Glossary
Number and grid overlays (Voice Access)
Number and grid overlays are Voice Access views for clicking things you cannot name. Show numbers puts a number on each clickable item so you can say it, and Show grid divides the screen into numbered tiles that narrow the mouse pointer step by step.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called show numbers, show grid, mousegrid.
Number and grid overlays are two Windows Voice Access views for clicking things you cannot name. A number overlay puts a numbered label on each item, and a grid overlay covers the screen with numbered tiles. Either way you click by saying a number 1.
Number overlays label what has no name
Buttons, icons and links without a readable name are hard to reach by voice. Say "Show numbers" and Voice Access puts a number on each item it can click, then say that number to click it. The command list also has "Show numbers here" for the app you are working in, and "Hide numbers" to remove the labels ( Microsoft's Voice Access command list).
The grid overlay reaches the parts with no label
When numbers do not help, say "Show grid". The screen is divided into nine numbered tiles, and saying a number moves the mouse pointer to the center of that tile 2. The grid is then drawn again inside the tile you picked, so a few numbers narrow the pointer to a small area.
Example: a web form has an unlabeled calendar icon beside the date field. Say "Show numbers", and if the icon gets a number, say it. If it does not, say "Show grid", then a tile number, then another tile number, until the pointer sits over the icon. Then use a click command to click it.
Overlays work best on the primary monitor
Number overlays work best on the primary monitor. If you try them on a secondary monitor, you see an error message 3. Move the window onto the primary display before you say "Show numbers".
Dragon's MouseGrid works on the same idea
The aka "mousegrid" comes from Nuance's Dragon, which uses a similar grid. Dragon's MouseGrid divides the screen or the active window into nine numbered areas 4. The two products use different command words, so a guide written for one will not match the other.
Why it matters for dictation
Overlays are for clicking, not for writing. They matter for dictation because a text box does you no good if you cannot reach it. When a control has no name, an overlay gets the focus into the right field, and then dictation or typing can take over. Microsoft's command list has the exact phrases for each overlay, and the guides below explain the listening modes that decide when Voice Access responds.
Related terms and guides
Related terms: Voice Access (Windows), Windows Speech Recognition (WSR), Windows key + H (Win+H) and Windows Speech API (SAPI).
To learn the phrases, read Voice Access commands: the Windows 11 command list. For setup and how the feature works, read Voice Access in Windows 11: setup and how it works. Both sit in our overview of dictation on Windows.
Evidence
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Related terms
- Dictation on Windows: Voice Typing, Voice Access, AppsThe topic this term belongs to
- Azure AI SpeechAzure AI Speech is Microsoft's cloud speech service. Microsoft now calls it Azure Speech in Foundry Tools, and its speech to text powers the online recognition behind Windows voice typing, which needs an internet connection.
- Copilot+ PCA Copilot+ PC is a class of Windows 11 hardware with a neural processing unit (NPU) that Microsoft says can run at 40 or more trillion operations per second. Some newer Windows AI features, including fluid dictation, require this hardware.
- Fluid dictationFluid dictation is a Windows feature on Copilot+ PCs that corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak. Microsoft says it is powered by small language models that run on the device, and that you can undo a correction by saying Revert or Undo that.
- Neural processing unit (NPU)A neural processing unit (NPU) is a specialized chip for AI-intensive processes, such as real-time translation and image generation. Microsoft says many new Windows AI features require an NPU that can run at 40 or more trillion operations per second, and a speech model can run faster on one.
- Online speech recognitionOnline speech recognition sends your voice to a cloud service that turns it into text, instead of processing it on your PC. Microsoft says voice typing on Windows uses online speech recognition, which Microsoft describes as giving more accurate recognition.
- Phi SilicaPhi Silica is Microsoft's on-device language model, which runs on the neural processing unit of Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft says it is being replaced by Aion Instruct, and its voice typing help names it as the download to watch while fluid dictation gets ready.
- Speech pack (Windows)A speech pack is the set of on-device language files that Windows needs before it can recognize speech in a language offline. Microsoft says you must download a speech pack for a language in Voice access before you can use it, and the first download needs an internet connection.
- Voice Access (Windows)Voice Access is the Windows 11 feature that lets you control the whole PC and write text by voice, not only dictate. Microsoft says it works without an internet connection after setup, and it replaces Windows Speech Recognition.
- Voice typing launcherThe voice typing launcher is the Windows voice typing setting that lets you start dictation quickly when the cursor is in a text box. Microsoft lists it among the settings you open from the gear icon in the voice typing flyout.
- Windows key + H (Win+H)Windows key + H, written Win+H, is the keyboard shortcut that starts voice typing in Windows, so you can dictate into the text box where your cursor is. Microsoft says it does not start voice typing while Voice Access is running.
- Windows on ArmWindows on Arm is Windows running on processors that use the Arm instruction set instead of x86 or x64 chips. It runs native Arm apps and many unmodified x86 and x64 apps, and Microsoft says Arm-native apps give the best performance and battery life.
- Windows Speech API (SAPI)The Windows Speech API (SAPI) is Microsoft's interface that lets Windows apps use speech recognition and text-to-speech without building the speech engine themselves. Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition is a separate API for command and control in Windows Runtime apps.