Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
There are 3 ways to open the dictation panel in Windows. Voice typing: the Win+H combination on the keyboard or the Microphone button on the touch keyboard. The classic Windows Speech Recognition: Win+Ctrl+S or a search by name. Voice Access in Windows 11 22H2 and newer: Settings → Accessibility → Speech. As an alternative, you can try Potok (potok.now).
How to open dictation in Windows depends on which tool you need: quick voice text input, the classic speech recognition for controlling the system or the new Voice Access. Each of the three ways is covered below.
How to open the dictation toolbar: three ways
- Voice typing, ordinary voice input of text: on a hardware keyboard press Win+H; on the touch keyboard, open it and press the Microphone button on the top bar. The panel appears where the cursor is in a text field at that moment.
- Windows Speech Recognition, the classic speech recognition for controlling the computer by voice rather than for dictating text: open it with Win+Ctrl+S or find it through Windows search by the name “Windows Speech Recognition”.
- Voice Access, the newest of the three tools, is available in Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer: open Settings → Accessibility → Speech and turn on Voice Access in that section.
- If you are not sure which of the three you need: voice typing is for quickly dictating text into an input field, while Windows Speech Recognition and Voice Access are for controlling the computer itself by voice rather than entering text into a document.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The user does not know how to open voice typing | A how-to question, not an error. | 1) voice typing (dictation): Win+H on a hardware keyboard or the Microphone button on the touch keyboard; 2) classic Windows Speech Recognition: Win+Ctrl+S or search for "Windows Speech Recognition"; 3) Voice Access (Win11 22H2+): Settings → Accessibility → Speech. |
What to do if a method does not open
If none of the methods works, the cause is usually not the panel itself but a separate reason covered in other articles. If Win+H does not respond at all and it looks like voice services are disabled at the organization level, read voice typing unavailable: voice services are managed by your organization. If the panel opens but immediately shows a general error instead of recognizing speech, see the article Windows 11 voice typing in Russian: “Something went wrong”.
Where Potok will not help
Potok does not open with any of these system methods: it is a separate desktop app with its own hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), not a built-in Windows feature. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. If the system voice typing does not satisfy you in speed or quality of Russian speech recognition, you can try Potok as an alternative.
Frequently asked questions
Voice typing (Win+H) is for dictating text into a text field. Voice Access is a newer tool for controlling the computer itself by voice, not only for entering text; it is available in Windows 11 starting with version 22H2 and is turned on in Settings → Accessibility → Speech.
Windows 10's built-in voice typing has no Russian at all; it exists only in Windows 11. If Russian speech is recognized poorly in Windows 11, Microsoft advises checking that Russian is selected as the input language (Win+Space), that the right microphone is selected in Settings → System → Sound → Input, and trying a headset or an external microphone instead of the built-in one. Potok is a separate app with its own model trained for Russian speech, including terms and Russian mixed with English.
No: voice typing with extended language support (including Russian) is a built-in feature of Windows 11 specifically, and it cannot be moved or installed on Windows 10 separately. Windows 10 has an older version of dictation with fewer languages (without Russian).
Yes, they use different combinations: Win+H opens Windows voice typing, and Potok works with Ctrl+Space by default. For a single phrase it is more convenient to use just one of them.
Microsoft names the typical causes: the microphone is not selected as the input device, apps have no access to the microphone, or the current language is not supported by voice typing. To check: Settings → System → Sound → Input; Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone; the input language (Win+Space). Voice typing also does not work if Online speech recognition is turned off in Settings → Privacy & security → Speech.
Win+H (voice typing) is only text dictation into an input field. Voice Access is a separate feature available since Windows 11 22H2: controlling the whole computer by voice (opening an app, clicking, scrolling), not only entering text.
If you want to compare for yourself
Take one of your own tasks and dictate it in Potok. The first 14 days have no limits and need no card. Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokThe Potok subscription also includes the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message or a long meeting recording and it returns the text. Without a subscription the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
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 |
Primary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com