When typing is the problem
Typing is repetitive by design: a great many small movements, hour after hour. If you live with RSI, carpal tunnel, arthritis in your hands or an achy wrist, you may be looking for ways to type less without getting less done.
Dictation is one of those ways. Instead of pressing keys, you speak, and the words are typed for you. Some people with RSI, carpal tunnel or arthritis find that speaking is easier than typing, or that a mix of the two is easier to live with than typing alone. That is as far as we will go. Talkativ is not a medical product, it does not treat or prevent anything, and it is no substitute for advice from your doctor or physiotherapist.
Dictation for RSI, carpal tunnel and arthritis, step by step
Click into a text box in any app and press Ctrl + Space on Windows, ⌥ Option + Space on a Mac. Say what you want to write, then press it again. Your words appear at the cursor, with punctuation and capital letters added.
It is press to start and press to stop, not hold to talk, so you are not keeping a key down. If you would rather not use the keyboard at all for this, click the mic dot at the bottom of the screen. Red means it is listening, blue means it is working on your words, and green means they have landed.
RSI computer work beyond plain typing
Dictation does not replace the keyboard. It replaces some of what you type. These are the jobs where it tends to fit:
- Long emails and chat replies
- First drafts of documents and reports
- Notes after meetings
- Messages in Slack, Teams and other chat apps
- Long prompts into AI assistants
You still use the keyboard and mouse for editing, shortcuts and anything that is not running text. Talkativ does not control your computer or press buttons for you.
Keep it light on the keys
A few features save keystrokes:
- Punctuation and capital letters are added for you, so you do not go back to fix them.
- “Um” and “uh” are dropped, which means less tidying afterwards.
- Vocabulary helps Talkativ get your names, clients and technical words right, so you correct fewer of them by hand. It is on every plan.
- Advanced formatting, once switched on in Settings, writes lists, amounts such as $50, email addresses and times in the form you would have typed. It is off by default.
Honest limits
Dictation can introduce its own habits. Talking for long stretches can tire your voice, and a quiet shared office is not always the right place for it. Other limits are practical:
- It needs an internet connection and does not work offline.
- It can mishear names and unusual words, so you will still read and correct.
- You do not see the words as you speak. They arrive a moment after you stop.
- It does not work well in a noisy room.
- You cannot change the shortcut, though you can click the mic dot instead.
Try it before you decide
The Free plan gives you 2,200 words a week, reset every 7 days, with Vocabulary and Advanced formatting included. That is enough to see whether dictation fits how you work. Pro is unlimited for $7 a month or $56 a year, and you can upgrade or cancel inside the app. Talkativ on Windows and Talkativ on Mac both have more detail.
Related reading
If spelling and typing both slow you down, see apps for dyslexia. If you want to know why we built Talkativ, read the stroke recovery page. If you type code for a living, see voice typing for developers.
Download Talkativ and start with one email.