Windsurf Voice Dictation

Brief Cascade out loud and let it build.

Hold a key. Speak your thoughts. Keep your flow.

Write where you work

Aqua is a system-wide dictation layer for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. On a Mac or Windows PC, hold a key anywhere in Windsurf and speak, and your words land in whatever has focus: the Cascade prompt, an inline comment, a commit message, or the integrated terminal.

Windsurf

Describe the desired behavior

Make the project filter persist when I open an item and return to the list. Use the existing URL state pattern, and preserve the current sort order.

Illustrative dictation. Review the text before you use it.

How to dictate in Windsurf with Aqua

Start in the Cascade prompt field. Aqua puts your words into the field you have focused.

Download Aqua for Mac or Windows and grant microphone access, plus Accessibility access on macOS.
Pick your hold-to-talk key in Aqua's settings.
Open Windsurf and click into the Cascade prompt, the editor, or the terminal.
Hold your key, brief Cascade in full, and release.
Add your repo, framework, and package names to your custom dictionary.

Tips for dictating in Windsurf

Brief Cascade the way you would brief a person: the goal, the constraints, the files in scope, what not to touch.
Longer prompts are where agentic modes earn their keep, and speaking is what makes longer prompts cheap.
The same key works for the commit message and the PR description afterwards, which is where most of the writing actually is.
Put internal package names in the custom dictionary. No general speech model has heard of them.

Does Windsurf have built-in voice dictation?

No. Windsurf is built around Cascade, its agentic mode, and Cascade takes typed prompts. There is no dictation composer in the editor, no microphone in the Cascade panel, and no voice setting to turn on. The usual workarounds are macOS Dictation, Windows voice typing, or a dedicated tool. Aqua is the dedicated tool done properly: one key, every field in Windsurf, every other app on the machine, plus a custom dictionary so your package names survive first contact.

Read the Full Guide to Voice Dictation in Windsurf

Built for the way you work

97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, a SOC 2 Type II audit report, and 49 languages, on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. Start free with 1,000 lifetime words. Pro is $10 a month billed annually.

Explore the Product Guides

Aqua refining dictated text in real time

Your words, perfected by AI

Aqua’s model trained on real workflows to understand natural speech, correct grammar, and preserve every word while refining your text in real time.

Custom dictionary

Teach Aqua the words you use most, like names, brands, or technical terms, and watch accuracy improve instantly.

Writing style, your way

Set your tone and rules. From lowercase Slack messages to structured docs, Aqua adapts to your preferences automatically.

Aqua multilingual speech model globe graphic

Speaks your language

Understands 49 languages with clarity and precision, adapting naturally to how you speak.

Aqua private transcript history interface

Secure transcript history

Access your past transcripts any time. Turn on Privacy Mode and nothing is stored on our servers at all.

Avalon: 97.4%
Whisper Large v3: 65.1%

AISpeak-10 · English technical-term recognition. Method and Results

Our Model in your hands

Avalon scored 97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, our English technical-speech benchmark. Learn How Avalon Works.

What Aqua Voice customers say

Used by people at

@0xferruccio

For coding prompting with voice nothing beats @aquavoice All the other transcription apps don't work well with code like tailwind class names

@chiggyAI

just tried out @aquavoice and by far the most accurate voice to text tool i've used!!

@TheNathanRuff

Been using @aquavoice for a few months. Unbelievably better than the other companies that do this

@jamesfong

3 products that have broken into my forever home. And that's not an easy feat for me: @circlebackai, @aquavoice, and @superset_sh

@tzmartin

tbh @aquavoice is a vibe coder's delight.. lowest latency, highest quality STT I've used so far

@juanbuis

this is why @aquavoice is better than all other AI transcription apps it actually writes like you talk

@heyvyner

Mapping @aquavoice to this button on my mouse is a whole different level of productivity.

@nozmen

Aqua Voice: I barely type long prompts now, just talk. Saved ~5 hrs typing in 2 weeks. Much more accurate than macOS dictation.

@gkossakowski

Aqua is a true power tool: quick, reliable and understands your context - they were early at appreciating the value of context engineering.

@jackson_felty

@aquavoice is a prime example of how much better a product can be when the team focuses on making one simple use case incredible

@ArtemR

Aqua Voice @aquavoice is the voice-based text editor I think all of us have always wanted, but no company has been able to deliver so far. The demo is extremely impressive

@jaymehoffman

@aquavoice has saved me over 2 days of typing

@thebuildguy

@aquavoice is probably one of my most used tool that has saved me quite literally a day of time!

@Memetic_Theory

If you're not using @aquavoice you're moving 15% slower than you could

@rickmanelius

Impressed with @aquavoice accuracy in a noisy airport.

@utkusays

just subscribed to aqua voice and wow you guys are cooking, best dictation app i've tried so far

@turboblitzzz

Started using @aquavoice a few weeks ago and now I barely type anything. My housemates want to kick me out because i keep talking to my computer. Life is good.

@curious_vii

Claude Code agents (new CLI view) + Ghostty + @aquavoice is actual calm computing

Frequently asked questions

Does Windsurf have built-in voice dictation?

No. Cascade takes typed prompts, and there is no dictation composer or microphone in the editor. Voice comes from your operating system or a dedicated tool.

Does Aqua work in the Cascade panel and the editor?

Yes. Aqua types into whatever field has focus, so Cascade, the editor, comments, commit messages, and the integrated terminal all work.

Does it handle framework and package names?

Yes, and anything it does not know by default can go in your custom dictionary.

Does it work on Windows?

Yes. Aqua runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.

How much does it cost?

Free includes 1,000 words. With annual billing, Pro is $10 per month, Max is $19 per month, and Business is $19 per seat per month with a minimum of 2 seats.