What is the difference between Voice Access and voice typing?

Voice typing writes the words you speak into the text box you are working in, and it needs an internet connection each time you use it ¹. Voice Access is the broader tool. It controls apps and text across the whole PC, it can dictate too ², and it recognizes speech on your PC ³, so it keeps working offline once its language download is finished ⁴.

Voice Access controls the whole PC, and voice typing only fills in text

Voice typing does one job: it types what you say into the field where the cursor sits. Voice Access does that job as well, and it also runs the rest of your PC. Microsoft says Voice Access offers both commanding and dictation, so it can handle every task on the PC, not only writing text ². Microsoft's wording covers working with different apps and editing text by voice.

If all you need is a sentence typed into one box, either tool will do. If you need to work with several apps and edit text in them, Voice Access is the tool that does it, because voice typing only fills in the box you are in. For the full command list, read the Voice Access guide and the voice typing guide.

Voice typing starts only in a text box and needs the internet on every use

Microsoft describes how each one starts. Voice Access can be started at any time, while voice typing can only be started when the cursor is in a text box ⁵. On Windows, you start voice typing with the Windows key + H shortcut, and it then types into the field with the cursor ⁶.

Voice typing also depends on the network. Microsoft says you need an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box before it will type what you say ¹. Its speech recognition is online and powered by Azure Speech services ⁷. Because recognition runs online, voice typing is not an offline option.

Voice Access listens on your PC after its first setup

Voice Access does its recognition on the device. Microsoft says it uses on-device speech recognition and works even without the internet ³. The internet is needed for the first setup, when your preferred language downloads ⁸. After that, the on-device recognition keeps working without a connection ⁴.

Working offline is not a measure of accuracy. Microsoft says Voice Access might make mistakes when it recognizes dictated text ⁹, so test each tool with your own voice and microphone before you rely on it.

The two tools can clash, so run only one at a time

Both tools can be installed on the same PC, but only one should listen. If Voice Access is running and you press the Windows key + H shortcut, voice typing does not start. Windows tells you to use Voice Access for typing instead ⁶. Turn Voice Access off before you switch to voice typing, and the turn off guide explains how.

Which one to use depends on your PC, your network and your task

Choose by the situation you are in.

• Windows 10: Voice Access is listed only for Windows 11, so voice typing is your only built-in option ¹¹. Read whether Voice Access is available on Windows 10 for the details.
• Windows 11 with no internet: Voice typing needs the internet ¹, so use Voice Access. Finish its setup while you are online first ¹².
• Writing one message or one field: Voice typing is the simpler choice. Press the Windows key + H shortcut with the cursor in the box. You can read more about how the Windows key + H shortcut works.
• Controlling apps and text together: Voice Access is the better fit, because it can work with different apps and edit text by voice ².

To set up the two tools without a clash, do these steps in order:

1. Confirm that your PC runs Windows 11, version 22H2 or later, if you want Voice Access ¹⁰. Otherwise, plan on voice typing alone.
2. Connect to the internet and set up Voice Access, letting the language download finish ¹².
3. Test Voice Access and voice typing separately, with your own sentences.
4. Turn Voice Access off before you start voice typing, and turn it back on when you need it.

If you want to know whether voice typing works without a connection, the answer is covered in whether Windows voice typing works offline. For the full set of Windows dictation guides, start at the Windows dictation overview. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, and its details are on the Windows page, if neither built-in tool covers what you need.