Voice keyboard for PC: hold a key, talk, and the words appear

The short answer

A voice keyboard for PC is a key you hold on your computer keyboard to talk instead of type, with the words landing wherever your cursor is. Phones have a microphone button inside the on-screen keyboard. A PC does not, so you use the dictation built into Windows or macOS, or an app that types into every other app. Windows voice typing opens with the Windows key and H, in the 46 languages Microsoft lists for Windows 11, with no Arabic. DanDin, which we make, is a voice keyboard for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) and for Macs. On Windows, hold Ctrl and the Windows key. On a Mac, hold Fn. Speak, let go, and an AI step tidies your words and types them at your cursor. It writes Arabic, English, or both in one go. One dictation can run 30 minutes. DanDin needs the internet, and the free plan is 2,000 words every 7 days.

DanDin is our product. The Windows and Mac facts on this page come from Microsoft's and Apple's own help pages, read on 8 October 2026 and linked at the end. If a fact here is wrong or has changed, write to support@dandin.com and we will fix the page.

Is there a voice keyboard for PC like the one on your phone?

Not in the same shape, and that is why this search is confusing. On a phone the microphone lives inside the on-screen keyboard, so every app gets it for free. A computer keyboard is just keys. Dictation has to come from the operating system, or from an app that sits above your other apps and types for you.

Many people land first on Google's "Type with your voice" page. That is a help page for Gboard on Android phones, not for computers. It says "Talk-to-text doesn't work with all languages." and lists none.

Voice keyboard options on a computer. Vendor facts read on 8 October 2026.

Option	Platforms	Languages, as documented	How you start it
Windows voice typing	Windows 11 and 10	46 languages listed for Windows 11, no Arabic	Windows key + H
Apple Dictation	Mac	Apple says "Dictation is not available in all languages or regions"	Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard
DanDin (ours)	Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and Macs with macOS 12 or newer	Arabic and English, alone or mixed in one dictation	Hold Ctrl + Win on Windows, Fn on a Mac

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What does Windows already include?

Windows voice typing is free and already on your machine. Press the Windows key and H and a small bar appears. Microsoft's page says "These languages support voice typing in Windows 11:" and lists 46 of them. If you write in one of those languages, try it first. It costs nothing and needs no download.

Two limits are worth knowing. For Windows 10, Microsoft says "Dictation commands are available in US English only". And the AI cleanup, which Microsoft calls Fluid dictation, "automatically corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak", but "This is a Copilot+ PC feature and is available in all English locales." So tidy-as-you-talk on Windows needs a Copilot+ PC and English.

Arabic is the gap. It is not in Microsoft's voice typing list, and Microsoft's Voice access page lists 15 languages and dialects with no Arabic either.

What does a Mac already include?

macOS has Dictation built in. Apple's steps: "choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar." Then "Go to Dictation, then turn it on or off." Apple also says "Dictation is not available in all languages or regions, and features may vary." Its feature list names Arabic for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but not for automatic punctuation, so in Arabic you add the commas yourself.

With two languages set up, switching is manual: you click the language next to the cursor, or press the Globe key and choose.

How does DanDin work as a voice keyboard?

1. Click where the words should go

   A chat box, an email, a document, a search field. Anywhere you would normally type.

2. Hold the start key and speak

   On Windows, hold Ctrl and the Windows key together (either Ctrl, either Windows key). On a Mac, hold Fn, the Globe key. Talk the way you would to a friend. Press Esc if you change your mind.

3. Let go, and the text lands

   An AI step drops the "ums", repeats and false starts, adds punctuation and writes numbers as digits. Then the text is typed at your cursor, all at once.

That tidy step is what makes it an ai voice keyboard rather than plain dictation. You speak the way you think, and you get a sentence you can send.

Can I change the key, or stop holding it?

Yes, both. This matters more on a PC than on a phone, because you might talk for a while.

• Pick a different key. On Windows, Settings lets you use right Alt or right Ctrl instead of Ctrl + Win. On a Mac, you can pick Control, right Option, right Command or right Control instead of Fn. If your keyboard's Fn key cannot reach DanDin, for example some external keyboards with the laptop lid closed, DanDin moves the start key to Control for you.
• Backup shortcut. Win + Shift + D on Windows. On a Mac, Command + Shift + D works until you give DanDin the Input Monitoring permission the start key needs.
• Talk without holding. Hold to talk is the default. With Hands-free on (it is on by default), tap the start key twice, or hold it and press Space, and DanDin keeps listening. One more tap ends it. Or switch Activation mode to Toggle: one press starts, the next press stops.
• Long talks are fine. One dictation can run up to 30 minutes. At 29 minutes DanDin tells you one minute is left. At 30 it stops and types what you said.

Which apps can it type into?

The app you were already using: mail, chat, documents, browsers, code editors and AI chat apps. There is no window to switch to and no box to copy out of. The text appears where you were working. Every dictation is also kept in the app's History, so nothing is lost if you clicked away.

On a Mac, if there is nowhere to type, like Finder or the desktop, a small card lets you copy the text instead.

Where will it not type?

Mac password prompts and protected terminals. When an app is protecting typing, DanDin types nothing. It copies the text and says: "This app is protecting typing right now. Text copied, press ⌘V."

A Mac without the Accessibility permission. Accessibility is what lets DanDin paste into other apps. Without it, DanDin says "Turn on Accessibility so DanDin can paste. Text copied, press ⌘V."

Password fields on Windows. Windows has no such check, so DanDin cannot tell a password box from any other box. Do not dictate a password on a PC.

How do I download a voice keyboard for PC?

What DanDin needs, as shipped today (version 1.3.1)

Item	What you need
Windows	Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. The installer is code signed. There is no build for Windows on ARM
Mac	macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon or Intel. Signed and notarized, downloaded from us, not the App Store
Permissions	Windows asks only for the microphone. A Mac asks for Microphone, Accessibility and Input Monitoring
Internet	Required. There is no offline mode
Microphone	The one built into your computer is enough

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A voice keyboard download for pc takes three steps. Get the installer from the download page. Allow the permissions it asks for. Then click into any text box, hold the start key, and say one sentence.

Which one should you actually use?

We would rather you use the free thing already on your machine than pay us for something you do not need. Stop at the first line that sounds like you:

• English on Windows, short bursts, and you do not mind fixing punctuation. Press Windows key and H. It is free and already there.
• English on a Copilot+ PC. Try Windows voice typing with Fluid dictation first.
• A Mac, one of Apple's listed languages, inside one app. Apple Dictation is enough.
• Arabic, or Arabic and English mixed. Windows does not list Arabic, and Apple lists no Arabic auto-punctuation. That is the case DanDin was built for.
• Long messages all day, in many apps, tidied before they land. That is where a paid voice keyboard earns its place.

How much does DanDin cost?

Free gives you 2,000 words every 7 days. The 7 days roll, so words come back day by day rather than on a fixed weekday. No card, no end date, and the same quality and speed as Pro. Pro is USD 16.99 a month or USD 149 a year, with unlimited words. If you have never had Pro, monthly Pro started from the app comes with 7 free days. In Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar the price is fixed in local money: 59 a month or 529 a year. See the pricing page for team and student plans.

Want the details on mixing languages? See switching between Arabic and English. For what happens when the connection drops, see does DanDin work offline.