How do you change the voice typing language in Windows 11?

To change the voice typing language in Windows 11, install the language once, then switch to it. You switch from the taskbar or from the keyboard, and then press Windows key + H to start voice typing. Microsoft describes the switch as a change of input language, so voice typing follows the language you have selected ¹.

Install the language before you switch to it

A language must be installed in Windows before it appears in the switcher. Microsoft's steps start in Settings and use the same menus for every language ².

1. Select Start, then Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region.
2. Under Preferred languages, select Add a language.
3. Search for the language, select Next, and install it. Microsoft notes that optional language features, including speech recognition, are not required for voice typing to work.

Installing a language does not change your Windows display language. Microsoft says voice typing can use a language that is different from the one you chose for Windows ³. An English copy of Windows can therefore dictate in Portuguese or German without any other change.

Switch to the language with the taskbar or a keyboard shortcut

Once the language is installed, you have two ways to switch to it.

1. Select the language switcher in the corner of the taskbar and choose the language.
2. On a hardware keyboard, press Windows key + Spacebar and choose one of your available languages ⁴. On a touch keyboard, use the language switcher at the bottom right of the keyboard.

Then select a text box and press Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, or the microphone button on the touch keyboard, to start voice typing ⁵. Wait for the Listening alert before you speak.

When the language is missing from the list, voice typing will not run

Voice typing works only in the languages on Microsoft's list, which has 46 languages and regional variants ⁶. If the current language is not supported, voice typing does not start, and Microsoft tells you to install a supported language ⁷. Switching the keyboard cannot make an unsupported language work, so check the list first. The full list is in our guide to Windows dictation languages.

Spoken commands change with the language

Voice typing commands are not the same in every language. Microsoft shows its command tables per language, and you pick a language from a dropdown to see the phrases that work in it ⁸. The phrases for stopping, deleting and punctuation are written in the language itself. If you switch to Turkish, for example, the stop and delete phrases are Turkish too, so an English phrase may not work.

Check the table for your language before you rely on a spoken command, and learn the phrases in the Windows voice typing commands guide.

It depends: Voice Access keeps its own language setting

Voice Access is a separate feature, and it has its own language list. You change its language under Voice access settings, then Languages. Voice Access supports fewer languages, so a language that works in voice typing may not be available there. For that feature, see which languages Voice Access supports.

What to do next

1. Open Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region, and check Preferred languages for your language.
2. If it is missing, select Add a language and install it.
3. Switch with the taskbar or Windows key + Spacebar, then test one sentence in a text box before you dictate a long document.
4. If Windows does not list your language at all, read how to dictate in Bangla, Urdu or Arabic on Windows for the options.

If voice typing does not start even in a supported language, our guide to Windows dictation not working lists the checks. The voice typing term explains what the feature does, and our overview of dictation on Windows compares the built-in tools.