What’s new in Voice Access

Introducing fluid dictation in voice access

Fluid dictation is a new feature in voice access on Copilot + PCs, that makes voice-based dictation smoother and smarter. It automatically corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak, reducing the need for manual editing. This experience is powered by on-device small language models (SLMs) so ensure fast and private processing. To use it, launch voice access and complete setup if you’re a first-time user. Fluid dictation is enabled by default – you can check or toggle it via the settings flyout in the top-right corner or simply say “turn on/off fluid dictation.”

It works in any text app but is disabled in secure fields like passwords or PINs to protect your privacy. Fluid dictation in voice access is currently available in all English locales and is available on all Copilot + PCs.

Wait time before acting setting in voice access

We are introducing a new ‘Wait time before acting’ setting in voice access, allowing users to configure the delay before a voice command is executed. This provides greater flexibility for users with varying speech patterns, enabling more accurate recognition whether speaking slowly or quickly.  To set this up, navigate to Voice access settings> Wait time before acting, and choose the option that best fits your preferences.

Voice access in Japanese

Voice Access now supports Japanese, expanding accessibility for more users. You can now navigate, dictate, and interact with Windows using voice commands.  With this update, Windows users who speak Japanese can enjoy a hands-free, voice-powered PC experience. 

Extended support for flexible and natural commanding 

Earlier this year, on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, we released more flexible and natural command execution on voice access. Voice access now understands multiple variations of an existing command. You can say: 

• “Can you open Edge application”

• “Switch to Microsoft Edge”

• “Please open the Edge browser”

And voice access will recognize your intent and execute the command accordingly. No more struggling to remember exact phrasing—just speak with flexibility!  

 In this update, we have also released this feature on Intel and AMD powered Copilot + PCs.

Add custom words to the dictionary

We have introduced the ability for you to add your own words to the dictionary in voice access. Adding your own words, including difficult to pronounce words, to the dictionary in voice access will help improve dictation accuracy. It increases the probability of recognizing these words more accurately by creating a bias that helps voice access become more context aware and proactively understanding your specific vocabulary. The feature will be available in all the currently supported voice access languages. 

You can add your own words to the dictionary in voice access in a few ways: 

• Directly from Voice access settings> Add to vocabulary. 

• After spelling a word using “Spell that” command or making a correction using “Correct that”

• Anywhere when you want to manually add a word by using “Add to Vocabulary” command. 
  ​​​​​​​Voice access vocabulary builder dialog for adding your own words to the dictionary.

General updates and improvements

1. Enhanced list of candidates in the correction experience. The list now contains different cases of the suggestions, providing more options for the user and reducing the need to update the casing later.

2. Issues around voice access getting stuck in a state where it says it’s listening but does not respond, have been fixed.

3. Issues where an error state of 9001 were encountered, have also been fixed.

4. Issues around launching & closing Narrator with voice commands have been fixed.