Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Word on Mac has built-in dictation: the Dictate button on the Home tab or the shortcut Option+F1, but it is available only with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Separately, the Mac has system dictation with Russian, not tied to Word. If you need voice input in any field, not only in an open Word document, there are third-party programs such as Potok (potok.now) with a response of about 0.4 seconds.
Word on Mac has its own dictation button, but it is tied to a Microsoft 365 subscription. Separately from it, the operating system's system dictation works on a Mac, and there are also third-party programs such as Potok; each option has its own conditions and limits.
Dictation in Word on Mac: the built-in button and the subscription
Word on Mac has a built-in voice input function: it is turned on with the Dictate button on the Home tab or with the shortcut Option+F1. This function is available only with an active Microsoft 365 subscription; without it the button is unavailable, even if Word itself is installed and opens. Separately from Word, the Mac has the system dictation of macOS itself with Russian support: it is not tied to a subscription and works in any text field where you can place the cursor, including a Word document. Word's official site is microsoft.com/microsoft-365/word.
What changes with Potok
Potok works on a Mac as a separate app, not a function inside Word, so it does not depend on a Microsoft 365 subscription. The default hotkey is Ctrl+Space: hold it, say a phrase, release, and the text appears in the active Word document or any other text field. The response is about 0.4 seconds, and punctuation is placed automatically, so you do not need to dictate it separately. For the first 14 days Potok is fully available without a bank card, and a personal dictionary of terms and names comes with the Pro plan, which is handy if Word documents often contain specific words.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Free
- Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
- Pro
- Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
- Payment
- Russian bank cards, rubles
- Where speech is recognized
- cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Download: potok.now/download
When the built-in input on a Mac is enough
If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription and the text is always typed in Word, the Dictate button may be enough without third-party programs. The system dictation of macOS fits if you have no Microsoft 365 but need dictation in other apps too, not only in Word. Potok is a cloud service: speech recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without an internet connection. It has no voice commands for editing text, and mobile apps do not exist, so dictation is available only from a computer. If the system dictation on a Mac stopped working, the breakdown is in the article about dictation not working on a MacBook; a similar situation is covered for voice input in Notes on a Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the built-in Dictate button in Word is available only with an active Microsoft 365 subscription; without it this particular tool does not work, although Word itself may be installed.
Yes, through the system macOS dictation: it works independently of Word and a Microsoft 365 subscription and inserts text into the field where the cursor is, including a Word document.
Apple menu → System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → turn it on and confirm with the button that says “Vklyuchit” (Turn on in Russian). Then start it like this: the microphone key (if there is one in the row of function keys), the dictation keyboard shortcut or Edit → Start Dictation.
It depends on the Mac. On a Mac with Apple Silicon, ordinary text dictation (messages, notes, but not the search field) is processed on the device; on Intel Macs and in some scenarios the sound goes to Apple servers, and then the internet is needed. You can see it exactly in System Settings → Keyboard: under Dictation it says whether the internet is needed and whether speech is processed on the device.
It depends on the Mac: on a Mac with Apple Silicon, ordinary text dictation (messages, notes, but not the search field) is processed on the device and is not sent to Siri servers; you can see this in System Settings → Keyboard under Dictation. Whether Apple stores recordings of your dictations is decided by the “Improve Siri & Dictation” switch in Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
There is nothing to turn on: according to Apple's help, you can dictate text of any length without a time limit. Dictation stops by itself only if no speech is heard for 30 seconds.
Download Potok
Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokYou dictate in the app, and recordings and voice messages are transcribed by @potok_now_bot in Telegram. 60 minutes per month are free; the Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot and in the app.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: www.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com