Voice typing
Voice typing that works in every app, with the ums taken out
Dictation software for Windows and macOS that types into any app. Press one shortcut, talk, and KeyShift inserts clean text: filler words out, punctuation in, 50+ languages detected automatically. Free plan included.
Talking is three times faster than typing, and most people never dictate because the result needs so much fixing: every um, every half sentence, no punctuation. Built-in dictation hears you well and writes it down exactly as it came out.
KeyShift's voice input adds the step you would do by hand. Press the shortcut in any app, talk, stop, and insert a version that reads as if you had typed it carefully. Or insert exactly what you said, or keep going. It works in Word, Slack, Gmail, Notion, your code editor and every other text field on Windows and macOS.
How to use it
- Click into the field you want to fill, then press Ctrl+Shift+M. A small bar appears and shows the level while you speak.
- Talk naturally. Pauses are fine; the words appear as they arrive. Pick the language from the bar, or leave it on automatic.
- Stop and choose: Insert (cleaned up), Insert as heard (verbatim), Continue, or send the text to Quick Actions to translate or rewrite it first.
- The text is typed where your cursor was. Ctrl+Shift+Z puts things back if you inserted into the wrong place.
What the clean-up does
- Removes filler words and false starts ("so, um, basically" and the sentence you abandoned halfway).
- Adds punctuation and capitalisation, splits run-on speech into sentences, keeps your wording.
- Keeps numbers, names and technical terms as you said them, which is what usually breaks in raw dictation.
- 50+ languages with automatic detection, so a dictated sentence in Italian comes out as Italian, not as English nonsense.
- Dictate, then transform: send the transcript straight to Translate, Make professional or Summarize before inserting.
- On Pro with your own OpenAI key, transcription runs on your account with Whisper and uses no credits.
Compared with built-in dictation
| Built-in dictation | KeyShift | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts with | Win+H on Windows, Fn twice on Mac | Ctrl+Shift+M, any app |
| Clean-up of filler words and punctuation | Basic punctuation by voice command | Automatic |
| Languages | Installed languages, set manually | 50+, detected automatically |
| Translate or rewrite before inserting | No | Yes, same shortcut |
| Verbatim option | Only mode | Insert as heard |
| Works in every text field | Most | Any field on Windows and macOS |
| Cost | Free | Free plan: 25 AI actions a month; Pro: 10,000 |
Tips
- For long emails, dictate the rough version in one go, then select it and run Make professional. Two steps, better than editing line by line.
- Give Voice input its own hotkey under Settings → Shortcuts if Ctrl+Shift+M clashes with another app.
- A quiet microphone and a short pause before you start make the first words land correctly.
How KeyShift works, in any app
- Quick Actions: select text, press Ctrl+Shift+A (⌘⇧A on Mac), pick an action. The result replaces the selection.
- The typed trigger: write normally, add keyshift plus your instruction, press space twice. No selection, no shortcut.
- Voice (Ctrl+Shift+M), text from screen (Ctrl+Shift+O) and clipboard history (Ctrl+Shift+V) for the text you do not have yet.
- Undo any replacement with Ctrl+Shift+Z, up to 20 steps.
Windows 10 and later, macOS 11 and later, and Android. See the getting started guide.
Questions people ask
Is this dictation software free?
Yes. Voice input is on the Free plan. Each dictation counts as one AI action, and Free includes 25 a month. Pro has 10,000, or no cap at all with your own API key.
How accurate is it compared with Windows dictation or Dragon?
Recognition uses current speech models, which match or beat built-in dictation on normal speech. The difference you notice is the clean-up: the inserted text needs little or no editing.
Does it work offline?
No. Transcription runs in the cloud, through KeyShift credits or your own OpenAI key on Pro. Text from screen, by contrast, runs entirely on your device.
Does it work on Android?
The KeyShift keyboard for Android has its own microphone key with the same clean-up, inside WhatsApp, Gmail and any other app.
Try it in your own apps
Free plan, 25 AI actions a month, no card needed. Pro from €4 a month billed yearly.