Guide · Windows
Offline dictation for Windows 10 and 11
Dusk is a dictation app for Windows that runs entirely on your PC. Hold Ctrl + Win, speak, and let go: filler words are removed, punctuation is added, and the text is typed at your cursor in any app. Once its models are downloaded, it works without an internet connection, and it installs without an administrator password.
Last updated October 27, 2026
How it works
- Hold the shortcut and speak. Ctrl + Win starts dictation. Tap it instead to keep talking hands-free, and tap again to stop.
- Watch it listen. A small pill at the bottom of the screen shows your voice and the words so far. It never takes focus from the app you're typing in.
- Your PC does the work. A speech model writes down your words as you speak. A language model removes filler words, applies corrections like "three, no, actually four", and adds punctuation. Then a guard checks that nothing was added or lost: if clean-up changed your words, Dusk types them as you said them.
- Text lands at your cursor, in Word, Outlook, Chrome, Slack, VS Code or any other app that takes typing.
Add Alt for a voice command: hold Ctrl + Win + Alt and say "open the calculator", "search in Chrome for bread recipes" or "make this more formal".
What clean-up does
Real output of Dusk's clean-up, with the Qwen3.5 2B language model:
| You said | Dusk typed |
|---|---|
| um let's meet at three no actually four and I'll bring the slides for the quarterly review | Let's meet at four. I'll bring the slides for the quarterly review. |
| hi anna thanks for the notes uh the three things I need are the budget the timeline and the list of risks | Hi Anna, thanks for the notes. The three things I need are the budget, the timeline, and the list of risks. |
Clean-up fits the app: chat stays casual, email gets paragraphs, and code editors and terminals keep file names and commands exactly as you said them. See how to dictate punctuation, lists, web addresses and code.
Why the shortcut is Ctrl + Win
Windows reports AltGr, which types @, € and other characters on many
European keyboard layouts, as Ctrl + Alt. A dictation shortcut on Ctrl +
Alt would start every time you typed one. You can change every shortcut in Settings, and use a
mouse's side buttons instead.
Install
Download Dusk_x64-setup.exe and run it. It installs Dusk for your user, without an administrator
password, and adds it to the Start menu. Setup then checks your PC and downloads the speech and language
models that run well on it. Remove Dusk in Settings, Apps.
What you need
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, with 8 GB of memory.
- About 2 GB of disk space for the recommended models.
- A graphics card with Vulkan support makes clean-up faster, but isn't required. Without one, setup recommends a smaller language model that runs on the processor.
Models and history go in your local application data folder, not the roaming one, so gigabytes of models aren't copied between the computers you sign in to.
Limits
- Dusk's shortcuts and typing don't reach apps running as administrator. Windows doesn't let ordinary apps send keys to them.
- Clean-up and commands are in English. Dictation in other languages depends on the speech model.
Questions
Is my voice sent to Microsoft or anyone else?
No. Speech recognition and clean-up run on your PC, and nothing you say is sent anywhere. See what stays on your computer.
Do I need a Microsoft account or a Dusk account?
No. Dusk has no accounts. A license is a key you paste into Dusk's About page.
Does it work in Chrome and other browsers?
Yes. Dusk types into web pages like any other app, and voice commands can open websites, search, and click links and buttons on the page.
Does it work on Linux too?
Yes. See voice dictation on Linux. One license works on up to 2 of your computers, whichever system each runs.