How do you turn off dictation in Windows 11?

To stop dictation in Windows 11, turn off Online speech recognition. Voice typing converts speech with online recognition, so the switch that controls that recognition controls voice typing too. Microsoft describes the setting in its speech privacy page, and it is the control its pages give for keeping voice typing from running.

Microsoft's pages do not describe a separate on/off switch for voice typing. Our guide to Windows voice typing explains what the feature does. This page covers the steps, the side effects, and the parts of "turning off" that are only a partial fix.

Turn off online speech recognition to stop voice typing

Microsoft's steps are short. Follow them on the Windows 11 PC you want to change:

1. Select Start, then Settings.
2. Select Privacy & security, then Speech.
3. Set Online speech recognition to Off ¹.

Microsoft says what this does: when online speech recognition is turned off, only device-based features, such as Narrator, are available ². Voice typing depends on the online service, because it converts speech to text using online speech recognition ³. With the switch off, voice typing has nothing to run on.

Microsoft names Narrator as its example and does not list every feature the switch affects. Test the other tools you use after you change it. To confirm the change, put the cursor in a text box and press Windows key + H. If voice typing does not start, the switch is doing its job.

Hide the microphone button without disabling voice typing

Some people want the microphone off the screen without changing any privacy setting. On the touch keyboard, a third-party guide describes a checkbox called Show the voice typing mic button, which you find under Time & language, then Typing, then Touch keyboard ⁴. Microsoft's own voice typing pages do not document this checkbox, so check the menu names on your PC.

This only hides the button. The same guide notes that the setting changes the keyboard layout and does not turn the microphone on or off. Win+H still starts voice typing from a hardware keyboard, so this is not a way to stop dictation.

Stop one session without changing any setting

If you only want to end the current dictation, you do not need Settings. Say a voice typing command such as "Stop listening", or press the microphone button on the voice typing menu ⁵. The session ends, and the next Windows key + H starts it again.

Turn off Voice Access separately

Voice Access is a different tool, and turning off online speech recognition does not replace turning it off. Voice Access has its own switches, which Microsoft's setup pages describe under Accessibility, Speech. Our guide to turning off Voice Access walks through them, and our question on the Voice Access shortcut covers the keys. If Voice Access keeps opening on its own, the answer on why it keeps popping up explains the startup checkboxes.

When the switch is managed, the steps change

On a work or school PC, an administrator may control the speech setting. Some third-party guides describe Group Policy or registry edits that disable online speech recognition. Microsoft's voice typing pages do not document those methods, and registry changes can affect more than dictation. If you are not the administrator of the PC, ask your IT team rather than editing the registry.

What to do

• To stop voice typing for good: set Online speech recognition to Off in Settings, then test with Windows key + H.
• To hide only the touch keyboard mic: use the Typing setting described above.
• To end one session: say "Stop listening".
• To stop Voice Access: use its own settings, not the speech switch.

Our answer on the voice typing shortcut lists the keys, and our question on whether Windows has dictation compares the built-in tools. For the privacy side of online recognition, read our guide to Windows dictation privacy. The glossary entry for voice typing explains the term, and our Windows dictation overview links every guide on the subject.