Windows tip: talk, don’t type

With Windows voice typing, you can convert your speech into text. To open Microsoft Speech Services, press Windows key + H. To use it, you’ll need the following two things:

1. An active internet connection; the speech-to-text conversion takes place online using Azure Speech services.
2. An installed language with speech-to-text support.

Supported languages

Unfortunately, not all languages are supported by the speech-to-text function. Examples of language packs that do work with voice typing include German (Germany), French (France) and Italian (Italy). On the other hand, German (Switzerland), French (Switzerland) and Italian (Switzerland) are not supported.

Here’s an overview of all supported languages.

How to install a language

To install a language, go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

How to quickly switch the language

Changing the language in the settings every time is tedious. Here’s what you can do instead: press Windows key + space bar.

To start voice typing, hit Windows key + H or, if using an on-screen keyboard, press the microphone key next to the space bar.

Need more Windows tips? In the article below, you’ll find links to all previously published editions of this series.