Loquil
Is there a dictation app that types into any program on Windows?
Yes. A system-wide dictation app runs in the background on Windows and pastes the dictated text into whatever field has the cursor — Word, Excel, Gmail in Chrome, WhatsApp Web, Slack, a CRM, a terminal. You are not limited to the apps that ship a microphone button. Loquil does this with a global hotkey and adds AI cleanup, so the text arrives already punctuated and tidy.
How system-wide dictation works
The app listens for a hotkey (Shift+Win in Loquil, changeable). While you hold it, it records; when you release, it transcribes, cleans up the text and pastes it at the cursor using the clipboard, exactly as if you had pressed Ctrl+V. That is why it works in every program without plug-ins: any window that accepts a paste accepts dictation.
What to look for
- AI cleanup: without it you get raw transcripts (Windows' own Win+H is an example).
- Languages: how many, and whether the output language can differ from the spoken one.
- Hotkey and toggle: hold-to-talk vs. press-to-start; a visible indicator that recording is on.
- Price model: flat monthly plans vs. bring-your-own API keys (cheaper on paper, more to manage).
- Other devices: the same account on Android/Linux avoids two tools.
Programs people dictate into most
Email (Outlook, Gmail), documents (Word, Google Docs), chat (Teams, Slack, WhatsApp Web), CRMs and ticketing (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk), spreadsheets and business software with free-text fields. Loquil is used in all of them; see the guides on Word and email.
Questions
Does it work in remote desktop or Citrix sessions?
Does it work in games or full-screen apps?
Do I need admin rights?
Try it on your next sentence
Free plan, no card. Windows, Linux and Android.
Updated: 2026-08-16