Why is speech recognition not working on Windows?

Speech recognition on Windows usually fails at one of five points, and you can check them in order. Start with the tool itself, because on newer PCs the one you are looking for may no longer exist. Then check the microphone, its privacy permission, the online speech setting and the language. Each check below takes a minute or two.

Microsoft's own troubleshooting pages cover voice typing (Windows key + H) rather than Windows Speech Recognition. The checks below use those pages, and we say where a step is written for one tool and not the other.

Step 1: Confirm which tool you are trying to use

On Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, Voice Access replaced Windows Speech Recognition in September 2024 ¹. If you search for the old tool on those PCs, it will not be there, and the fault is not in your settings. Open Voice Access instead.

If you are on Windows 10, the old tool is still available, and you open it from the taskbar search ².

Step 2: Check that the right microphone is selected

The wrong input device is an easy cause to miss. Microsoft's first troubleshooting step is to make sure the microphone you want to use is selected in Settings ³. A disabled or unplugged device is a common cause, so pick the microphone you actually speak into, not whichever one is listed first.

If you use an external microphone, check that it is connected properly.

Step 3: Turn on microphone access

Windows blocks the microphone for apps that you have not allowed. Microsoft says voice typing needs microphone access, which you turn on under Privacy & security, then Microphone ⁴. Check that access is on for the app you are using, not only for the system as a whole.

Step 4: Turn on online speech recognition

Voice typing on Windows uses Microsoft's online speech recognition, and you turn it on or off under Settings, then Privacy & security, then Speech ⁵. If this switch is off, the feature can fail even when the microphone works in other apps.

The internet matters too. Microsoft says that to use voice typing you need to be connected to the internet, along with a working microphone ⁶. Check your connection before you assume the microphone is at fault.

Step 5: Check the language

If the language you speak is not supported, the tool will not work in it. Microsoft says voice typing is not available when the current language is not supported, and tells you to install one that is ⁷. Make sure the right language is selected before you test again.

Step 6: Stop Voice Access before you use Windows key + H

If Voice Access is running and you press the Windows key + H, voice typing does not start ⁸. This looks like a fault, but it is a conflict. Close Voice Access before you use voice typing, or use Voice Access's own dictation instead.

When the checks do not find the fault

Restart the app you are dictating into, then restart the PC. These are general steps, not a Microsoft fix for this exact problem. If the tool is still silent after all six checks, the cause may be the hardware, a driver, or an app that blocks input. Test the microphone in another app first. If it works there, the problem is in speech recognition. If it does not, the problem is the microphone.

What to do, in order

1. Confirm the tool. On Windows 11 22H2 or later, open Voice Access, not Windows Speech Recognition.
2. Select the microphone you use, and check that it is connected.
3. Turn on microphone access under Privacy & security.
4. Turn on online speech recognition, and check your internet connection.
5. Check that your language is installed and selected.
6. Close Voice Access if you are trying voice typing.
7. Restart the app, then the PC, and test the microphone in another app.

For the setup steps, read how to set up speech recognition on Windows 10. If you have Windows 11, our question on whether Windows Speech Recognition is still in Windows 11 explains which tool you should be using. Our guide to Voice Access in Windows 11 covers its own troubleshooting, and the guide to Windows voice typing covers the Windows key + H tool. For the old tool's history, see our guide to Windows Speech Recognition.

Terms: Windows Speech Recognition and online speech recognition.