Install on Windows

For 64-bit Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11. No admin rights needed.

The quick way

Open PowerShell (Start → type “PowerShell”) and paste:

It installs Kudu for your user in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Kudu, adds it to the Start menu, unblocks it so SmartScreen doesn't stop it, and starts it.

With the installer

1. Download the installer

   Get Kudu-Windows-x64-Setup.exe and run it.

2. Get past SmartScreen

   Kudu isn't signed with a paid code-signing certificate yet, so Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”. Click More info, then Run anyway.

3. Finish setup

   Kudu opens its window: choose the Accurate or Compact speech model and click Download. Then hold Ctrl + Win anywhere and speak.

Portable zip

Prefer no installer? Download Kudu-Windows-x64.zip, extract it anywhere, and in PowerShell in that folder run:

Then start kudu.exe.

Smart formatting and Command mode

Optional. In Settings → Smart formatting, download Small (491 MB, fast on any PC) or Better (1.1 GB, better rewrites, best with a recent CPU and 16 GB of memory). It runs on your PC, offline.

Good to know

• Kudu lives in the notification area (system tray). Close the window and it keeps running; quit from the tray icon.
• Ctrl + Win to dictate doesn't open the Start menu.
• Dictated text is pasted through the clipboard and kept out of clipboard history (Win + V); your clipboard is restored afterwards.
• Apps running as administrator can't receive keys from a normal app. Kudu leaves the text on the clipboard there; press Ctrl + V.
• Turn on Launch at login in Settings to start Kudu with Windows.

Uninstalling

Installer: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Kudu → Uninstall. Script or zip: quit Kudu from the tray, then delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Kudu. To remove your data and models too, delete %APPDATA%\Kudu and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Kudu.

Having trouble? See Troubleshooting.