Handy Tool is a local-first dictation tool for Windows. Press a key, speak, and the text is delivered into whatever field you were working in.
Transcription runs on your machine using local Whisper, Parakeet, Moonshine or SenseVoice models, with GPU acceleration through Vulkan. No account is required and no audio or transcript leaves the machine unless you configure a remote provider.
It also includes push-to-talk, a transcribe-and-submit mode, a keyboard typer for contexts where pasting is blocked, and a window-anchoring system for delivering dictation into a specific window across multiple screens or remote desktop sessions.
Handy Tool is a fork of Handy by CJ Pais, developed independently.
What's new in 2.2.3
Changes since 2.0.3, highlights: - History: the player seeks anywhere in long recordings and shows the take's length up front; a recording can be transcribed again from History. - Recording: steadier microphone start, failed takes are always kept, short takes are transcribed while you speak, the last words before stop are kept more reliably. - Works behind a proxy that asks for a Windows sign-in (Negotiate / NTLM), with a Proxy page. - Shortcut Keeper keeps Handy shortcuts working inside Remote Desktop sessions. - Starts on PCs without a Vulkan driver (Whisper falls back to the CPU). - FLM (NPU) for files and watched folders, with progress. - No more "Thank you." pasted from silence.
Fixed: winget uninstall reported success but left the app installed. The uninstall entry had no quiet form, so the uninstaller started without /S, opened its window and waited. The installer now also registers the quiet uninstall command, so a silent uninstall removes the app whether it is running or not.
2.0.2Sep 30, 2026
Fixed: an update installed in the background could fail without a word while a speech model was loaded, leaving the app on the old version. The installer now waits, up to a minute, until the running app no longer holds its program file before it replaces it, and writes the outcome to installer.log in the log folder.
Changed: About is a page in the sidebar, with the update controls at the top; History is the first page; the version number is shown at the bottom-left of the sidebar again.
Frequently asked questions
Is Handy Tool free?
Yes. Handy Tool is free and open-source software released under the MIT license.
What is the latest version of Handy Tool?
The latest version is 2.2.3, released on Oct 15, 2026.
Is it safe to download Handy Tool?
The download button links to the official installer published on github.com, the same file Windows Package Manager installs. You can verify the downloaded file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with 012a0c690fc4ffb72d155cde7c620c3363abe6310bcb1defbfd47d39c821b3d0.
Which Windows versions does Handy Tool support?
Handy Tool runs on Windows and is available for 64-bit (x64) systems.
How do I install Handy Tool silently?
Run the offline installer with "Handy.Tool_2.2.3_x64-setup.exe" /S, or install it with Windows Package Manager: winget install --id=patrick-1984.HandyTool -e --silent.
How do I uninstall Handy Tool?
Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Handy Tool and select Uninstall. From the command line, run winget uninstall --id=patrick-1984.HandyTool -e.
Alternatives to Handy Tool
Other Audio programs for Windows from different developers.
