Most dictation apps are built for the Mac first and ported to Windows later, if at all. Windows' own Voice Typing is the weakest built-in dictation of any operating system. ahsk for Windows is not a port or a companion: it is the same product, with the same gestures, dictionary and account as the Mac and iPhone apps. It is currently a beta, and we say so in the app, because you will find edges and we would rather you tell us than pretend.
One shortcut, everything starts with Ctrl + Win
Hold Ctrl + Win and talk; release and the text lands at your cursor. Tap Ctrl + Win + Space to go hands-free and it keeps listening until you tap Ctrl + Win again (it stops itself after five minutes so an accidental tap cannot leave the mic open). Ctrl + Win + A asks a question by voice and shows a web-sourced answer in a panel. Ctrl + Win + T translates: speak in your language, the translation is pasted. Ctrl goes first so the Start menu never opens, and the letters follow your keyboard layout, including AZERTY and QWERTZ.
Typed, not transcribed
Anything of seven words or more is cleaned up before it is pasted: fillers and self-corrections removed, punctuation and paragraphs added, lists formatted as lists, emails shaped like emails. Your personal dictionary in Dashboard > Voice teaches the transcriber the names, brands and jargon that dictation usually mangles.
It recovers on its own
Windows silently drops an app's global shortcuts after sleep or a lock screen; ahsk notices and re-registers them. Swap headsets, unplug a mic or connect Bluetooth mid-recording and ahsk rebuilds its connection to whatever microphone Windows is now using instead of listening to a device that no longer exists. If a dictation cannot reach the server, ahsk says so under the pill and puts what it already transcribed on your clipboard, so your words are never lost.
Requirements and the honest caveats
Windows 10 version 1809 or Windows 11, 64-bit; Arm PCs run it under emulation. The installer is a single double-click, per-user, no admin prompt. Two things Windows itself imposes: programs running as administrator cannot be typed into by any app, so ahsk copies the text and asks you to press Ctrl + V; and some Bluetooth headsets need a second to wake before the first words arrive. The Spotlight-style launcher and screenshot features from the Mac app are not on Windows yet.
Same account, three devices
One ahsk account covers Windows, Mac and iPhone. Your credits, your dictionary and your voice mode travel with you. Pro is €9.99 a month for all three; the free tier is 50 credits with no card.
Key Features
Hold Ctrl + Win to talk
Push-to-talk into any program. Release, and it's typed.
Ctrl + Win + Space for hands-free
Keeps listening after you let go. Tap Ctrl + Win to stop and paste.
Ctrl + Win + T to translate
Speak in your language, paste in theirs. Output language is set in Dashboard > Voice.
Ctrl + Win + A to ask
A question by voice, a web-sourced answer in a panel. Esc closes it.
Personal dictionary
Names, brands and jargon spelled the way you want, every time.
Sound cues
One when ahsk starts listening, one when something goes wrong, one when your text is pasted.
Install ahsk for Windows
Free, 50 credits, no card. Hold Ctrl + Win and say a sentence into whatever you have open.
Download for MacFrequently Asked Questions
Is ahsk for Windows free?
Yes to start: 50 credits, no card. Pro is €9.99 a month and the same subscription covers Mac and iPhone.
Why is it called a beta?
Because it is one. Dictation, hands-free, Ask, Translate and the dictionary work and we use them daily, but the app is young and Windows has more hardware and layout combinations than we have tested. If something feels off, the tray menu has an Open logs folder item; send us that file and it is usually a quick fix.
Does it work in Word, Outlook, Teams, Chrome, VS Code?
Yes. ahsk types wherever your cursor is, in any program, with one exception Windows enforces: programs running as administrator, where ahsk copies the text and asks you to paste.
How do I update it?
ahsk checks for updates through the day and offers the new version in the app. You can also download the latest installer from this page at any time.
