Email and documents
Long replies, proposals and reports at speaking speed, formatted for the app they land in, whether that is Outlook, Word or Google Docs.
Speech to text software
Speech to Text Software for Windows, Mac and Linux: Every Way Compared (2026)
Windows, macOS, Word and Google Docs all have free speech to text built in, and dedicated AI dictation apps add cleanup, a personal dictionary and an offline mode on top. This guide compares every method, says which one is enough for which job, and shows where a system-wide tool like Mr.Speech fits.
- Windows, macOS and Linux covered
- Works in every app
- Local mode available
- Around 100 languages
The short version
What is the best speech to text software? It depends on where the text has to go
The best free speech to text software is probably already installed. Windows 10 and 11 have voice typing on Win + H, macOS has Dictation in the Edit menu, Word has a Dictate button for Microsoft 365 subscribers, and Google Docs has Tools > Voice typing in Chrome, Edge or Safari. All of them are free or included in something you already pay for, and all of them type what you say more or less word for word. For a sentence in a search box, a quick reply or a note to yourself, that is enough, and this page tells you how to switch each one on.
The limits show up as soon as speech has to become writing. Built-in voice typing keeps your filler words and false starts, leaves paragraphs to you, and in the case of Windows voice typing and Word's Dictate needs an internet connection according to Microsoft. Google's voice typing only works inside Docs, Word's only inside Word. None of them learn your product names, and none of them know whether you are writing an email, a Slack message or a shell command. If you write all day, tidying the transcript afterwards costs almost as much time as typing it would have.
Dedicated AI speech to text software closes that gap. Mr.Speech runs under every app on Windows, macOS and Linux, removes fillers, adds punctuation and paragraphs, formats for the app you are in, learns your vocabulary, and has a fully local mode in which no audio leaves your computer. It is free for local use. The table below puts every method side by side, the steps after it show how to turn each one on, and the questions at the end cover offline use, Linux, Word and languages.
Speech to text software
Why Mr.Speech
01
Speech becomes writing, not a transcript
Punctuation, capitalisation, filler words gone, paragraphs and lists built. It catches you correcting yourself and keeps only what you meant. Nine cleanup styles, from literal to email to technical, and they work in every language rather than English only.
02
It knows the app it is typing into
A greeting on its own line in email, a casual block in chat, untouched syntax in a terminal. Only the formatting changes, never your words, and it never adds a sign-off you did not say.
03
Local or European cloud, your choice
The on-device engine handles 40 languages with real punctuation and needs no internet. The cloud path covers around 100 languages and is processed in Europe, with the processors named in the privacy policy. Nothing switches behind your back.
04
It learns your vocabulary
Names, acronyms and jargon go in a personal dictionary. Corrections you make come back as one-click suggestions, so the same word is not fixed twice.
Comparison
Speech to text software compared: built-in tools and Mr.Speech
Platform facts come from Microsoft, Apple and Google support pages, checked on the dates below. Where a vendor does not state something, the cell says so instead of guessing.
| Mr.Speech | Windows voice typing (Win + H) | Word Dictate | macOS Dictation | Google Docs voice typing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works in every app | System wide, native apps and terminals | Any text box with a cursor | Only inside Word | Via shortcut or Edit > Start Dictation | Only inside Google Docs in Chrome, Edge or Safari |
| Punctuation and cleanup | Fillers removed, paragraphs, nine cleanup styles | Optional automatic punctuation, no cleanup described | Auto punctuation toggle where the language supports it | Automatic punctuation, on by default | Punctuation by spoken command |
| Offline | Local engine, 40 languages, no internet needed | Per Microsoft, requires an internet connection | Per Microsoft, needs a reliable internet connection | On-device Dictation listed for English, French and German | The browser controls the speech to text service |
| Languages, as stated by the vendor | Around 100, detected automatically | Published list on Microsoft's support page | 15 supported languages, English, French and German among them, plus preview languages | English, French and German listed for on-device Dictation | Published list on Google's support page |
| Free | Free for local use | Included in Windows 10 and 11 | Microsoft 365 subscribers only | Included in macOS | With a Google account |
Microsoft, Apple and Google details checked on their own support pages on 25 and 26 September 2026. Products change, so verify anything decisive yourself.
How to
How to turn on speech to text on Windows, Mac, Linux and in Word
The built-in routes first, then the app that does the same on all three systems.
01
Windows 11 and 10: voice typing with Win + H
Put the cursor in any text box, press Win + H and speak. Open the settings gear on the voice typing bar to turn on automatic punctuation. Microsoft says you need an internet connection and a working microphone, and that voice typing uses online speech recognition. The result is a literal transcript that you tidy up yourself.
02
Windows 11: Voice access, without internet
For hands-free control and dictation with no connection, set up Voice access (Windows 11 version 22H2 and later). It downloads language files once, then recognises speech on the device, in English, German, Spanish and French. It replaced the classic Windows Speech Recognition in September 2024.
03
Word: the Dictate button
In Word, go to Home > Dictate and start speaking; on a Mac the shortcut is Option + F1. Auto punctuation can be toggled in the Dictate settings where the language supports it. Microsoft states that Dictate is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers and needs a reliable internet connection, and that your speech is sent to Microsoft to produce the text and is not stored.
04
macOS: Dictation
Press the Microphone key or the Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit > Start Dictation. Dictation inserts commas, periods and question marks automatically in supported languages, and the Keyboard settings tell you whether your dictation is processed on the device.
05
Google Docs: Voice typing
Open a document in Chrome, Edge or Safari, choose Tools > Voice typing and speak. Say Period, Comma, New line or New paragraph to punctuate. It only works inside Docs, and Google says the browser controls the speech to text service.
06
Linux: no built-in tool, but a native app
Linux desktops have no built-in dictation comparable to Windows or macOS. Mr.Speech ships as .deb and .rpm (Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13 or newer) with native Wayland, Hyprland and KDE support, and types into any application, from the editor to the terminal.
07
Mr.Speech on any of them
Install the app, create your account, set a hotkey. Hold it, speak, release, and cleaned text lands in the focused app in about two seconds. Choose local mode when the audio must stay on your computer; choose the cloud mode, processed in Europe, when you want the strongest accuracy.
Speech to text software01 02 03
Use cases
Chat and tickets
Short messages in Slack or Teams and ticket comments without switching windows or opening a dictation panel.
Meetings
The same app records Teams, Zoom and in-person meetings without a bot and turns them into a summary and tasks.
Questions
Questions
What is the best free speech to text software?
For a quick sentence, the one already on your computer: Windows voice typing (Win + H), Voice access on Windows 11, macOS Dictation or Google Docs voice typing. All of them are free. Mr.Speech is also free for local use on the desktop, with no trial period and no credit card, and it adds AI cleanup, a personal dictionary and a fully local mode. Word's Dictate is included with a Microsoft 365 subscription rather than free.
Does Windows 11 have speech to text?
Yes, in two ways. Voice typing (Win + H) types into any text box and, according to Microsoft, needs an internet connection. Voice access, available from Windows 11 version 22H2, works without internet after a one-time language download and also controls the PC by voice. Both are included in Windows.
How do I use voice typing in Word?
Open a document, go to Home > Dictate and start speaking; on a Mac you can also press Option + F1. Turn auto punctuation on in the Dictate settings if your language supports it. According to Microsoft, Dictate is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers and needs a reliable internet connection. If you want the same in Outlook, Slack, a browser or a terminal, a system-wide tool like Mr.Speech types into all of them from one hotkey, Word included.
Can speech to text work offline?
Voice access on Windows 11 and on-device Dictation on the Mac do. Windows voice typing and Word's Dictate do not, according to Microsoft. Mr.Speech has a fully local mode: the speech models run on your computer, no internet is needed and no audio leaves the machine.
Is there speech to text for Linux?
Linux has no built-in equivalent to Win + H. Mr.Speech runs natively on Linux as .deb and .rpm packages, including Wayland, Hyprland and KDE, and types into any application. Dragon and Wispr Flow offer no Linux version according to their own sites.
What is the difference between speech to text and dictation software?
Speech to text is the raw conversion of audio into words. Dictation software is speech to text plus everything that turns words into a finished document: punctuation, paragraphs, filler removal, formatting for the app, a personal dictionary. Built-in voice typing is speech to text; Mr.Speech is dictation software that also transcribes meetings.
How accurate is speech to text software?
Built-in dictation is accurate for plain sentences. The differences appear with names, jargon and long dictations, which is where a personal dictionary and cleanup that removes fillers and false starts matter. Mr.Speech learns your terms and offers your corrections back as one-click suggestions.
Can speech to text software transcribe a meeting or an audio file?
This page is about live dictation. Mr.Speech also records Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and in-person meetings on your computer, without a bot, and transcribes them with speaker labels; the meeting transcription guide covers that. Transcribing an existing audio file is not something this page claims: Mr.Speech transcribes what you dictate and the meetings it records.
Does speech to text work in French, German and other languages?
Yes. Word's Dictate lists English, French and German among its supported languages, Apple lists on-device Dictation for all three, and Voice access covers English, German, Spanish and French. Mr.Speech detects the language automatically among around 100 in cloud mode and 40 in local mode.
Does Mr.Speech replace the Windows shortcut?
No. Win + H keeps working. Mr.Speech uses its own hotkey, so you can use both side by side.
