Voice Access in Windows 11: Setup and How It Works

Voice Access is the voice control feature built into Windows 11. It dictates text and controls apps and windows by voice, and its on-device speech recognition runs on your PC, so it keeps working without an internet connection once setup is done ¹. To turn it on, open Settings, go to Accessibility and then Speech, and switch on Voice access. The one required download is a speech pack for your language, and it needs internet once. Microsoft lists Voice Access for Windows 11 version 22H2 and later ².

Voice Access is Windows 11's full voice control, built in since version 22H2

Voice Access lets you control your PC and write text using only your voice. Microsoft's guide says you can open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and write email this way. You do not install a separate program to get it. Setup downloads the language files for the language you choose ³.

Voice Access also replaces an older feature. Microsoft says it replaced Windows Speech Recognition in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later in September 2024, and that Speech Recognition stays available in older versions of Windows ⁴. If you still use the older feature, read the guide to Windows Speech Recognition.

If you are on Windows 10, the answer is in whether Voice Access is available there. Microsoft's FAQ lists Voice Access for Windows 11 and not for Windows 10 ⁵.

Turning it on takes one toggle in Accessibility settings and a one-time speech pack download

Follow these steps on Windows 11 version 22H2 or later ². They match the flow on Microsoft's setup page.

1. Select Start, select Settings, then select Accessibility and Speech.
2. Turn on the Voice access switch.
3. On the welcome screen, choose your language, then select Agree and continue.
4. Wait while the language files download. Microsoft says this step needs an internet connection ³.
5. On the Setup microphone screen, check that a default microphone is selected. Once one is, you can exit setup and start using Voice Access immediately. The optional interactive guide that follows is not required.

You can also open Voice Access by typing voice access into Windows search and selecting Open ⁶. Microsoft's setup page adds that you can pin it to Start or the taskbar for quicker access later. Voice Access uses the microphone under your Windows privacy settings ⁷, so if it cannot hear you, check microphone access on Windows before anything else.

If setup stalls, check the connection and restart setup

You can cancel or exit setup at any time. If you exit before the download finishes, you need to restart the setup process the next time you open Voice Access. Microsoft says setup needs internet to download the language files, so a connection problem during that download can stall setup ³. Reconnect, open Voice Access again and let the download finish. You can switch to a different language later from the Voice access settings.

Each language needs its own speech pack, and Microsoft's language lists disagree

The speech pack is per language. Languages marked ready to use switch on at once, and languages marked available for download need their speech pack downloaded before you can use them ⁸. Microsoft's setup page lists 15 languages and dialects, including six English variants: US, UK, India, New Zealand, Canada and Australia ⁹.

The other Microsoft pages give shorter lists. The FAQ names four languages: English, Spanish, French and German ¹⁰. The command list names six, adding Chinese and Japanese ¹¹. Microsoft does not say which list is complete, and we could not settle the question from the pages alone. The chart shows the three counts side by side.

Because the lists disagree, check the Languages menu on your own PC before you rely on a language. That menu shows which languages are ready to use on your copy of Windows, and the list on a page may not match it.

Voice Access runs on the device, so it keeps working offline after setup

After setup, speech recognition happens on your PC. Microsoft's help page says Voice Access "works even without the internet" ¹. That is the main difference between Voice Access and voice typing. Windows voice typing "uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services" ¹², and you need an internet connection to use it ¹³. If your connection drops, voice typing stops. Voice Access keeps working.

Offline operation does not tell you how accurate the recognition is. We found no independent test that measures Voice Access accuracy, on the device or online, and Microsoft's pages do not publish one. This guide therefore gives no accuracy figure. Results depend on your microphone and your room, so test Voice Access with your own text before you rely on it. For a wider view of offline options on Windows, see offline speech to text on Windows.

The microphone has three states: sleep, listening and off

Voice Access is always in one of three microphone states, and the state decides whether your words become commands. Sleep is the quiet state, listening is the working state, and microphone off stops all listening. The diagram shows how you move between them.

The shortcuts are the two you will use most. Alt+Shift+B moves between sleep and listening, and Alt+Shift+C switches the microphone off ¹⁸. To switch it back on, you have to click the Microphone button on the control bar ¹⁷. Microsoft's table gives a different mouse action for each state, so check the table before you click.

The phrase that wakes Voice Access is its wake word. Microsoft's FAQ says Voice Access uses wake words that are unique to it and do not affect Dragon or Windows Speech Recognition ¹⁹, which matters if you run more than one tool.

While it listens, Voice Access shows a transcription of what you say on the left side of its bar. Read that transcription before you say the next command. It is the quickest way to catch a misheard word, and it shows what Voice Access heard rather than what you meant.

Voice Access also waits briefly after you speak before it acts. The default is Medium, which is 0.5 seconds, and you can choose a different wait time in the Voice access settings ²⁰. For the full list of spoken commands, see the Voice Access commands guide. To stop Voice Access altogether, see how to turn off Voice Access.

Voice Access and voice typing do different jobs and can be used side by side

Windows has two voice tools, and they overlap. Voice typing, started with the Windows key + H launcher, writes text into the field you are in. Voice Access controls the whole PC and can dictate as well. Microsoft's FAQ puts it this way: Voice Access offers "both commanding and dictation which means that you can perform not just text authoring but all tasks on your PC." The table compares the two on the points that matter most.

The two tools can clash. If Voice Access is running and you press Windows key + H, voice typing does not start, and Windows tells you to dictate with Voice Access instead ²². So "side by side" means both are installed, but only one should listen at a time. Turn Voice Access off from its settings before you use voice typing. Microsoft says turning it off removes the Voice access bar and closes the feature, and you can start it again from Settings, under Accessibility and Speech. For the built-in writing tool on its own, read Windows voice typing.

If you need dictation beyond what Windows provides, compare options in the guide to dictation software for Windows. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Windows, and its details are on the Windows page.

Commands cover most tasks, and Voice Access can show you the list

Voice Access commands fall into groups. Microsoft's command list covers interacting with apps and controls, overlays, the mouse and keyboard, selecting, editing and formatting text, and dictating punctuation and symbols. You do not need to memorize them. Say "What can I say" or "Show all commands" and Voice Access displays the commands you can use. Saying "Show numbers" places numbered labels over the items on screen, so you can click any of them by saying its number ²³.

When you dictate, saying Type or Dictate before a command inserts that command as text rather than running it ²⁴. This matters when you want to write the words "delete that" into a document. For a full walkthrough of the common commands, read the Voice Access commands guide.

Voice Access can start automatically before or after you sign in

Voice Access can launch on its own. In Settings, under Accessibility and Speech, you can enable it to launch automatically before or after you sign in to your computer ²⁵. The option is labeled Automatic startup setting in the Voice access settings. Microsoft's FAQ says Voice access can be used to log in to the PC starting with Windows 11 version 23H2 ²⁶, so check your version before you plan to sign in by voice.

Choose the before sign-in option if you want Voice Access ready at the sign-in screen. If you only use it at the desktop, the after sign-in option is enough.

Voice Isolation learns your voice to filter out background speakers and noise

Voice Access offers three speech recognition options for different places: voice isolation, background noise removal and no filtering ²⁷. Background noise removal filters out non-speech sounds such as tapping and keyboard typing, and it works straight away with no setup. It does not filter out other voices.

Noise matters a great deal for any speech recognizer. A 1996 study found that the performance of a speech recognition system "degrades rapidly in the presence of ambient noise" ²⁸, so dictate in the quietest place you can, whichever option you choose.

Voice Isolation is the option that learns your voice, so it is the closest Voice Access comes to training. To set it up, open the Voice access settings menu on the Voice access bar, then go to Improve speech recognition and select Voice Isolation. Setup downloads a small model, which needs internet ²⁹. Microsoft says the model "runs entirely on your device, and no raw voice recording is saved", and that only a voice signature is created and stored locally ³⁰.

Voice Isolation has a limit. It can filter out a background voice, but it may still occasionally pick up someone who speaks at the same time as you ³¹. Treat it as a help in shared rooms, not a guarantee. You can switch between the three options at any time from the same menu, so choose the one that fits the room you are in.

Adding words to the vocabulary helps with names and jargon

Voice Access can learn words it misses. The Add to vocabulary option, which you can also say as a command, adds your own words to its dictionary, including difficult to pronounce ones, to improve dictation accuracy ³². Use it for names, product names and technical terms that keep coming out wrong. Add a short list of words rather than whole sentences, because the feature is meant for individual words.

Voice Access is the broader control tool, and long text needs a careful check

For controlling the computer, Voice Access is the more complete built-in tool, because it covers the whole PC and not just one text field ³³. For long text, plan to check every line. In one in-lab study, participants missed identifying over 50% of speech recognition errors when they listened to the recognized text read back ³⁴. That study tested listening only, so it does not show how well reading on screen works. Read the text on screen anyway, rather than relying on your ears.

New users also need time to learn dictation. In a 2013 hospital study of speech recognition for radiology reports, new users corrected 15 characters in a 433-character report at the start ³⁵. To finalize a report, new users corrected 11 characters ³⁶, while experienced users corrected 6 ³⁷. That study used a hospital system, not Voice Access, but the pattern is the same: expect a learning curve.

Voice Access has correction commands for this job. Saying "Correct that" corrects the selected text or the last dictated text ³⁸, and "Delete that" deletes it ³⁹. "Select that" selects the last text you dictated ⁴⁰. Microsoft's command list describes these, and they are the quickest way to repair a sentence without reaching for the keyboard.

Fluid dictation adds automatic clean-up, but with limits. Microsoft says it is enabled by default in Voice Access, and you can turn it off in the settings or by voice ⁴¹. Microsoft also says it automatically corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak ⁴². It is a Copilot+ PC feature ⁴³, and it is currently available in all English locales ⁴⁴, so a PC without that hardware, or one set to another language, will not have it. See fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs for what it changes.

For the questions people ask most, read what Voice Access is, whether you need to download it, its keyboard shortcut, whether you can train it, and whether it is any good. For more on where your audio goes, read Windows dictation privacy. For the full set of Windows dictation guides, start at the Windows dictation overview.