Voice typing not working? Fixes for Voktik.

When something stops Voktik from typing, its bar tells you what in plain words. Find the message below and follow the fix. If nothing appears at all, start with the first section.

Nothing happens when I hold Ctrl+Win

• Check Voktik is running. Its icon sits in the system tray, by the clock. If it isn't there, open Voktik from the Start menu.
• Check you're signed in. If the bar says Sign in to start dictating, select Sign in and continue with Google.
• Another app may own the same keys. Some shortcut tools and keyboard apps take over Ctrl+Win. Change Voktik's key in Settings > Dictation > Keys: select Change, hold the keys you want and let go.
• Check the Windows key works. Press it on its own: the Start menu should open. Some gaming keyboards have a mode that switches the Windows key off.
• The bar says "Voktik can't hear its key in … : it runs as administrator." Windows locks windows running as administrator, such as Task Manager or an administrator Command Prompt, against every other app. Click into a normal window and try again.

"Your microphone isn't picking anything up. Is it muted?"

Voktik heard silence.

1. Check the microphone isn't muted, on the headset, the keyboard's mute key or the laptop.
2. In Windows, open Settings > System > Sound. Under Input, pick the microphone you're using.
3. Select that microphone to open its page, then use Microphone test > Start test and speak. If the level doesn't move, Windows can't hear it either: plug it in again, or raise its Input volume.
4. In Voktik, open Settings > Dictation > Microphone and pick the same one. With several microphones, choose In my order… and put the best first: Voktik uses the first one that's plugged in.

"Windows is blocking the microphone."

A Windows privacy setting is stopping Voktik hearing you. Select Open settings on the bar, or go to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, and turn on:

• Microphone access
• Let desktop apps access your microphone

"No microphone found. Plug one in or pick one in Settings."

Windows can't see a microphone. Plug one in, or pick one in Settings > Dictation > Microphone. A laptop's built-in microphone is fine.

"Didn't catch anything."

Voktik heard sound but no words. Hold the key for the whole sentence, start talking once the bar appears, and speak at a normal volume. Background noise or music can drown you out. Voktik turns other sound down while you dictate, unless you've switched Turn other sound down off in Settings.

The text didn't appear, or the bar says "Copied. Press Ctrl V to paste."

Voktik couldn't put the text where you were, so it copied it instead. Click where you want it and press Ctrl+V. Common reasons:

• You moved to another window before the text was ready. Voktik won't paste into the wrong place.
• There was no text box where your cursor was.
• It was a password box. Voktik never types into password boxes.
• The window runs as administrator, which Windows locks against other apps.

To see your last dictation again, press Shift+Alt+Z to paste it wherever your cursor is now, or open History in Voktik.

If one app never accepts pasted text, open Settings > Support > Type it out instead of pasting, and choose In chosen apps or Everywhere.

"No internet connection. Saved on this PC."

Voktik needs the internet, and there's no offline mode. Your dictation is kept on your PC, encrypted. When you're back online, select Retry on the bar, or find it in History, marked Not sent., and select Retry there.

"Couldn't reach the speech service. Saved on this PC."

The connection dropped, or the service was briefly busy. What you said is kept. Select Retry.

"Free words used up this week"

The free plan gives you 2,000 words a week, and they come back every Monday. Select Upgrade for Pro, which has no weekly limit. The dictation that crosses the line still finishes and pastes in full.

"Pasted as you said it"

The clean-up step couldn't run, so Voktik pasted your words exactly as you said them rather than lose them. Your next dictation is tidied as normal.

Still stuck?

Open Help in Voktik and select Report a bug. Voktik writes the report for you, with the details we need, and you paste it into an email to help@voktik.com. A person reads every message and replies within two working days.

FAQ

Does Voktik work offline?

No. It needs the internet. A dictation made offline is kept on your PC, encrypted, with Retry.

Why does Voktik copy the text instead of pasting it?

So it never types into the wrong place. It copies when you've moved to another window, when there's no text box, in password boxes and in windows running as administrator. Press Ctrl+V where you want it.

Which microphone should I use?

A laptop's built-in microphone or a USB headset works well. Pick it in Settings > Dictation > Microphone.

How do I get a dictation back?

Press Shift+Alt+Z to paste your last one again, or open History, where every dictation is kept on your PC.