When using Voice Access, you can use your voice to open and switch apps, browse the web, dictate emails, and more. The feature only supports the English-U.S. language, which means that the “Windows display language should be set to English-U.S. Otherwise, voice access may not work as expected.” This guide will teach you the steps to enable and get started using Voice Access on the Windows 11 2022 Update and later releases.

Enable Voice Access on Windows 11 Use Voice Access on Windows 11 Change Voice Access settings on Windows 11

Enable Voice Access on Windows 11

To enable Voice Access on Windows 11, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, you can launch the feature from the Start menu or Settings app.

Use Voice Access on Windows 11

To start Voice Access is pretty simple on Windows 11, use these steps: Alternatively, you can launch the feature by going to Settings > Accessibility > Speech and turning on the Voice Access toggle switch. Once the feature is started, you can use the “Alt + Shift + C” keyboard shortcut to begin listening mode or the “Alt + Shift + B” shortcut to stop listening mode. Also, you can say “Voice access wake up” and “Unmute” to get it listening. “Voice access sleep,” “Mute” to put the feature to sleep. Or “Turn off microphone” to stop voice access from listening to you. Navigating the Windows 11 experience is quite simple. For example, you can say things like “Open,” e.g., “Open Edge,” or “Open Word,” to open an app. Or “Switch to,” e.g., “Switch to Edge” to switch to an active app. Or “Minimize Window,” “Maximize Window,” and “Close Window” to manage windows. Or “Click,” for example, “Click Start,” or “Click Cancel” to click an item like a button or a link. You can also use the feature with the touch keyboard. For example, you can spell words and enter numbers, punctuations, and emojis. Voice Access has an interactive guide that helps you get started and find all the commands. To access the guide, open the Help (question mark) menu and select the “Start interactive guide” option. The Voice Access guide features multiple exercises to help you interact with buttons, menus, and other options. You will also learn how to use the grid overlay to control the mouse pointer to click on specific locations. Finally, you will learn to use Voice Access to dictate and edit text on the web and applications. If you need additional assistance with the commands you can use, Voice Access also includes a guide that lists all the voice commands to control your computer with only your voice.

Change Voice Access settings on Windows 11

The feature also comes with various settings. Click the Settings (gear) button on the right to access the settings menu. The “Select default microphone” settings let you change the new default microphone or access the Sound settings to manage the input devices. The “Manage options” settings include the options to enable or disable automatic punctuation, filter inappropriate words and control the startup settings. If you no longer need the feature, click the Settings menu and choose the “Turn off voice access” option. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.