How do I install it?
Open the Microsoft Store on your PC, search for Perfect Dictation and click Get, or use the button on the download page. It installs in under a minute with no setup wizard.
Open it, sign in with Google, allow the microphone, and you are ready. Installing from the Store also means updates arrive by themselves.
Read the full guideDoes it start with Windows?
Yes. After you have opened it once, it starts when Windows does and waits in the tray, so the talk key works straight away.
You can turn this off in the app, under Settings, Start-up, which also shows what Windows itself has set. When Windows starts it, it stays in the tray; when you open it yourself, the window opens.
Read the full guideThe pill does not appear
First check the tray icon is there and not paused. If it is missing, open Perfect Dictation from the Start menu.
If another app already uses Right Ctrl (some games and remote-desktop tools do), pick a different talk key in Settings.
Read the full guideNothing is typed when I let go
Click into a text box first, then hold the key, so Windows knows where the text should go.
A few apps run as administrator and block typing from normal apps. In those, the text still arrives in History, ready to paste with Ctrl+V.
Read the full guideMy microphone is off
Open Windows Settings, Privacy and security, Microphone, and make sure microphone access is on for apps and for Perfect Dictation.
Settings in the app has a mic test, so you can see the level move while you talk and pick a different microphone if needed.
Read the full guideWhich microphone does it use?
The one you pick in Settings, or the Windows default if you have not chosen one.
Headsets and USB mics usually beat a laptop mic, especially in a noisy room or when the laptop fan is loud.
Read the full guideHow do I update it?
The Microsoft Store updates it for you in the background. Settings shows which version you have.
Now and then the app may show a short notice from us, for example about a planned change. If your version is too old to work properly, the app tells you and links straight to the update.
Read the full guideWhat if the service is busy?
Perfect Dictation uses more than one speech and clean-up engine. If the main one is slow or busy, the next one takes over automatically, usually without you noticing more than a second or two.
The status page shows how things are running right now.
Read the full guideMy work PC blocks the Store
Some companies switch the Microsoft Store off. Ask your IT team to allow Perfect Dictation from the Store; it needs no administrator rights and installs only for your user.
A direct download for managed PCs is planned. The download page lets you leave your email to hear when it is ready.
Read the full guideHow do I uninstall it?
From Windows Settings, Apps, Installed apps, like any Store app. Your account, plan and synced settings stay on your account in case you install it again.
History lives only on that PC, so copy anything you want to keep first.
Read the full guideStill stuck? Open a ticket and a person replies.