On this page you can find links to accessibility help articles that are written for people who use Windows voice access to control their PC and author text using their voice.
Voice access in Windows 11 is a new experience that enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control their PC and author text using their voice. For example, you can open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and author emails using your voice. Voice access uses modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and works without an internet connection.
You can submit your feedback and suggestions in Feedback Hub (Windows logo key+F) under Accessibility > Voice access. You can find the link to the Feedback Hub on the voice access help menu as well—use the voice commands "Open voice access help" > "Click Give feedback" to get there.
Voice access is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. For more information on Windows 11 22H2 new features, and how to get the update, see What's new in recent Windows updates. Not sure which version of Windows you have? See: Find Windows version.
Get started with voice access
Navigate & interact with your PC
Author text with voice
What’s new
Voice access is now available to use in more areas on Windows.
Set up your PC with voice access
Users can now use voice access to set up their PC and navigate through the Out-Of-Box-Experience (OOBE) to customize their new device.
To enable voice access, click on the accessibility flyout menu at the bottom left corner of the first OOBE screen and select Voice access.
Note: Make sure you are connected to the internet while setting up your PC to enable language model download and set up voice access.
Sign in to your PC with voice access
You can now use voice access to log in to your PC and access other areas on the Lock screen.
To turn on voice access, select Voice access in Accessibility flyout on the Lock screen.
Notes:
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If you have never tried voice access, it is recommended to search for voice access in search on the taskbar and complete the initial set up before trying it for the first time on the Lock screen.
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To automatically have voice access on every time, select Settings > Accessibility > Speech in the Start menu and check Start voice access before sign-in.
Follow the instructions on the voice access bar to bring focus to the password field and use your voice to dictate your password or PIN.
Alternatively, you can say "Show keyboard” to open the touch keyboard with number labels on it.
You can say the numbers on the keys to enter the letters associated with it. This will mask the actual password you are entering from being heard by anyone in your vicinity.
For more information, refer to the article Use voice to set up and log in to your PC.
Use voice access on apps running Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG)
Voice access now works for apps running with Microsoft Defender Application Guard.
New text authoring experiences in voice access
We have added two new experiences to make text authoring easy with voice access. Users can now use “correction” commands to correct words that are misrecognized by voice access.
To correct a specific text or last dictated text, say “Correct <text>” or “Correct that”. Voice access opens a correction window with a list of alternative text suggestions labeled with numbers.
To select any alternative text suggestion from the list, say “Click <number>”. The original text selected in the text box will be replaced by this alternative text. To learn more about correction commands, refer to Correct text with voice.
To dictate the correct spelling of the text, say “Spell that” or “Click <number>” associated with the “Spell that” option in the list.
In this spelling window, you can dictate letters, numbers, symbols, the phonetic alphabet, and more. You will also get suggestions as you spell out the text. You can say “click 1” to enter the text you spelled out or say “click <number>” to pick a suggestion (if any).
Notes:
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All words and phrases dictated using the spelling experience are added to Windows dictionary and will show up as suggestions when you try to spell them the next time.
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To learn more about using the “Spell that” command, refer to Spell non-standard words in Dictate text with voice.
|
To do this |
Say this |
|---|---|
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Correct a specific word or text |
“Correct <text>” |
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Correct selected text or last dictated text |
“Correct that” |
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Spell out text letter by letter |
“Spell out” |
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Spell out selected text or last dictated text letter by letter |
“Spell that” |
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
