What is Voice Access in Windows 11?

Voice Access is the voice control feature that comes with Windows 11. You use it to write text and to control your PC, and you do both by speaking. It needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or later ¹, and you do not install it as a separate program. Its speech recognition runs on your PC ². Setup downloads the language files for your language and needs an internet connection ³. After that, the feature works without internet.

Voice Access does two jobs: it controls the PC and it dictates

Microsoft describes Voice Access as a way to control your whole PC, not only to type. Its FAQ says it offers "both commanding and dictation," so it can handle every task on the PC, not just text ⁴. Commanding means you open, switch and close apps and windows and click items on the screen by voice. Dictation means you speak text into the field you are working in.

This is the main difference from voice typing. Voice typing writes text into the box that has the cursor, and it does not control the rest of the PC. Voice typing also needs the internet for every use. Microsoft says it uses online speech recognition and that you need a connection to use it ⁵. If your connection drops, voice typing stops, and Voice Access keeps running. Our guide to the two Windows voice tools explains where each one fits, and our guide to Windows dictation privacy covers where your audio goes.

It replaced Windows Speech Recognition in 2024

Voice Access is the successor to Windows Speech Recognition. Microsoft says it replaced Speech Recognition in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later in September 2024, and that Speech Recognition stays available in older versions of Windows ⁶. If you still use the older tool, it is a separate program with its own commands and its own training. The guide to Windows Speech Recognition covers it.

Its recognition is not guaranteed, so check your own results

Voice Access is not perfect. Microsoft says it can make mistakes when it recognizes dictated words, especially words that sound alike ⁷. Microsoft's pages do not publish an accuracy figure, and we found no independent test that measures how accurate Voice Access is. The right test is your own voice, your own microphone and your own text.

Voice Access also does not run on Windows 10. Microsoft's FAQ table lists Windows 11 as the only platform for Voice access, while voice typing is listed for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 ⁸. Read our answer on Windows 10 for the options there.

What to do if you want to try it

1. Check your version. Select Start, then Settings, then System and About to see your Windows version. You need 22H2 or later.
2. Turn it on. Go to Settings, select Accessibility, then Speech, and switch on Voice access. The setup guide walks through the language download and the microphone check.
3. Test it on a paragraph you know well. Read the transcription on the Voice Access bar as you speak, and fix any word it misses.
4. Learn the keys if you want them. Our answer on the keyboard shortcut explains which keys change its state. If you want to teach it your words, read our answer on training.

Voice Access is the built-in choice for controlling Windows by voice. If you need dictation in a particular app, or a different feature set, compare the options in our guide to dictation software for Windows. For the terms used here, see the glossary entries for Voice Access and on-device speech recognition. Our overview of dictation on Windows covers the wider subject.