Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Voice input is set up in two ways: turn on the built-in dictation of Windows (Win+H) or macOS (the Dictation section in the keyboard settings), or install a separate app with a permanent hotkey, like Potok (potok.now), whose response takes about 0.4 seconds. For continuous typing after speech, such an app requires signing in to an account.
Want to dictate text on a computer instead of typing it? There are two ways: use what is already built into Windows or macOS, or install a program that holds a hotkey and inserts text into any field while you speak.
How to set up voice input on a computer
- In Windows, put the cursor in a text field and press Win+H: voice input starts right there. It recognizes speech in the Microsoft cloud and does not work without the internet; it has Russian commands only in Windows 11, and there is a separate review about turning on voice input in Windows 10, where dictation goes in English.
- On a Mac, open the Apple menu → System Settings → Keyboard → the Dictation section and turn the switch on, then click Enable.
- After turning it on, dictation on a Mac is started separately: with the microphone key in the row of function keys (if there is one), the dictation keyboard shortcut or through Edit → Start Dictation.
- If instead of one-time dictation you need permanent voice typing in any program with one key, install a separate app, for example Potok (potok.now); it has versions for Windows, macOS and Linux (about moving such a program between Windows versions, see the separate review).
- After installation, sign in to the account on the site: the app picks up the sign-in by itself; without signing in, dictation does not start.
- Give the app access to the microphone in the system: without it dictation does not work either; the microphone itself is chosen in its settings or in the tray icon menu.
- To dictate, hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default; in the settings it can be replaced with any key, combination or side mouse button), say a phrase and release: the text will appear where the cursor is.
What to do if voice input does not start
If dictation does not turn on on a Mac, and Voice Control was on before, this is expected: while it is running, the standard macOS Dictation is unavailable, so turn off Voice Control first. If a separate app for typing text by voice does not start, first check the sign-in to the account on the site: without it dictation will not begin. The second frequent case is that microphone access has not been granted in the system settings.
Where voice input through Potok will not help
Potok is set up only on a computer: it has no versions for Android and iPhone. Potok is a cloud service: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. It also has no voice commands or voice editing: what you say is only turned into text. For those who dictate all day, the free limit of words per week may not be enough.
Frequently asked questions
No. Win+H is a built-in Windows function, started right with the shortcut in a text field; you do not need to install it separately. It recognizes speech in the Microsoft cloud, so it does not work without the internet.
It depends on what you use. Separate apps like Potok (potok.now) need an account: without signing in on the site, dictation will not start.
Built-in system tools (Win+H in Windows, Dictation in macOS, Voice Typing in Google Docs, Gboard on Android), browser voice extensions, and dedicated desktop or web services (Potok and similar ones) that work on top of any app through a hotkey.
By a model estimate, the average dictation speed through Potok is about 900 characters per minute against about 200 characters per minute when typing normally, so speech is noticeably faster than a keyboard.
Yes: Windows has built-in voice input on Win+H (Russian only in Windows 11, there is no Russian in Windows 10; it does not work without the internet), and on a Mac there is system dictation in the keyboard settings. Both are free.
Any microphone that the system sees as a recording device will do. In Potok you choose it in the app settings or in the tray icon menu; system access to the microphone is required.
How to start
Potok is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. For two weeks everything is open for free, after that 2500 words per week without paying. 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: wisprflow.ai · support.microsoft.com