VoicePrivate
Buy Now
Last updated 21 October 2026.
The short answer
On a Windows PC you have three realistic routes: a cloud medical dictation service such as Dragon Medical One, the general voice typing built into Windows, or software that recognizes medical speech on the PC itself. If you want medical vocabulary without sending audio to a server, VoicePrivate Healthcare Edition runs on Windows 10 and 11 with 74,000+ medical terms for $34.99 a month or $297 a year.
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Why Windows is where most clinical dictation happens
Exam room workstations, nursing stations, front desks and most practice laptops run Windows, and most EHRs are either Windows desktop applications, Citrix published apps, or browser applications opened on a Windows PC. So the useful question for most clinicians is not which dictation app is best in general but which one behaves well on the Windows machine already in the room, under the IT rules already in place.
The options compared
| Option | Medical vocabulary | Where speech is processed | Works in | Cost model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Medical One | Yes, large clinical vocabulary | Nuance cloud service | EHRs and most Windows apps, with deep integrations for some EHRs | Per user subscription through Nuance or resellers |
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | No | Microsoft's cloud (Azure Speech services); needs internet | Any text field | Included with Windows |
| EHR built-in dictation | Varies by vendor | Usually the vendor's cloud | That EHR only | Usually an add-on to the EHR contract |
| VoicePrivate Healthcare Edition | 74,000+ medical terms, plus your own | On the PC | Any field that has the cursor | $34.99/mo or $297/yr |
Dragon Medical One is the product most Windows clinics already know, and its EHR integrations are deeper than anything a general tool offers. If those integrations matter more to you than where audio goes, it remains a strong choice. The detailed comparison is in Dragon Medical One vs VoicePrivate.
What to check on your Windows PC before you choose
- Windows version. VoicePrivate supports Windows 10 and 11. Check under Settings, System, About.
- Install rights. Many clinics lock software installs. Ask IT whether you can install a desktop app or whether it must be pushed to the machine for you.
- Network rules. Cloud dictation needs a reliable outbound connection to the vendor during every dictation. On-device dictation needs the network only for licensing, downloads and updates, not for recognizing speech.
- How the EHR is delivered. A local desktop app or browser EHR takes pasted text directly. A Citrix or remote desktop EHR needs clipboard redirection turned on, because VoicePrivate inserts text through the clipboard.
- The microphone. A wired USB headset or handheld dictation microphone gives the most consistent results. See medical dictation devices.
How dictating a note works with VoicePrivate on Windows
Click into the note field, press the VoicePrivate hotkey and speak. Press the hotkey again to stop. VoicePrivate recognizes the speech on the PC and pastes the text at the cursor. The same flow works in Epic, other desktop EHRs, browser charting systems, Word and email. Medical terms, drug names and abbreviations come from the Healthcare Edition vocabulary, and you can add your own terms and import word lists exported from Dragon in text or XML. Recorded audio files in MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG and AAC can also be transcribed on the PC.
VoicePrivate on Windows can use the graphics card to speed up recognition where the hardware supports it and falls back to the processor otherwise, so it runs on ordinary clinic workstations as well as newer laptops.
Privacy on a shared clinic workstation
Because recognition happens on the PC, the audio of a dictated note is not uploaded to a dictation server. That is an architecture fact, not a compliance certification: your practice still decides who can use the workstation, how the PC is secured and what is stored in the EHR. One practical point on shared machines: VoicePrivate briefly uses the Windows clipboard to paste text. It marks that text so Windows clipboard history (Win+V) and cloud clipboard sync skip it, but a third-party clipboard manager that ignores those markers could still capture it, so check what is installed on shared workstations.
For how dictation fits into charting systems in general, see EHR dictation.
Worked example: a 250-word progress note on a Windows 11 workstation
- Check under Settings, System, About that the PC runs Windows 10 or 11, and set the headset under Input device for dictation in VoicePrivate.
- Open the patient's progress note in the EHR and click into the assessment field.
- Press the hotkey and dictate the 250-word assessment and plan. At around 150 words a minute that is about 100 seconds of speaking. Press the hotkey again and the text is pasted.
- Review drug names and doses once before signing.
- Typed at 40 words a minute, the same 250 words take about 6 minutes, so each note of this length saves roughly 4 minutes, using the speaking and typing rates VoicePrivate uses for its own time-saved estimate.
Medical dictation on Windows: frequently asked questions
What is the best medical dictation software for a Windows PC?
It depends on where you want the audio processed and what you will pay. Dragon Medical One is the established cloud option and is sold per user per year through Nuance and its resellers. Windows voice typing is built in but has no medical vocabulary. VoicePrivate Healthcare Edition runs on the PC itself with 74,000+ medical terms and types into whatever field has the cursor, including browser and desktop EHRs.
Does Windows have built-in medical dictation?
No. Windows voice typing (Win+H) and Voice access are general dictation tools. They have no medical vocabulary, so drug names, anatomy and abbreviations are often misrecognized. Voice typing also sends audio to Microsoft's Azure Speech services; voice access on Windows 11 runs on the device but is built for controlling the PC and general dictation, not clinical vocabulary.
Which versions of Windows does VoicePrivate support?
Windows 10 and Windows 11. The same licence type also covers the Mac app, and VoicePrivate recognizes speech on the computer itself rather than on a server.
Can I use a dictation microphone like a SpeechMike or PowerMic on Windows?
Yes, as a USB microphone. Pick it under Input device for dictation in VoicePrivate's Settings. The microphone's programmable buttons are not read by VoicePrivate; you start and stop dictation with the VoicePrivate hotkey.
Does medical dictation on Windows work inside Epic or a browser EHR?
VoicePrivate pastes text at the cursor in the active window, so it works in desktop and browser EHR fields. In Citrix or remote desktop sessions, clipboard redirection must be enabled, because the text is pasted through the clipboard.
Bottom line
On Windows, choose a cloud service if you need deep EHR integration and accept sending audio to a vendor; choose on-device dictation if you want medical vocabulary in any field without a dictation server. VoicePrivate Healthcare Edition is $34.99 a month or $297 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on individual plans.