If you’ve ever tried using your voice in Windows, you might have noticed there are two tools that sound similar but work quite differently: Voice Typing and Voice Access. Many people are confused about what each one does, whether they overlap, and which one they should be using.
The truth is, they’re designed for different things. Voice Typing is the quick and simple way to turn your speech into text, while Voice Access is the more powerful option that lets you control your entire computer by voice. Both are incredibly useful — but only if you know how to set them up and what to expect from each.
In this document, I’ll walk you through both tools, how to get started with them for the first time, the essential keyboard shortcuts and commands, and how to decide which one makes the most sense for you.
Voice Typing: Quick and Easy Speech-to-Text
Let’s start with the simpler of the two: Voice Typing. This tool is built right into Windows and focuses on one job — turning your speech into text. It doesn’t control your computer or open programs; it just types what you say into any text field.
Many of our customers use Voice Typing when they want to quickly write an email, jot down notes, or draft a document without touching the keyboard. It’s lightweight, accurate (especially with an internet connection), and requires almost no setup.
How to Set Up and Use Voice Typing for the First Time
Using Voice Typing is straightforward. Here’s how to get started:
Place your cursor in any text field — this could be a Word document, an email, a search box, or a form.
Press Windows + H to launch Voice Typing.
- A small toolbar will appear near the top of the screen indicating it’s listening.
- If you’re using a screen reader, you’ll hear a tone and an announcement that Voice Typing is ready.
Start speaking naturally. Your words will appear as text wherever the cursor is.
To stop dictation, press Windows + H again — or try simply pressing Control, which many of my customers find is a faster way to stop dictation even though it’s not officially documented.
If nothing happens when you press Windows + H, make sure the feature is enabled:
- Press Windows + I to open Settings.
- Navigate to Privacy & security > Speech.
- Turn on Online speech recognition.
This allows Windows to use Microsoft’s cloud-based models for better accuracy.
Voice Typing Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
| Win + H | Start or stop voice typing |
| Win + Alt + H | Navigate the voice typing toolbar |
Useful Voice Typing Commands
While Voice Typing doesn’t control your computer, it does understand punctuation and basic editing commands. Try speaking:
- “Period” – inserts a period
- “Comma” – inserts a comma
- “Question mark” – inserts a question mark
- “New line” – starts a new line
- “Delete that” – removes the last dictated text
Voice Typing is best when you want to dictate text quickly and don’t need to interact with anything beyond the text field itself.
Voice Access: Full Control of Your PC by Voice
Now let’s move to the more powerful option: Voice Access. This is Microsoft’s modern, accessibility-focused voice control system introduced in Windows 11 (starting with version 22H2). It goes far beyond dictation — letting you control your entire computer by voice.
With Voice Access, you can open and switch between apps, click buttons, press keys, scroll pages, and even create custom voice shortcuts. It’s designed to replace the older Windows Speech Recognition tool and offers a much smoother experience. Best of all, once it’s set up, it works offline.
How to Set Up Voice Access for the First Time
Voice Access isn’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to turn it on before you can use it. Here’s how:
- Press Windows + U to open the Accessibility settings.
- Navigate to Speech using the Tab key or arrow keys (or click it if you’re using a mouse).
- Choose Voice access and turn the toggle switch to On.
The first time you enable it, Windows will download a speech model. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go — no additional software is needed.
Now you can turn Voice Access on and off at any time:
- Press Windows + Control + S to toggle Voice Access on or off.
- Once it’s on, use Alt + Shift + C to wake it (start listening) or Alt + Shift + B to put it to sleep.
When Voice Access is active, you’ll see (or hear) a small control bar appear at the top of the screen.
Voice Access Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
| Win + Control + S | Turn Voice Access on or off |
| Alt + Shift + C | Wake Voice Access (start listening) |
| Alt + Shift + B | Put Voice Access to sleep (stop listening) |
Voice Access Commands
Voice Access supports a wide range of commands — from controlling apps to simulating keyboard actions. Here are just a few examples:
- “Press [key]” – simulates pressing a specific key (for example, “Press Enter”)
- “Press [key] [number] times” – repeats a key press (for example, “Press Tab three times”)
- “Press and hold [key]” / “Release [key]” – hold or release modifier keys like Shift or Control
- “Click [button name]” – clicks a button by name
- “Dismiss” – acts like pressing Esc
- “What can I say?” – opens a full list of available commands
- “Open voice shortcuts” – opens the shortcut manager
- “Scroll down” / “Scroll up” – scrolls the page
- “Switch to [app name]” – changes the active window
And because Voice Access includes dictation, you can dictate text in any field without switching modes — making it a more complete solution than Voice Typing when you want both control and text input.
Voice Access vs Voice Typing: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Voice Access | Voice Typing |
| Purpose | Full PC control + dictation | Speech-to-text input only |
| Introduced in | Windows 11 (22H2+) | Windows 10+ |
| Works offline | Yes (after setup) | Usually requires internet |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Win + Control + S, Alt + Shift + C, Alt + Shift + B | Win + H, Win + Alt + H |
| Navigation and commands | Yes – launch apps, press keys, scroll, click | No – text input only |
| Custom voice shortcuts | Yes | No |
| Best use case | Accessibility, hands-free control, full automation | Quick dictation and writing tasks |
Which One Should You Use?
Choosing between Voice Typing and Voice Access comes down to what you want to do.
- Choose Voice Typing if your main goal is to speak text into documents, emails, or forms quickly and easily. It’s lightweight, fast, and requires almost no setup.
- Choose Voice Access if you want complete control of your computer. It lets you launch apps, switch windows, click buttons, and dictate text all in one place.
- Voice Typing is a great way to start using your voice in Windows, but Voice Access is where the real power lies when you want to go beyond text and start controlling your PC hands-free.
Helpful Microsoft Resources
Here are some official Microsoft resources that can help you go deeper:
- Set up voice access – Step-by-step instructions for turning on and configuring Voice Access.
- Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC – A guide to using Voice Typing, including shortcuts and tips.
- Use a screen reader to dictate a document in Word – How dictation works when using a screen reader in Microsoft Word.
- Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) – Background information about the older system Voice Access is replacing.
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