Dictation for RSI: type less on Windows
Use your voice for the long stretches of typing.
If typing is what hurts, the simplest change is to type less. VinPUT writes what you say into the text field you are in, so emails, notes and chat messages can be spoken. I am not a doctor, and VinPUT is not a treatment. It is a way to press fewer keys. For your hands, ask a doctor or a physiotherapist.
Fewer key presses
- One key. Tap F1 to start and tap again to stop, with no key held down in between. Or hold it while you talk, if that is easier. A press shorter than 0.35 seconds counts as a tap.
- Any key you like. Under Settings, General, Hotkeys, click a field and press the key or combination you want, one that suits your hands.
- Enter included. F2 types what you say and presses Enter, which finishes a chat message or a search with no extra key.
- Esc cancels. A dictation you do not want is dropped and nothing is typed.
Things that save typing
Say new line or new paragraph and VinPUT breaks the line. Snippets turn a phrase such as "my email" into a saved text of up to 1000 characters, so addresses and sign-offs are never typed. The dictionary holds up to 200 names and terms, spelled the way you entered them.
Cleanup can take out filler words and fix punctuation, so you correct less afterwards. It is off until you choose it for a key, and needs a text model. With Edit by voice, you select text, hold the edit key and say what to change.
What it does not do
VinPUT types, searches the web by voice and records memos. It does not click, select or move around for you, so you still use the mouse or keyboard for that. Speech recognition makes mistakes, in names and numbers especially. Read what was typed before you send it.
A dictation you forget to stop ends by itself after 30 minutes of silence, a time you can shorten under Settings, General, Behavior. Windows does not let VinPUT type into a window that runs as administrator.
Getting started
Install VinPUT, open Settings, Models, download a model under On this PC and click Use. Everything runs on your PC, with no account. The documentation covers keys and settings.
Questions
Do I have to hold a key while I talk?
No. Tap your dictate key to start and tap it again to stop. Holding it while you talk works too.
Can I choose which key starts dictation?
Yes. Click the field under Settings, General, Hotkeys and press the key or combination you want. A few Windows combinations, such as Alt + Tab, are not accepted.
Does it work in any program?
In any Windows program with a text field. The one exception is a window running as administrator.
Is it free?
Yes, with a speech model on your PC, with no time limit and no account. Plus and Pro are optional paid plans.
Related pages
- Voice typing on Windows 11 and Win+H What the built-in option does, and when it is enough.
- Vibe coding with your voice Speak prompts into Cursor, Codex or a terminal.
- Offline speech to text What works with no connection, and what needs one.
- Dragon alternative for Windows What VinPUT covers if you dictate on Windows.