Offline speech to text on Windows: what works with the internet off.

What does offline mean for a dictation app?

Two separate things, which product pages tend to blur. The first is where speech is recognized: on your PC, or on someone else's server. The second is what else the app needs a connection for, such as downloading a speech model, activating a license or checking for updates. A tool can pass the first test and still stop working on a machine that never goes online, which is why the table keeps the two apart.

What does Ceylo need the internet for?

Ceylo goes online to download a speech model and to activate a license, then for updates and licensing check-ins, and none of that traffic carries audio or text; Ceylo Pro keeps working for 30 days without a connection, after which a subscription, or a one-time license that has not settled yet, pauses Pro until its next check-in succeeds, with the free plan meanwhile. Ceylo's one-time license goes further: once it has been active on a computer for 14 days and Ceylo has confirmed it online once after that, it keeps working offline on that computer indefinitely, and still checks in whenever it is online. A PC that never goes online at all cannot activate a license, so it is better served by a tool that needs no activation.

Does Windows have offline dictation built in?

Yes, though not behind the shortcut most people try first. Win+H needs the internet for every dictation¹, so with the network down it produces nothing. Windows Voice Access recognizes speech on the device and works without the internet². Its first setup does need a connection, to download language files³, and Voice Access also drives the PC itself, opening and switching apps and browsing the web by voice², which makes Voice Access a voice-control tool that also dictates rather than a dictation tool.

Where another tool is the better choice

Ceylo is the paid answer, not the only one, and these readers have a better option:

• You want to drive the whole PC by voice with what Windows already includes. Voice Access does that².
• You want free and open source, or you also use macOS or Linux. Handy is a free, open-source dictation app that works completely offline⁹, and Handy runs on Windows, macOS and Linux⁹.
• You want unlimited offline dictation without paying. Superwhisper's free plan gives unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, and nothing dictated on it leaves the device¹². Ceylo's free plan gives 15 dictations a month and does not expire.
• You need voice commands and macros. Dragon runs custom voice commands and macros that automate multi-step work⁵, which Ceylo does not attempt.
• Your PC never goes online, not even once. A tool that needs no activation fits that machine better than Ceylo Pro.

Where Ceylo is the better choice

Ceylo fits a narrower reader than most of the tools above:

• You want dictation, call transcripts and file transcripts in one app that offers no cloud option. Ceylo has no cloud transcription at all, and Ceylo Pro removes the cap on dictations, adds meetings, and transcribes audio and video files you already have.
• You want both sides of a call kept apart without any setup. Ceylo Pro records your microphone and the call audio as two labeled sides, on the device.

Which offline tool should you use?

Match the tool to the job rather than to the brand:

• Use Voice Access if you run Windows 11, version 22H2 or later² and want to drive the PC by voice².
• Use Handy, which is free and open source⁹, or Superwhisper's free plan¹², if dictation is all you need.
• Use Dragon if you depend on custom voice commands and macros⁵, or if you need a PC that connects only to download and activate⁴.
• Use Ceylo if you want dictation, call transcripts and file transcripts on one PC, with transcription running on the device.

Sources

1. 1.Windows voice typing: Voice typing uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services. / To use voice typing, you'll need to be connected to the internet / To use dictation, your PC needs to be connected to the internet. / Use dictation to convert spoken words into text anywhere on your PC with Windows 10. / These languages support voice typing in Windows 11: Microsoft Support, Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC, checked 2026-10-08.
2. 2.Windows Voice Access: Voice access uses modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and works even without the internet. / Voice access is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. / you can open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and author emails using your voice. Microsoft Support, Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice, checked 2026-10-08.
3. 3.Windows Voice Access: To complete the initial set up voice access in Windows, you need an internet connection. / voice access begins downloading the required language files for the selected language to be used by on-device speech recognition Microsoft Support, Set up voice access, checked 2026-10-08.
4. 4.Dragon Professional: locally installed instances of Dragon / An Internet connection for product download and automatic product activation (a quick anonymous process). Nuance, Dragon Professional v16 data sheet (PDF), checked 2026-10-08.
5. 5.Dragon Professional: Dragon Professional v16 is optimized for Windows 11 and backwards-compatible to Windows 10. / Use custom voice commands to insert standard boilerplate text or signatures into documents or create time‑saving macros to automate multi‑step workflows by voice. Nuance, Dragon Professional, checked 2026-10-08.
6. 6.Superwhisper: Cloud models run on any machine. Use them when your hardware is too slow for local models / Superwhisper runs on Windows 10 and 11, on x64 and ARM64 processors. Superwhisper docs, Superwhisper on Windows, checked 2026-10-08.
7. 7.Superwhisper: On-device AI models. Your audio never leaves your machine and you don't need internet. Superwhisper for Windows, checked 2026-10-08.
8. 8.Handy: Your voice stays on your computer. Handy, home page, checked 2026-10-08.
9. 9.Handy: If you're behind a proxy, firewall, or in a restricted network environment where Handy cannot download models automatically, you can manually download and install them. / Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux / A free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline. Handy, GitHub repository (the project's own README), checked 2026-10-08.
10. 10.Wispr Flow: Transcription always occurs on the cloud. Wispr Flow, Data Controls, checked 2026-10-08.
11. 11.Wispr Flow: Dictation on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android Wispr Flow, Pricing, checked 2026-10-08.
12. 12.Superwhisper: Free gives you unlimited dictation with local Whisper models, up to two modes, custom vocabulary, and text replacements. / Nothing you dictate leaves your device. Superwhisper docs, Plans & Pricing, checked 2026-10-08.