Voice typing · Windows + macOS
Voice typing in every app — hold a key, speak, done
Hold one hotkey, talk, release. Your words land at the cursor in Word, Gmail, Slack, code editors — any text field on Windows or macOS. Free local engines work offline. Optional Cloud tier adds AI rewrites and web search.
Windows 10/11 (64-bit) · macOS 12+ on Apple Silicon
Voice typing that isn't locked to one app
Voice typing means you talk and your computer types. Every platform ships some version of it: Windows has Win+H, macOS has Apple Dictation, Google Docs has a Voice typing menu item. Each one stops at its own border — the Docs tool only types inside Docs, and the built-in options drop out in some apps, some browsers, and some text fields.
Whisper by Remskill takes the opposite approach. One global hotkey works in every application: hold it, speak, release, and the transcribed text pastes exactly where your cursor is. Nothing to launch, nothing to configure per app. Two local engines ship in the same installer — OpenAI's Whisper with 99 languages and translate-to-English, and NVIDIA's Parakeet, which runs 5–10× faster on CPU for English and 24 European languages.
Both engines run entirely on your machine, so voice typing keeps working offline and no audio leaves the device. An optional Cloud tier adds OpenAI transcription, AI rewriting, and web search by voice — it uses your own API key and is never required.
Hold the hotkey, talk, release
Ctrl+Space on Windows, Command+Option on a Mac. The same loop in every app.
Hold the hotkey
The default is Ctrl+Space on Windows and Command+Option on macOS — both configurable to any chord. A small overlay appears with a live waveform while you talk.
Speak naturally
No wake word, no voice training, no per-app setup. Talk in any of 99 languages; the Whisper engine keeps up even when you switch languages mid-sentence.
Text appears at your cursor
Release the key. Whisper transcribes locally (or via Cloud, if you opted in), optionally cleans the text up with AI, and types the result exactly where your cursor is.
What you get on Windows and Mac
Built for typing-heavy work — writers, support reps, developers, students, anyone with a microphone and a deadline.
Global hotkey in every app
Push to talk in Word, Outlook, Notion, Slack, Discord, a browser address bar — any field that accepts text. No per-app integration.
Works offline
The local engines transcribe on your CPU. No internet needed, no audio uploaded, no account pinging home while you dictate.
99 languages + translation
The Whisper engine covers 99 languages with the same hotkey, plus a translate-to-English mode for any source language.
Fast on CPU
The Parakeet engine runs 5–10× faster than Whisper on CPU. No GPU required — long dictations stay quick on ordinary laptops.
AI rewriting, optional
Have a model trim filler, fix punctuation, or reformat to bullets before paste — locally through Ollama, or with the Cloud tier.
Custom vocabulary
Hotwords, presets, and a custom dictionary teach the engine your project names, your jargon, and the surname every other tool misspells.
Whisper vs the voice typing built into your OS
Win+H and Apple Dictation are fine for short notes. Here is where a dedicated tool earns its place.
| Feature | Whisper by Remskill | Built-in voice typing |
|---|---|---|
| Works in every app | Yes — global hotkey, pastes at the cursor | Most text fields; drops out in some apps |
| Offline mode | Fully offline with the local engines | Win+H needs a connection; Apple Dictation is local only on Apple Silicon |
| Languages | 99 languages, plus translate-to-English | About 43 on Windows; dozens on macOS |
| AI rewriting | GPT or local Ollama — clean up, reformat, change tone | None |
| Custom vocabulary | Hotwords, presets, custom dictionary | Limited |
| Cost | Free local mode; optional paid Cloud tier | Free with the OS |
If you dictate one short message a week, the built-in tools are enough and you should keep using them. Whisper is for the point where voice typing becomes how you write.
Go deeper: voice typing, end to end
The guides behind this page — picking software, per-app setup, and the shortcuts.
How voice typing software works
Free built-in options vs paid tools, and where each one stops being enough.
The best voice typing software, ranked
Seven tools compared on platform, offline support, pricing model, and languages.
Which voice typing app to install
What to put on each device — desktop, phone, and browser.
Voice typing in Microsoft Word
Word's built-in dictation, its limits, and the system-wide route.
The voice typing shortcut on every OS
Every keyboard shortcut that starts dictation, on every platform.
A Google voice typing alternative
Dictation that works outside Google Docs and outside the browser.
Built-in voice typing broken? Start here
The failures we get asked about most, each with a fix-it guide.
Voice typing — questions
Is voice typing free in Whisper?
What is the difference between voice typing and dictation?
Does voice typing work offline?
Which apps does it work in?
What is the voice typing shortcut?
Does it run on both Windows and Mac?
Try voice typing that follows your cursor
The local pipeline is free for everyone. No card, no trial timer. Cloud features are there when you want them.
Windows 10/11 (64-bit) · macOS 12+ on Apple Silicon (M1–M4)