Voice Access in Windows 11
Voice Access is an accessibility tool in Microsoft Windows 11. This article provides examples of ways that this tool can be used and links to Microsoft Support articles.
The benefit of Voice Access is that users can speak commands and dictate text in any app. Those who want to reduce the amount of typing and mouse use can find hundreds of useful voice commands - even if they use multiple screens.
Setup
Press the Windows key and look for voice access or accessibility-speech settings.
Toggle Voice Access to “On.”
Here you can also choose whether to have Voice Access begin automatically before or after you sign in to your computer.
As soon as you confirm that you’d like to enable Voice Access, you’ll be taken to a tutorial to help you get familiar with the feature. It’s a great way to try out some commands and dictation.
Wake and Sleep Modes
When Voice Access is in Listing Mode, it captures everything said, including background conversations. Using headphones or earbuds with a microphone can enhance the accuracy of Voice Access by reducing background noise. Be sure to switch to Sleep Mode before taking a phone call or starting a conversation. Otherwise, Voice Access will keep working to add text wherever your cursor is located.
Say “Voice Access wake up” or click on the microphone button at the top of your primary screen to start Listening Mode.
Say “Mute” or “Voice Access sleep” or click on the microphone button at the top of your primary screen to start Sleep Mode.
Show Commands
There are hundreds of commands for controlling apps and dictating text. To see a full list, grouped by functionality, say either “What can I say?” or “Show commands.”
As shown below, you can choose a group of commands that relates to the actions you want to take.
Use these commands to open or close an app, minimize or maximize a window, switch apps, restore, snap windows to rearrange their display, click, double-click, scroll, and more.
Use the “Find a command” field to search quickly for something specific.
Moving the Cursor without a Mouse
Show Numbers
Say “Show numbers” or “Show numbers here” or “Show numbers everywhere” (for multiple screens) or specify the app name where you want to show numbers to select anything on the screen without reaching for the mouse and moving it to click on an item.
Once the numbers appear, say the number associated with the item you want to click on.
Show Grid
Similar to show numbers, “Show Grid” allows you to move the mouse to a specified area of the screen. Once the grid is displayed, say the number associated with the area you want to zoom into or click. You can continue to zoom by specifying grid sections until you reach precisely the location you want the cursor. You can also say “Undo that” to go back to the previous grid state.
Dictation
Use your voice to type in any application. Make sure the cursor is in the place you want the text to go. Start Listening Mode. Start talking to write.
Review the Voice Access Commands list for ideas. The Dictate text, Select text, Edit text, Navigate text, and Format text lists will be the most useful.
Custom Voice Shortcuts
While in Listening Mode, say “Open Voice Shortcuts” and then “Click Create New Shortcut.”
This allows you to quickly perform a single action or multiple actions in a sequence.
Name your Voice Shortcut and select an action to perform. You can also organize the shortcut into a Group.
Options:
Paste text and media
Open folder
Open file
Open application
Open URL
Press keyboard keys
Press mouse click
Add wait time
Examples
The screenshots and steps below describe just a couple of ways to use Voice Access. See the full list of commands as described above and read the Microsoft Support articles linked below for additional ideas.
Example 1 - Settings
Open settings, toggle on the Night Light, adjust the strength, and close settings.
Start by saying “Open settings.” Then say “Click Display.”
For large buttons, sometimes numbers are shown to confirm the exact location to click. In the example below, say “One.”
Say “Show numbers” and “Twenty-one” to see the full set of controls for the night light.
Alternatively, choosing “Twenty” or saying “Toggle night light” would change between on and off without viewing the full set of controls.
Here you have some options:
Say “Toggle night light” or “Click night light” to change between off and on.
Say “Move Strength right twenty times” or “Move Strength left ten times.”
“Show numbers” and select “Nineteen” to toggle between on and off.
Say “Close Settings” to close the settings window when you’re finished.
Example 2 - Gmail
Open Gmail, open an email, scroll down quickly through the message, apply a label, and archive it.
Create and use a Voice Shortcut to Open URL (valpo.edu/gmail).
“Show numbers.”
In this example, saying “Eighty” opens Test Message 1 in the image below.
The numbers will be different each time you use this command. Voice Access starts numbering sequentially across the page each time and does not assign specific numbers to specific items on the screen.
Scrolling
Say “Scroll down” to scroll down a little bit.
Say “Start scrolling down” to quickly move from the top to the bottom of the email.
You can say “Stop” to stop scrolling, but there’s a little delay. After it stops, you may need to “Scroll up” slowly to read something that caught your eye.
In this example, saying “Forty-seven” accesses the list of labels.
Dictate text to find the label you want to apply.
In this example, saying “Thirty-nine” archives the message.
Saying the other numbers displayed would report the message as spam, delete, mark unread, snooze, etc.
Example 3 - Voice Shortcut to Open Advising Menu in DataVU
Create a Custom Voice Shortcut that opens the Advising menu in DataVU.
While in Listening Mode, say “Open Voice Shortcuts.”
Next, say “Click Create New Shortcut.”
Fill in the details.
Give the shortcut any name that describes the action you want to take and is easy for you to remember.
Choose an action to perform. Example: open the Advising Menu in DataVU (Self-Service).
Organize it into a Group (optional).
Say “Click Save.”
In this example, every time you say “Start Advising” while Voice Access is in Listening Mode, your default browser will open to the URL for the advising menu in DataVU. During the sign-in process, you can use “Show Numbers” or the grid to click on your Valpo Gmail account for authentication.
Microsoft Support Articles
Use Voice Access to Control Your PC & Author Text with Your Voice