Voice Access Commands: The Windows 11 Command List

Voice Access on Windows 11 runs on a few command patterns: open, switch to, click, press, select and correct. Anything on screen that has no readable name is reached with number or grid overlays. Learn the patterns before the phrases, because most of Microsoft's full command list follows them, and check the exact wording there when you need it.

Voice Access is available on Windows 11, version 22H2 or later ¹. It controls the PC and writes text without an internet connection ², but the first-time setup does need one ³. It is a different tool from Windows voice typing, which starts only when the cursor is in a text box ⁴. Voice Access can be started at any time.

Saying "what can I say" opens the full command list on screen

Say "What can I say" or "Show all commands" while Voice Access is listening, and it lists the commands you can use. Practice from that list rather than memorizing a table, because most phrases take a name, a number or a direction at the end. The table below gives the patterns that the rest of this guide builds on.

Voice Access listens in three modes: default, commands only and dictation only

Voice Access has three modes, and each has a spoken switch. Default mode accepts both commands and dictation, and you can return to it by saying "Default mode" or "Switch to default mode". Commands mode limits Voice Access to commands, switched on with "Commands mode" or "Switch to command mode". Dictation mode is for writing, switched on with "Dictation mode" or "Switch to dictation mode". The phrases come from Microsoft's command list.

Commands mode suits navigating between apps, and dictation mode suits a long draft where stray words should not trigger commands. Default mode is the one to use when you switch between the two often.

To wake and sleep Voice Access, say "Voice access wake up" or "Unmute" to make it listen ⁵, and "Voice access sleep" or "Mute" to put it to sleep ⁶. Our answer on waking and sleeping Voice Access lists the same phrases with the steps to use them.

The Voice Access bar shows what you are saying as you say it, according to Microsoft's FAQ. Asked whether the bar can be dragged, Microsoft's FAQ says it is fixed at the top of the main screen ⁷.

Open, switch to and close commands control apps and windows

App and window commands use the same few verbs, so once you know "Open" you can guess "Minimize" and "Maximize". Say the app's name as the screen shows it.

The app and window phrases come from the same command list. "Go to desktop" and "Minimize all windows" are the two to try first when a screen is crowded.

Click, double-click and right-click work on anything with a visible name

Say "Click" and the name of the item, and Voice Access finds the matching control on screen. You do not need the full name: Microsoft's item guide says partial matches work, so one or more distinctive words are often enough. If more than one item matches, Voice Access numbers each match and asks you to pick one, so the number is the way out of any ambiguity.

Names with numbers and symbols are spoken as words. The same guide gives the example of a file called "Presentation7", which you open by saying "Click Presentation seven".

Clicking by name works best when the screen has few look-alike labels. When it does not, use the number overlays below.

Number and grid overlays reach everything else on the screen

When an item has no name Voice Access can use, turn on the number overlay. Saying "Show numbers" puts a numbered label on the items on your screen ⁸. You then say "Click" and the number. AbilityNet, a UK charity that helps disabled people use technology, describes both overlays in its walkthrough of Voice Access: "show numbers" to pick an item by its number, and "show grid" to narrow the selection through smaller grids.

The grid is for places with no numbered label. Say "Show grid", then the number of the tile you want, from one to nine. The pointer moves to the center of that tile ⁹. The grid is then drawn again inside that tile, so a few numbers reach a small area. Microsoft's command list lists "Mouse grid" as a way to drill down several levels in one phrase.

Overlays have one practical limit. They work best on the primary monitor, and using them on a secondary monitor produces an error message ¹⁰. Number overlays also clear themselves after you select a numbered item, after a successful command, or after you use the mouse or keyboard (Microsoft's item guide).

Press, scroll and drag commands stand in for the keyboard and mouse

Some controls have no name and no number, and the keyboard reaches them. Say "Press" and the key name: "Press Tab five times" moves focus to the item five Tab presses away, according to Microsoft's dictation guide. The keys "Tab", "Backspace", "Delete" and "Enter" also work without the word "press", and they fix mistakes and start new lines while you dictate.

Dragging uses the grid. Say "Show grid", then "Mark" with the tile that holds the item, and "Drag" with the tile where it should go. Microsoft's mouse guide gives dragging an attachment into an email as its example.

Select, correct and spell commands fix the text you dictated

Dictated text can be edited by voice, and the word "that" points at the last thing you dictated. "Select that" selects it, "Delete that" removes it, and "Correct that" works on it too. Microsoft's correction guide describes the correction path.

"Correct that" opens a window with alternative words, each labeled with a number. You say the number, or click the suggestion, and the original text is replaced ¹¹. Microsoft recommends correcting one word at a time ¹². Its correction guide warns that correcting several words at once "might not yield good alternate text suggestions." The same guide says Voice Access "might make mistakes" in recognizing dictated text ¹³, and it gives "cited" and "sighted" as examples of words that sound alike. Plan to correct, not to trust the first pass.

When no suggestion is right, "Spell that" opens a spelling window. Microsoft's dictation guide says letters come out in lowercase unless you add "cap" before them, and it lists the NATO phonetic alphabet as a way to improve letter recognition. Words you spell are added to the Windows dictionary, so they are suggested next time.

Dictation also has a few switches. Say "Type" or "Dictate" before a command to type the command as text, not run it. Saying "Type what can I say" inserts those words into the text box ¹⁴. Automatic punctuation is off by default ¹⁵, so turn it on from the Voice Access bar if you want it. Spoken punctuation such as "comma" and "question mark" works without it, as in the example "Hello comma how are you question mark" in Microsoft's guide. For complex or hard to pronounce words, Microsoft lists the Add to vocabulary command as a way to improve recognition ¹⁶. The custom vocabulary entry explains why that helps.

On Copilot+ PCs, fluid dictation goes further. It corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak ¹⁷. Microsoft describes it as a Copilot+ PC feature ¹⁸, and it is enabled by default ¹⁹. Our guide to fluid dictation and Copilot+ PCs covers the hardware question in more depth.

Custom commands turn one phrase into a sequence of actions

A voice shortcut is a custom command that runs several steps from one phrase. Each shortcut can hold up to eight actions ²⁰. Voice shortcuts are currently available in six English locales: US, UK, India, New Zealand, Canada and Australia ²¹.

Microsoft's shortcuts guide builds one by voice. Say "Open voice shortcuts", then "Click create new shortcut", then "Click when I say" and the name you want to speak. Next, "Click perform actions" opens the action list, and "Click add next action" adds more steps. "Click save" stores the shortcut. Keep the trigger name distinct from words you say in normal speech, since a shortcut phrase runs when you say it. Our answer on creating custom commands in Voice Access walks through a single example.

Microsoft's pages disagree on languages, so check the list on your own PC

Microsoft's own Voice Access pages do not give one language list. The setup page lists 15 languages and dialects ²², and it counts regional variants separately: English-US and English-UK are two items. The command list names six languages, with English counted once ²³. The FAQ names four ²⁴.

The English locales disagree too. Microsoft's deprecation page says voice access "supports five English locales" and then lists six ²⁵. The shortcuts page lists the same six ²¹, so six is the list to use for English. For any other language, open Voice Access on your own PC and check the language list there, because Microsoft lets you switch languages from within the feature at any time.

Two more facts help you read the history. Windows Speech Recognition, the older feature, was deprecated in December 2023 and replaced by Voice Access ²⁶. If you still have that feature, our guide to Windows Speech Recognition explains the difference. Voice Access can also sign you in from Windows 11, version 23H2 ²⁷, which is a separate use from controlling apps after sign-in.

If commands are missed often, check the microphone before you change the phrases. AbilityNet's advice, for commands that are not recognized, is that "switching to a USB microphone or headset can help" ²⁸. Our guide to Windows dictation that is not working covers the other common causes.

Where to go next

Voice Access is built into Windows 11, and our overview of dictation on Windows compares it with the other options. For a fuller comparison of what Windows includes, read Voice Access in Windows 11, how to dictate with Win+H, and the Windows voice typing commands. If you control a Mac by voice, the Mac Voice Control command list covers the same ideas with Apple's phrases, and dictation commands cover editing by voice in general. If you want a separate dictation app, Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows; see the Windows page for details. Voice Access remains the built-in choice for controlling the PC by voice.