Is Voice Access better than Windows Speech Recognition?

For most people on Windows 11 version 22H2 or later, Voice Access is the better choice. Microsoft's deprecation list says Windows speech recognition "is deprecated and is no longer being developed" and that it "is being replaced with voice access" ¹. Voice Access also lists more languages. It is not proven to be more accurate, though. We found no independent test or Microsoft benchmark that compares the two tools' error rates, so the honest answer is that Voice Access is the better-supported tool, not a measured winner.

The choice is simpler than the comparison suggests. If your PC is on Windows 10 or an older Windows 11 build, the old tool is the only built-in option, and Voice Access is not available on Windows 10 at all, as our question on Voice Access and Windows 10 explains.

Voice Access is the tool Microsoft still develops

The main difference is not a feature. It is maintenance. A tool that no longer gets new features will not get improvements to commands or languages either. Voice Access is where Microsoft is putting its effort, and it is the replacement Microsoft names for Windows 11 version 22H2 and later ². If your PC qualifies, that settles which tool to build your habits around.

Voice Access covers more languages than the old tool

Microsoft's command reference lists 11 language locales for Windows Speech Recognition ³. Its Voice Access setup page lists 15 languages and dialects: six English variants, two Spanish, German, two French, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Italian ⁴.

Language count is not accuracy. If your language matters, check the language menu on your own PC, and test the words you use most in it.

Each tool has one feature the other lacks

The old tool had a feature that people rely on, and Voice Access does not match it on the pages we read.

Voice training. Microsoft's help says "You can teach Windows 10 to recognize your voice" ⁵. Voice Access does not have a training step on the pages we read. If your recognition depends on a trained voice profile, the old tool may suit you better on Windows 10.

Custom words. Voice Access has Add to vocabulary, which Microsoft lists for improving recognition of complex or hard to pronounce words ⁶. Copy your own word list into it by hand, and test each word after you add it.

Neither tool is accurate enough to trust without a test

Microsoft says Voice access "might make mistakes in recognizing the text dictated by users" ⁷. That warning is a reason to test, not a reason to choose one tool over the other. The fair test is cheap. Read the same short passage through both tools with the same microphone, count the errors, and compare the results. That is the only evidence that will settle "better" for your own voice and vocabulary.

When the answer depends on your situation

• Windows 10: The old tool is the only built-in choice.
• Older Windows 11 builds: These keep the old tool, so it may be the only choice until you update ².
• You need voice training: The old tool offers it, and Voice Access does not on the pages we read.
• You use both at once: Voice Access blocks voice typing. If Voice Access is running and you press the Windows key + H, voice typing does not start ⁸. Close one before you use the other.

What to do

1. Check your Windows version. On 22H2 or later, use Voice Access.
2. Copy your custom words into Add to vocabulary before you rely on it.
3. If you still have the old tool, run the same passage through both tools and count the errors.
4. If neither tool meets your needs, look at other dictation options. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, and you can read about it on our Windows page. Test any tool with your own vocabulary first.

For the setup steps, read how to set up speech recognition on Windows 10 or the guide to Voice Access in Windows 11. Our guide to Windows Speech Recognition has the full timeline and migration steps, and the question on whether Windows 11 still has the old tool covers which builds keep it.

Terms: Windows Speech Recognition and Voice Access.