, so it cuts mouse use as well as keystrokes. It's in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later: start it from Settings > Accessibility > Speech. It works without an internet connection once its speech pack is downloaded, and you can add your own words with "Add to vocabulary".

Microsoft 365 Dictate

With a Microsoft 365 subscription, Word and Outlook have a Dictate button (Home tab in Word, Message tab in Outlook) with spoken punctuation. It needs the internet.

How Voktik helps you type less

Voktik types what you say into whatever app you're in. It doesn't control the rest of the PC by voice, so voice access is the one to pair it with if you want to cut mouse use too.

• Hands-free, no key held down. Double-tap Ctrl+Win, or press Ctrl+Win+Space once, and talk for as long as you need. Press once more to finish. Free.
• Pause and carry on. Press Ctrl+Alt+P, or the bar's Pause button, and the microphone really turns off. Resume, and it's still one dictation. Free.
• A foot pedal or a mouse button as the key. Pro. Set a USB foot pedal to send a key from F13 to F24, or use a side mouse button, and start dictating without touching the keyboard.
• Fillers out, punctuation in, numbers and dates written properly, so there's less to correct by hand afterwards.
• A personal dictionary, so names and terms don't need fixing each time. Free.
• Snippets for what you type all day. Say "my email" and get your address, or "booking link" and get the link. Three are free; more is Pro.
• Styles per app, so a chat message and an email each come out in the right tone without retyping. Some styles, such as Professional email, are Pro.

It needs the internet and a Google sign-in.

Habits that cut keystrokes

• Dictate first drafts, edit after. Stopping to fix each word costs more keystrokes than one pass at the end.
• Speak in whole sentences, then pause. Dictation tools punctuate better from complete thoughts.
• Save anything you type more than twice a day as a snippet, or as an autocorrect entry.
• Use a close microphone. Fewer misheard words means fewer corrections, and corrections are keystrokes.

Help with costs in the UK: Access to Work

Access to Work is a government grant that can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. It can pay for specialist equipment and assistive software. It covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has a separate system.

According to GOV.UK, you need to be 16 or over and in paid work, or about to start or return to it within 12 weeks, including self-employment. You don't need a diagnosis to apply, and the grant doesn't have to be paid back. Check the full rules and apply at gov.uk/access-to-work.

Your employer may also be able to arrange a workstation assessment.

FAQ

Can I dictate without holding a key down?

Yes. Windows voice typing starts with one press of Windows key + H or the launcher button. In Voktik, double-tap Ctrl+Win or press Ctrl+Win+Space for hands-free, and press once more to finish.

Can I control the mouse by voice?

Yes, with Windows voice access, which is built in. Voktik doesn't control the mouse; it types what you say.

Can I use a foot pedal with Voktik?

Yes, on Pro. Most USB pedals act as a keyboard. Set the pedal to send a key from F13 to F24, then pick it as your key in Voktik's settings.

Is this medical advice?

No. For pain or any symptoms, see your GP or a physiotherapist.