This article is for people who want to control their PC and author text using their voice with Windows. This article is part of the Accessibility support for Windows content set where you can find more information on Windows accessibility features. For general help, visit Microsoft Support home.
Voice access is a new feature in Windows 11 that enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control their PC and author text using only their voice and without an internet connection. For example, you can open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and author email using your voice. For more information, refer to Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice.
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.
In this topic
Manage voice access and microphone
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Get voice access to listen to you. |
"Voice access wake up" |
Put voice access to sleep. |
"Voice access sleep" |
Turn off the voice access microphone. |
"Turn off microphone" |
Close voice access. |
"Turn off voice access" |
Find out what command to use. |
"What can I say" |
Access voice access settings menu. |
"Open voice access settings" |
Access voice access help menu. |
"Open voice access help" |
Access the voice access tutorial. |
"Open voice access guide" |
Switch to commands only mode. |
"Commands mode" |
Switch to dictation only mode. |
"Dictation mode" |
Switch to default mode (command and dictation). |
"Default mode" |
Interact with apps
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Open a new app. |
"Open <app name>" |
Close an open app. |
"Close <app name>" |
Switch to an existing app. |
"Switch to <app name>" |
Minimize a window. |
"Minimize window" |
Maximize a window. |
"Maximize window" |
Restore a window. |
"Restore window" |
Open task switcher. |
"Show task switcher" |
Go to desktop. |
"Go to desktop" |
Search on the browser, where "search engine" can be Bing, Google, or YouTube, and "x" is what you’re looking for. |
"Search on <search engine> for <x>" |
Snap window to a specific direction, where "direction" is left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right. |
"Snap window to <direction>" |
Interact with controls
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Select an item. |
"Click <item name>" |
Double-click an item. |
"Double-click <item name>" |
Put focus on an item. |
"Move to <item name>" |
Expand a list. |
"Expand <item name>" |
Toggle between states. |
"Toggle <item name>" |
Scroll in a specific direction. |
"Scroll <direction>" |
Start scrolling in a specific direction. |
"Start scrolling <direction>" |
Stop scrolling. |
"Stop scrolling" |
Move a slider in a specific direction by a certain distance, where "direction" is up, down, left, or right and "value" is the distance. |
"Move slider <direction> <value> times" |
Interact with overlays
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Show number overlays on your screen. |
"Show numbers" |
Show number overlays on the app you are working on. |
"Show numbers here" |
Show number overlays on a specific app or window. |
"Show numbers on <app name>" |
Show number over the taskbar. |
"Show numbers on taskbar" |
Remove number overlays. |
"Hide numbers" |
Select a numbered item. |
"Click <number>" |
Show grid overlay on your screen. |
"Show grid" |
Show grid overlay on the window you are working on. |
"Show grid here" |
Remove grid overlay. |
"Hide grid" |
Drill down into the grid. |
"<number>" |
Drill down into the grid multiple steps at once. |
"Mouse grid <number> <number> <number> <number> <number>" |
Revert to the previous state of the grid. |
"Undo" |
Mark an object to drag. |
"Mark" |
Drop the marked object into a location. |
"Drag" |
Control mouse and keyboard
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Perform a left click. |
"Click" |
Perform a right click. |
"Right click" |
Perform a double-click. |
"Double-click" |
Perform a triple-click. |
"Triple-click" |
Press a key. |
"Press <key>" |
Press a key multiple times. |
"Press <key> <count> times" |
Press a key combination. |
"Press <key1> <key2>..." |
Press and hold down a key. |
"Press and hold <key>" |
Release the held down key. |
"Release <key>" |
Press the keyboard Esc key to close menu flyouts like context menus or dropdown menus. |
"Dismiss" |
Press the keyboard Backspace key to fix mistakes made during dictation. |
"Backspace" |
Press the keyboard Enter key to move to a new line while dictating text. |
"Enter" |
Press the keyboard Tab key to quickly navigate through fields on the UI. |
"Tab" |
Press the keyboard Delete key to fix mistakes made during dictation. |
"Delete" |
Move your mouse pointer continuously in a specified direction, where "direction" can be up, down, left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right. |
"Move mouse <direction>" |
Move your mouse pointer by a fixed distance in a specific direction, where "direction" can be up, down, left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right. |
"Move mouse <direction> <distance>" |
Drag your mouse pointer in the given direction, where "direction" can be up, down, left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right. |
"Drag mouse <direction>" |
Increase or decrease the speed of mouse pointer movement. |
"Move faster" |
Stop moving your mouse pointer. |
"Stop" |
Dictate text
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Insert text in a text box. |
"<text>" |
Insert a voice access command as text in a text box. |
"Type <voice access command>" |
Open the touch keyboard. |
"Show touch keyboard" |
Close the touch keyboard. |
"Hide touch keyboard" |
Spell out text letter by letter. |
"Spell that" |
Correct the selected text or last dictated text. |
"Correct that" |
Correct specific text. |
"Correct <text>" |
Select text
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Select the last text you dictated. |
"Select that" |
Select all text in a text box. |
"Select all" |
Select specific text in a text box. |
"Select <text>" |
Select the previous or next word. |
"Select previous word" |
Select the desired number of previous or next words. |
"Select previous <count> words" |
Select the previous or next character. |
"Select previous character" |
Select the desired number of previous or next characters. |
"Select previous <count> characters" |
Select the previous line. |
"Select previous line" |
Select the desired number of previous or next lines. |
"Select previous <count> lines" |
Select the previous or next paragraph. |
"Select previous paragraph" |
Select the desired number of previous or next paragraphs. |
"Select previous <count> paragraphs" |
Select the current word at the text cursor. |
"Select word" |
Select the current line at the text cursor. |
"Select line" |
Select the current paragraph at text cursor. |
"Select paragraph" |
Clear selected text. |
"Unselect that" |
Edit text
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Delete the selected text or last dictated text. |
"Delete that" |
Delete specific text in a text box. |
"Delete <text>" |
Delete the previous or next character. |
"Delete previous character" |
Delete the desired number of previous or next characters. |
"Delete previous <count> characters" |
Delete the previous or next word. |
"Delete previous word" |
Delete the desired number of previous or next words. |
"Delete previous <count> words" |
Delete the previous line. |
"Delete previous line" |
Delete the desired number of previous or next lines. |
"Delete previous <count> lines" |
Delete the previous or next paragraph. |
"Delete previous paragraph" |
Delete the desired number of previous or next paragraphs. |
"Delete previous <count> paragraphs" |
Delete the current word at text cursor. |
"Delete word" |
Delete the current line at text cursor. |
"Delete line" |
Delete the current paragraph at text cursor. |
"Delete paragraph" |
Cut the selected text or last dictated text. |
"Cut that" |
Cut the desired number of previous or next characters. |
"Cut previous <count> characters" |
Cut the previous or next word. |
"Cut previous word" |
Cut the desired number of previous or next words. |
"Cut previous <count> words" |
Cut the previous line. |
"Cut previous line" |
Cut the desired number of previous or next lines. |
"Cut previous <count> lines" |
Cut the previous or next paragraph. |
"Cut previous paragraph" |
Cut the desired number of previous or next paragraphs. |
"Cut previous <count> paragraphs" |
Copy the selected text or last dictated text. |
"Copy that" |
Copy the desired number of previous or next characters. |
"Copy previous <count> characters" |
Copy the previous or next word. |
"Copy previous word" |
Copy the desired number of previous or next words. |
"Copy previous <count> words" |
Copy the previous line. |
"Copy previous line" |
Copy the desired number of previous or next lines. |
"Copy previous <count> lines" |
Copy the previous or next paragraph. |
"Copy previous paragraph" |
Copy the desired number of previous or next paragraphs. |
"Copy previous <count> paragraphs" |
Paste text in a text box. |
"Paste" |
Undo/revert the effect of a previous action. |
"Undo that" |
Redo/restore the effect of an action that was previously reverted. |
"Redo that" |
Format text
To do this |
Say this |
---|---|
Apply bold formatting to specific text. |
"Bold <text>" |
Apply italic formatting to specific text. |
"Italicize <text>" |
Underline specific text. |
"Underline <text>" |
Capitalize the first letter of a specific word. |
"Capitalize <word>" |
Capitalize all the letters of a specific word. |
"Uppercase <word>" |
Lowercase all the letters in a specific word. |
"Lowercase <word>" |
Capitalize, uppercase, or lowercase selected text or the last dictated text. |
"Capitalize that" |
Take one of the following actions on the specified number of previous or next words: bold, italicize, underline, capitalize, uppercase, or lowercase. |
"<action> previous <count> words" |
Take one of the following actions on the specified number of previous or next lines: bold, italicize, underline, capitalize, uppercase, or lowercase. |
"<action> previous <count> lines" |
Take one of the following actions on the specified number of previous or next paragraphs: bold, italicize, underline, capitalize, uppercase, or lowercase. |
"<action> previous <count> paragraphs" |
Take one of the following actions on the specified number of previous or next characters: bold, italicize, underline, capitalize, uppercase, or lowercase. |
"<action> previous <count> characters" |
Dictate punctuation marks
To insert this |
Say this |
---|---|
. |
"Period" |
, |
"Comma" |
? |
"Question mark" |
! |
"Exclamation mark" |
's |
"Apostrophe-s" |
: |
"Colon" |
; |
"Semicolon" |
" " |
"Open quotes" |
- |
"Hyphen" |
... |
"Ellipsis" |
' ' |
"Begin single quote" |
( ) |
"Left parentheses" |
[ ] |
"Open bracket" |
{ } |
"Left brace" |
Dictate symbols
To insert this |
Say this |
---|---|
* |
"Asterisk" |
\ |
"Backslash" |
/ |
"Forward slash" |
| |
"Vertical bar" |
_ |
"Underscore" |
¶ |
"Paragraph sign" |
§ |
"Section sign" |
& |
"Ampersand" |
@ |
"At sign" |
© |
"Copyright sign" |
® |
"Registered sign" |
° |
"Degree symbol" |
% |
"Percent sign" |
# |
"Number sign" |
+ |
"Plus sign" |
- |
"Minus sign" |
× |
"Multiplication sign" |
÷ |
"Division sign" |
= |
"Equals sign" |
< > |
"Less than sign" |
$ |
"Dollar sign" |
£ |
"Pound sterling sign" |
€ |
"Euro sign" |
¥ |
"Yen sign" |
See also
Use voice to work with windows and apps
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.