Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Voice input in Word on Win+H usually does not work for one of 4 reasons: a problem detecting the microphone, the microphone does not pick up speech, the Dictate button is unavailable without an active Microsoft 365 subscription, or the browser has no microphone access in the web version of Word. Check these points in order. As an alternative you can try Potok (potok.now).
If you press Win+H in Word and nothing happens, with no microphone icon and no recognized text, the cause is not always the key combination itself. Microsoft describes several different failure scenarios for dictation in Office, and each has its own cause.
Why this happens
According to Microsoft's official documentation, one of 4 reasons stands behind voice input in Word not starting. The first is that the system cannot detect the microphone: the device is physically not connected, is turned off in the settings or is used by another app. The second is that the microphone is connected but does not pick up speech: too quiet, too far from the microphone, or extraneous noise gets in the way. The third is that in the desktop version of Word the Dictate button stays inactive if there is no active Microsoft 365 subscription. The fourth concerns the web version of Word: the browser did not ask for or did not get access to the microphone, and dictation does not start without it. This conclusion is based on Microsoft's official documentation.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The Win+H shortcut in Word does not start voice input or nothing happens | Officially described scenarios for dictation in Office: a microphone detection problem, the microphone does not hear, the Dictate button is unavailable without an active Microsoft 365 subscription, the browser or app has no microphone access (web version). | 1) check the physical connection and working order of the microphone; 2) move to a quiet place, adjust the input signal level; 3) check the Microsoft 365 subscription and the Windows version; 4) for the web version, close other apps that use the microphone, refresh the page and allow the browser access. |
How to fix it, step by step
- Check the physical connection of the microphone and that it works: try recording sound in another app to rule out a problem with the device itself.
- Move to a quiet place and check the input signal level in the Windows sound settings: a recording that is too quiet or noisy interferes with recognition just like a disconnected microphone.
- Check whether the Microsoft 365 subscription is active and which version of Windows is installed: without an active subscription the Dictate button in desktop Word stays unavailable whatever the microphone.
- If you work in the web version of Word, close other apps that may be holding access to the microphone, refresh the browser page and allow it access to the microphone at the next request.
If it did not help
These 4 causes concern dictation inside Word specifically, and not voice input in Windows in general: if the steps above did not help, check whether the problem is tied to something more general for the system, for example voice services managed by an organization, and not to Word itself. Other voice input errors in Windows are collected in the Windows section. If the built-in tool does not suit you in speed or quality of Russian speech recognition, you can try Potok as an alternative. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, in the desktop version of Word the Dictate button is unavailable without an active Microsoft 365 subscription. This is one of the 4 official reasons why Win+H may not start voice input. Before looking for a problem in the microphone or sound settings, check the subscription status in your Microsoft account.
Press Win+H in any text field and the built-in dictation panel opens; for controlling the computer by voice there is a separate Windows feature, Windows Speech Recognition (Win+Ctrl+S).
In Windows 10 there is no Russian in built-in voice input at all; it exists only in Windows 11. If Russian speech is recognized poorly in Windows 11, Microsoft advises checking that the Russian input language is selected (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 mixed Russian and English.
Windows voice input listens to the microphone of the machine where it runs. In an RDP session your computer's microphone is available to the remote machine only if audio recording redirection is turned on (in the RDP client: Local Resources → Remote audio → Record from this computer). In addition, Win+H on the remote machine needs the internet: recognition runs in the Microsoft cloud.
No, Russian is not in the official list of languages supported by built-in dictation in Windows 10. In Windows 11, voice typing officially supports Russian.
Win+H is a standard key combination in Windows that opens the built-in voice input panel (voice typing or dictation): you can dictate text right into the active text field.
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 PotokOne subscription, two tools: dictation in any program on your computer and @potok_now_bot in Telegram, which transcribes voice messages, audio and video.
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.apple.com