Windows 11 Voice Access: Set It Up and Control Your PC

Windows 11 voice access lets you run the whole PC by speaking: open apps, click buttons, scroll pages, switch windows, and dictate and correct text. It was designed for people with limited mobility, but it is also useful for anyone dealing with a sore wrist, a busy pair of hands or a lot of writing. Unlike older speech tools, it runs on the device and keeps working without an internet connection once it is set up.

This guide covers what you need, how to turn it on, the commands to learn first, how to click anything on screen by voice, and how to make it start at sign-in. It applies to Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, including 24H2 and 25H2.

What you need

• Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. Check with how to check your Windows 11 version.
• A working microphone. A headset microphone gives the best accuracy; a laptop’s built-in microphone works in a quiet room. If Windows does not hear you, see microphone not working in Windows 11.
• A supported language. Microsoft lists some languages as ready to use and others as available for download, which adds a speech pack first.
• An internet connection for the first setup, so Windows can download the speech model.

Voice access or voice typing?

Windows 11 has two speech features, and they are often mixed up.

	Voice typing	Voice access
Start	Windows key + H	Settings > Accessibility > Speech
What it does	Dictates into the current text box	Controls apps, menus, the mouse and text
Best for	Writing an email or document faster	Using the PC with little or no keyboard and mouse

If you only want to dictate, our guide to voice typing in Windows 11 is the simpler route.

Turn on voice access

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Go to Accessibility > Speech.
3. Turn on Voice access. You can also search Start for “voice access”.
4. A bar appears at the top of the screen. The first time, accept the prompt to download the speech files.
5. Choose your microphone if asked, and open the interactive guide if you want a short hands-on tutorial.

The bar stays docked at the top of the screen and shows whether voice access is listening, asleep or has the microphone off.

Wake, sleep and stop

Action	Say	Keyboard
Start listening	“Voice access wake up” or “Unmute”	Alt + Shift + B
Pause listening	“Voice access sleep” or “Mute”	Alt + Shift + B
Turn the microphone off	“Turn off microphone”	Alt + Shift + C
Close voice access	“Turn off voice access”

Sleep mode is useful during a phone call: voice access keeps running but ignores everything except the wake command.

Commands to learn first

• Open and switch apps: “Open Edge”, “Switch to File Explorer”, “Close window”.
• Click by name: “Click Start”, “Click Save”, “Click File”.
• Scroll: “Scroll down”, “Scroll up”, “Scroll to top”.
• Keys: “Press Enter”, “Press Tab”, “Press Control S”.
• Help: “What can I say” or “Show all commands” opens the full list.

You can switch between three modes: commands mode (only commands), dictation mode (only text) and default mode (both, which is where most people stay). Microsoft keeps the full, current command list on its support site.

Click anything: numbers and grid

Not every button has a name voice access can read. Two overlays solve that:

• “Show numbers” puts a number on every clickable item in the current window. Say the number, or “click 12”, to select it.
• “Show grid” divides the screen into numbered squares. Say a number to zoom into that square and keep narrowing down until you can click the exact spot. This also works for dragging.

These overlays make voice access usable in apps that were never designed for speech.

Dictate and edit text

In any text box, simply speak. Voice access adds the words, and you can then edit by voice: “Select previous word”, “Delete that”, “Correct [word]”, “Capitalize that”. Settings on the voice access bar include automatic punctuation and a profanity filter, and “Add to vocabulary” teaches it names and unusual words. On Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft offers Fluid dictation in English, which tidies up grammar and filler words as you speak.

Start automatically and use it at sign-in

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Speech.
2. Choose to start voice access before sign-in, after sign-in, or both.

With the before-sign-in option, voice access runs on the lock screen. Microsoft suggests completing the normal setup first. To enter a PIN or password privately, say “show keyboard”: the touch keyboard appears with numbers on the keys, and you say the numbers instead of the characters so people nearby do not hear your PIN. Voice access can also be turned on from the Accessibility button during Windows setup, as long as there is an internet connection for the download.

When it does not hear you

• Check the microphone level in Settings > System > Sound and pick the right input on the voice access bar.
• Reduce background noise, or use a headset.
• Make sure the speech pack for your language finished downloading; Microsoft’s troubleshooting article covers download errors.
• Install pending updates, as voice access improves with Windows releases.

Other accessibility and input tools are listed in our Windows 11 features hub and the keyboard shortcuts guide.