How to draft business messages by voice for business owners in 2026

Q: Does QuickDictate run on Mac or Linux?

It runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. It is delivered as an .exe file on GitHub, with a built-in updater that works silently. There is no Mac or Linux version.

A plain guide for business owners to draft business messages by voice, with steps, the tools to try and the mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-14

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Pick a quiet moment, hold the dictation key, say your message out loud, and let the words appear in the window you are working in. You can send them straight away or edit them first.

Option	How it turns your voice into text	Cost
Note app with voice input	You talk into a note and paste the text into the message window later	Depends on what you already own
Windows built-in voice typing	Types into the focused window on Windows 10 and 11	Check its own documentation
QuickDictate	Types what you say into whichever window has focus ^[1]	Free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account; cloud providers bill you separately ^[1]
Mobile voice-to-text keyboard	Turns speech into text in any app on the phone	Check the phone's own details

What you need before you start

Drafting business messages by voice takes only a few things.

A window to type into. Whatever you are writing in, such as an email client, a chat box or a web form, has to be open and focused on screen. The words go wherever your cursor is.
A working microphone. A built-in laptop mic is enough for short messages. A headset cuts background noise if the room is not quiet.
A quiet moment. Voice drafting picks up what the room hears. A closed door or a low-traffic time of day helps the words come out clean.
A plan for what you want to say. A sentence or two in your head before you start keeps the message tight. You can fix it later, but it helps to have a direction.
A way to turn the sound into text. You can use a program that types what you say, or you can dictate into a note and paste it later. What matters is that the text lands where you need it.

Set aside a short block before you begin. Dictating while you are also reading something else tends to slow both down.

Step by step

These steps work with any tool, including a note app and a keyboard.

Open the window where the message will go. Make sure the cursor is in the text box or body field you want to fill. The text lands where the cursor is, so place it first.
Say the first line to see how it reads. A short opening line tells you whether the words are coming out the way you want. If they are not, stop and adjust the mic or the room before going further.
Dictate the body of the message. Speak in the tone you want the reader to hear. You do not have to get every word right at this stage, because you will review it.
Pause when you lose your train of thought. A short pause is better than filling the message with filler words. Resume when the next point is ready.
Say the close and sign-off. A closing line and your name finish the draft. You can change it in the edit step.
Read the text back once. Look for words that sound different from what you meant. A quick read catches the common ones, such as names and terms the tool may not know.
Fix spelling and punctuation. Correct anything that did not come out right. Most tools give you plain text, so you add commas and line breaks by hand or by voice if the tool supports it.
Cut the filler. Voice drafts often include "so" and "you know" at the start of lines. Remove them to keep the message short.
Send or save. If the text is in the right window, send it. If it is in a note, copy it into the message window and then send.
Note any words the tool got wrong. If a name or term keeps failing, add it to the tool's word list if it has one, so the next draft is cleaner.

Tools that can do it

You do not need special software for this. Here are options to consider.

A note app with voice input. You talk into a note on your phone or computer and paste the text into the message window later. Nothing is published here about price or limits because it depends on what you already own.

Windows built-in voice typing. Windows 10 and 11 have a voice typing feature that types into the focused window. Check its own documentation for which languages it supports and whether it needs an internet connection.

QuickDictate. QuickDictate is made by the team that publishes this site. QuickDictate is one option. It is a Windows program that types what you say into whichever window you are using. ^[1] You hold a key while you talk, or press it once to start and once to stop, and you can change both keys. ^[1] What you say is typed into whichever window has focus, such as an editor, chat box, terminal or web form. ^[1]

You can use ElevenLabs, Deepgram, OpenAI, AssemblyAI, DashScope or Google, and that provider bills you directly. ^[1] Choose Local in Settings and install a speech model such as Whisper Large v3 Turbo, and dictation then needs no internet connection or API key. ^[1] It runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. ^[1] It is delivered as an .exe file on GitHub, with a built-in updater that works silently. ^[1] QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account, and cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[1] From v0.9.0 on, it is source-available under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, free for personal and other noncommercial use, and commercial use needs a separate licence. ^[1]

A mobile voice-to-text keyboard. Some phones have a microphone key on the keyboard that turns speech into text in any app. Check whether it needs an internet connection and whether it works in the apps you use for business messages.

Common mistakes to avoid

Dictating in a noisy room. Background voices and sounds get picked up and can turn into wrong words. A quiet room helps reduce background voices and sounds that can be picked up.

Sending without reading the draft. Voice tools can mishear words, especially names and technical terms. A quick read through before you send catches the common ones.

Speaking in long run-on lines. Short sentences with pauses between them are easier to fix later. A long stream of words is harder to edit and harder for the tool to punctuate.

Forgetting to put the cursor in the right place. The text goes where the cursor is. If the wrong window is focused, the message lands in the wrong spot.

Using a tool that does not know your terms. Names, acronyms and industry words often come out wrong. If the tool has a custom word list, add them so the next draft is cleaner.

Never reviewing the setup. If the words keep coming out wrong, check the mic, the room and the tool's language setting before the next draft.

Frequently asked questions

Is QuickDictate free for business use?

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[1] Commercial use needs a separate licence. ^[1] If you use a cloud provider such as OpenAI or Deepgram, that provider bills you directly for its service. ^[1]

Does QuickDictate need an internet connection?

If you use a cloud provider, that provider bills you directly for its service. ^[1] Choose Local in Settings and install a speech model such as Whisper Large v3 Turbo, and dictation then needs no internet connection or API key. ^[1]

What windows does QuickDictate type into?

What you say is typed into whichever window has focus, such as an editor, chat box, terminal or web form. ^[1] You hold a key while you talk, or press it once to start and once to stop, and you can change both keys. ^[1]

Can QuickDictate fix words it keeps getting wrong?

You can list words and phrases that are sent to the provider to help it recognise them, and a replacement table fixes spellings such as ChatGPT. ^[1] Profiles can change the provider, language, vocabulary and formatting depending on which app is in focus. ^[1]

Does QuickDictate run on Mac or Linux?

It runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. ^[1] It is delivered as an .exe file on GitHub, with a built-in updater that works silently. ^[1] There is no Mac or Linux version. ^[1]

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[1]

Try QuickDictate

Sources

QuickDictate's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)