Glossary
Windows Speech Recognition (WSR)
Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) is the older speech feature built into Windows for voice control and dictation. Microsoft says it is deprecated and no longer being developed, and that Voice Access replaces it.
Updated October 16, 20262 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called WSR.
Windows Speech Recognition, usually shortened to WSR, is the older speech feature built into Windows for voice control and dictation. Microsoft's list of deprecated features says it "is deprecated and is no longer being developed. This feature is being replaced with voice access" 1. A deprecated feature is one the vendor no longer develops, so Microsoft will not add new abilities to WSR.
What replaced it
The replacement is Voice Access, covered in its own entry: Voice Access (Windows). If you are starting now, learn Voice Access. If an older article tells you to open WSR, recognize that the article may describe a feature Microsoft no longer develops.
The two features can coexist on one PC, and Microsoft designed Voice Access so the two do not interfere. Voice Access uses its own wake words, so that it does not wake or sleep Dragon or Windows Speech Recognition at the same time 2. A wake word is the spoken phrase that switches a voice feature on or off, so two features with different wake words will not switch each other.
Example: an older guide written for WSR
A guide written for WSR may describe its settings screen or its commands. Those steps can fail on a current Windows 11 PC, because the feature they describe has been replaced. Before you follow the steps, check the screen you actually see. If it is Voice Access, look up the Voice Access command list rather than trusting the older guide's wording.
Why it matters for dictation
WSR is the name you will see in older articles, forum posts and third-party tools. When you read one, ask two questions: which Windows version the steps describe, and whether the feature named is WSR or the newer Voice Access. For control and writing, the current choice is Voice Access. For quick dictation into a text box, the current choice is voice typing, which you start with Win+H.
Because WSR is no longer developed, do not build a new workflow around it. If you depended on it for a task, move that task to Voice Access and test the commands on your own PC before you rely on them.
Related terms
- Voice Access (Windows): the feature that replaces WSR.
- Windows key + H (Win+H): the shortcut for voice typing, a separate feature from WSR.
- Voice typing launcher: the voice typing setting for starting dictation in a text box.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation on Windows: Voice Typing, Voice Access, AppsTopic
- Windows Dictation Not Working? Fixes for Win+HGuide
- How to Turn Off Voice Access in Windows 11Guide
- Windows Speech Recognition: Deprecation and ReplacementGuide
- Windows Dictation Languages: Voice Typing and Voice AccessGuide
- Can you give voice commands to a Windows PC?Question
- Can you uninstall Voice Access from Windows 11?Question
- Does Windows Voice Access work offline?Question
- How do you set up speech recognition on Windows 10?Question
- Is Voice Access better than Windows Speech Recognition?Question
- Is Windows Speech Recognition still available in Windows 11?Question
- Which languages does Windows 10 dictation support?Question
- Why is speech recognition not working on Windows?Question
- Number and grid overlays (Voice Access)Glossary
- Voice Access (Windows)Glossary
- Windows key + H (Win+H)Glossary
- Windows Speech API (SAPI)Glossary