The short answer
It types where your cursor was when you let go. If the window changed while you talked, the text is not lost: it waits in History, ready to copy and paste.
Where text goes
Perfect Dictation types into whatever has the keyboard focus at the moment you let go of the talk key: the text box with the blinking cursor. That is usually where you started, but not always.
Why text sometimes does not appear
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| You clicked into another window while talking | The text went there, or waits in History |
| A pop-up or notification took the focus | Copy it from History and paste it where you meant |
| No text box was selected | Click into a box first, then dictate |
| The app runs as administrator | Windows blocks typing into it; paste from History |
| You were offline | The clip waits and sends itself when you reconnect |
Getting it back from History
- Click the Perfect Dictation icon in the tray and open History.
- Your latest dictation is at the top of today's list.
- Click Copy, then paste it with Ctrl + V where you need it.
History keeps every dictation on your PC, grouped by day, so nothing you said is ever lost to a stray click. See What is in History?
Apps that run as administrator
Windows does not let normal apps type into programs that were started "as administrator". This is a Windows safety rule, not something Perfect Dictation can switch off. In those apps the text still arrives in History, ready to paste.
Remote desktops and virtual machines
If you dictate into a remote desktop, Citrix session or virtual machine, Perfect Dictation types into the window on your own PC that shows it. Most remote tools pass the typing straight through. If yours does not, the text is in History to paste.
Text appeared in the wrong place
If text landed in a different window from the one you meant, undo it there with Ctrl + Z, click where it should have gone, and paste it from History. To avoid it, keep the window you are dictating into in front until the text appears, usually about a second after you let go.
Text that never arrived at all
If a dictation is missing from History too, it was most likely still being sent when the app or PC closed. Clips waiting to send are kept on your PC and go the next time Perfect Dictation starts, so open it again and check History after a minute.
Related questions
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