Windows and hardware
VTA Dictate is for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. A working microphone is required for live dictation. Recording, long-file transcription, and larger speech models benefit from more available memory and faster CPU or graphics hardware.
Built-in laptop microphones can be convenient, while a headset or dedicated desktop microphone often reduces room echo and background noise. Windows privacy settings must allow microphone access for live speech capture.
Text insertion and fallbacks
Most standard editable Windows fields can receive dictated text directly. This includes common document editors, email composers, browser inputs, chat applications, and AI prompt boxes.
Some administrator windows, remote sessions, terminals, games, secure fields, and custom interface controls can restrict programmatic input. Clipboard paste provides a fallback for many ordinary cases. Passwords and other secrets are better entered without voice.
Audio and subtitle formats
File transcription accepts WAV, MP3, and M4A audio. Results depend on the codec inside the file, recording quality, language, speaker overlap, and available computer resources. Keep the original media until the transcript has been checked.
Timed transcripts can be exported as SRT or VTT subtitles. Test the exported file in the final player or editor, because platforms can differ in their handling of line length, styling, positioning, and character encoding.