Can you uninstall Voice Access from Windows 11?

No Microsoft page we could open describes uninstalling Voice Access from Windows 11, and we found no documented way to remove the feature itself. Microsoft's instructions cover turning the feature off, closing it and stopping it from starting. If your goal is to stop Voice Access from running, those steps do the job. If your goal is to free up space or remove a language, a third-party guide says you can remove the language packs as ordinary installed apps.

Microsoft's pages describe switching Voice Access off, not removing it

Voice Access is the built-in dictation and PC-control feature in Windows 11. Microsoft says it replaced Windows Speech Recognition in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later in September 2024 ¹. Microsoft also says Speech Recognition is no longer being developed and is being replaced by Voice Access ².

Microsoft's help covers turning the feature off. Its description of turning it off says that the Voice Access bar is removed and the feature closes ³. The spoken command for this is Turn off voice access, and Stop voice access does the same job ⁴. These steps keep the feature in Windows, so you can launch it again from Settings, then Accessibility, then Speech.

We did not find a Microsoft page that gives steps for removing the feature, so we do not give them here. We also did not verify any third-party method that claims to remove it, and we do not recommend editing the registry or system files to try.

You can remove the language packs

Voice Access works in more than one language, and some languages need a download first. Microsoft says that a language marked as available for download needs its speech pack downloaded before you can start using it ⁵. Setup downloads language files to the PC for on-device speech recognition ⁶.

A third-party guide says these language packs are removable. It says the packs appear with your other installed apps, and that you remove them the same way you would remove any program ⁷. The guide's route is Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps. Find the pack for the language you no longer need, then choose Uninstall. We did not open this step on a live PC, so check the labels on your own screen. The same guide also describes a PowerShell method for listing and removing speech packs. We did not check that method on a live PC, so we leave it out.

Removing a pack removes that language, not the feature. The English pack, or any language you still use, should stay. Check which languages you use under Settings, Accessibility, Speech, before you remove one.

It depends: what the files do after you switch it off

A third-party guide says the downloaded language files stay on the computer after Voice access is turned off ⁸. Microsoft's pages do not say what happens to the files when the feature is switched off, so treat that as a secondary report. If you want the space back, removing the language pack is the step to take.

It depends: managed PCs and older Windows versions

On a work or school PC, the switch and the language list may be controlled by your administrator, and a removal attempt may be blocked. Ask your IT administrator before you change anything, because you may not be able to see which policies apply. We did not find a Microsoft policy that controls Voice Access specifically in the pages we read.

Older versions of Windows are different. Microsoft says Speech Recognition remains available in older versions of Windows ¹, so a PC that is not on Windows 11 22H2 or later may have the older feature instead. The removal question is then about Speech Recognition, not Voice Access.

What to do instead

1. To stop Voice Access now, say Turn off voice access, or set Voice access to Off in Settings.
2. To stop it coming back, clear both startup checkboxes in Settings, Accessibility, Speech. The steps are in our question on why Voice Access keeps popping up.
3. To free space, remove only the language packs you no longer use, from Installed apps.
4. To check the result, restart the PC and look for the bar. Restarting is our suggested test, not a Microsoft step.

For the keyboard side of the feature, read whether you can disable the Voice Access shortcut. The full set of off switches is in our guide to turning off Voice Access, and the wider picture is in our overview of dictation on Windows. Terms used here are explained in our glossary entries for Voice Access and Windows Speech Recognition.