How do you set up speech recognition on Windows 10?

To set up speech recognition on Windows 10, you use Windows Speech Recognition, the built-in tool that Microsoft still includes in Windows 10. Check that you have a working microphone, open the tool from the taskbar search, and follow the wizard. It is a short-term option, though, because Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025 ¹.

Microsoft's Windows 10 article describes the same steps in its own words, and the sections below follow it. If you use a recent Windows 11 PC instead, the steps are different, and the answer is in our question on Windows Speech Recognition in Windows 11.

Check the microphone before you start the wizard

Microsoft says to set up your microphone first: "Before you set up voice recognition, make sure you have a microphone set up." ² Use the microphone you actually speak into. If you have more than one, pick the one you use in the Settings list, as covered in the troubleshooting section below.

Open the wizard from the taskbar search

The article's main route is the taskbar search. Microsoft's instruction is: "In the search box on the taskbar, type Windows Speech Recognition, and then select Windows Speech Recognition in the list of results" ³.

The wizard is titled Set up Speech Recognition, and it opens on the Welcome page. Select Next, then follow the instructions on screen. When setup is done, you can take the tutorial or skip it. You can start using speech recognition straight away.

If the training dialog does not appear, Microsoft gives a fallback. Open Control Panel from the taskbar search, then select the path Ease of Access, then Speech Recognition, then the option to train your computer ⁴. The same path is how you retrain the tool later.

Retrain the tool when recognition gets worse

Microsoft says you can teach Windows 10 to recognize your voice ⁵. If accuracy drops, for example after you change microphones, retrain it through the Control Panel path above. Voice Access does not offer a training step on the pages we read, which matters if you later move to Windows 11.

Windows 10 has two dictation tools, and they are not the same

If you want to type with your voice in any text box, you may mean a different feature. Windows key + H starts voice typing, and it needs an internet connection, because Microsoft says that "your PC needs to be connected to the internet" to use dictation ⁶. Windows Speech Recognition is a separate tool with its own wizard. If you want the Windows key + H route, read how to use dictation on Windows 10.

Voice Access is not available on Windows 10, so do not follow Windows 11 instructions for it. The reason is covered in whether Voice Access is available on Windows 10.

If the tool still does not work

Start with the microphone. Microsoft's voice typing troubleshooting says to make sure the microphone you want to use is selected in Settings ⁷. That guidance is written for voice typing, so treat it as a list of microphone checks, not a fix guaranteed for the older tool.

If the wizard never starts, or the tool will not open at all, go to our question on why speech recognition is not working, which walks through the checks in order.

What to do next

1. Check the microphone, then run the wizard from taskbar search.
2. Retrain the voice profile if recognition is poor, using the Control Panel path.
3. Plan a move to Windows 11 if you need speech control for the long term. On a Windows 11 version 22H2 or later PC, the replacement is Voice Access, covered in our guide to Voice Access in Windows 11.

For the full history of the tool and its replacement, read our guide to Windows Speech Recognition. For the wider set of tools, see the overview of dictation on Windows.

Terms: Windows Speech Recognition and Windows speech pack.