Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
You cannot separately “download Russian” for the Windows 11 voice assistant: according to Microsoft's help, Voice Access supports English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese and Italian, and Russian is not on this list. Win+H voice typing, on the contrary, supports Russian in Windows 11; in Windows 10 it has no Russian. Potok's (potok.now) model is trained for Russian speech, and it inserts text into the active field of any app.
Russian is needed for voice input in two different Windows features: Voice Access, which controls the computer with commands, and voice typing of text with Win+H. They have different lists of supported languages, and mixing them up is where the question “where did Russian go” comes from.
Terms: language pack, Voice Access and Win+H
- A language pack is a set of operating system data that adds support for a specific language, including speech recognition; voice input in a given language sometimes requires installing exactly such a pack.
- Voice Access is a Windows 11 feature for controlling the computer by voice and dictating text; its language list includes English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese and Italian, without Russian.
- Win+H voice typing is a separate text dictation feature: in Windows 11 it has Russian, in Windows 10 it does not.
- These two features are not connected: what does not work in one does not mean it does not work in the other.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Language pack | a set of operating system data that adds support for a specific language, including speech recognition | voice typing in a given language sometimes requires installing the matching language pack |
| Background process | a program that runs without opening a visible window and waits for an event such as a hotkey press | a dictation app runs as a background process until the hotkey is pressed |
| Password field | a text field in which typed characters are hidden behind dots or asterisks | a password is better typed on the keyboard than dictated: everyone nearby will hear it |
| Microphone permission | a system consent that an app must be granted before it can receive sound from the microphone | without microphone permission, no dictation program will work |
How to download Russian for the voice assistant in Windows 11
- Decide which feature you need: controlling the computer with commands (Voice Access) or typing text by voice (Win+H); this determines whether Russian exists at all.
- If you need Voice Access with Russian commands: according to Microsoft's current language list it has no Russian: English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian.
- If you need voice typing of text: it opens with Win+H on Windows 11 and works in the current input language. If Russian is not among your languages, add it in Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language, and switch to it with Win+Space.
- If voice input is not set up on the computer at all yet, start with the general guide to turning it on on a laptop.
- For dictating text in Russian in Windows 10, where Win+H has no Russian, or on a Mac and Linux, you can install Potok: it recognizes Russian speech with its own model trained for Russian. The general procedure for such dictation is in the article on voice typing on a computer.
What Potok does not set up in Windows
Potok is a cloud service: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. It has no voice commands for controlling the computer: you cannot switch the language or open settings by voice, only dictate text into the field where the cursor is. There are no apps for Android and iPhone either, so Potok will not become a voice assistant on your phone. The free 2500 words per week may not be enough for someone who dictates all day; then you need the Pro plan with no limit.
Frequently asked questions
No: according to Microsoft's help, Voice Access works in English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Japanese and Italian, and Russian is not among these languages.
Voice typing works in the current input language. If Russian is not among your languages, add it: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language. Then switch to Russian with Win+Space. In Windows 10 voice typing has no Russian.
Voice Access is a feature of Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer that lets you control the computer and enter text by voice; in Windows 11 22H2 and newer it replaced the classic Windows Speech Recognition. Voice Access has no Russian.
It depends on whether the computer is managed by the organization: an administrator can centrally disable speech services with group policy, and then you cannot turn on voice input yourself and need to contact the IT department. If there are no such restrictions, Windows voice typing opens with the usual Win+H combination in a text field.
Press Win+H in any text field to open the built-in dictation panel; for controlling the computer by voice there is a separate feature, Windows Speech Recognition (Win+Ctrl+S).
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 PotokA voice message from a messenger or a call recording can be forwarded to the bot @potok_now_bot, and it sends back the text. The bot is part of the same subscription as the Potok 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 |
Primary sources: learn.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com