Speak Up: How to Use Speech Recognition and Dictate Text in Windows

Did you know that you can issue commands to Windows? You can instruct the operating system to open applications, dictate text, and perform many other tasks. This can be done through Cortana, or you can use speech recognition built right into Windows 10 and 11 to speak to any supported version of Windows.

Once you teach the operating system to understand the sound of your voice, it will respond to your commands. This is a feature that is particularly useful for users with disabilities who cannot use a mouse and keyboard, but it is also available to everyone. There’s even a built-in reference guide to show you what commands you can use.

Windows also offers dictation, which you can use to create documents, emails, and other files with the sound of your voice. Once dictation is active, you can dictate text as well as punctuation, special characters, and cursor movement.

Both features work similarly in Windows 10 and 11, however, there are some differences in the look and layout of the Dictation Box. Let’s see how to use speech recognition and dictation in Windows.

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Activate online speech recognition

To use speech recognition in Windows 10, you must first enable online speech recognition. This is possible when you open Settings > Privacy > Language and enable Online Speech Recognition.

While this is required in Windows 10, it is only optional in Windows 11. If you want to enable this feature, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Language and turn on Online Speech Recognition.

Read the Microsoft privacy statement to resolve any privacy concerns you may have about this feature(Opens in a new window)which describes how it works.

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How to use dictation

Open an application in which you want to dictate text, e.g. B. Notepad, WordPad, Microsoft Word or Mail. To start the dictation, press the Windows key + H.

If you’re using Windows 10, you’ll see the rectangular Dictation Box at the top of the screen with a message saying it’s listening.

For Windows 11 users, the square dictation box will appear at the bottom of the screen, also with a message telling you it’s listening.

When you start speaking, Windows is intelligent enough to do certain tasks automatically, such as B. to capitalize the first word of a sentence. You can then dictate punctuation and start a new paragraph by saying “period,” “comma,” “new line,” “new paragraph,” or whatever action Windows needs to take. Here are the punctuation marks and symbols that Microsoft says you can dictate:

If you make a mistake, simply undo it by saying “undo”. Your last word, phrase or sentence will then be removed. If you stop speaking for a few seconds, the dictation stops listening. You can also stop the dictation yourself by saying “Stop dictation” or by clicking the microphone icon. Click it again to start dictation again.

Suppose you have finished writing and need to edit the text to correct mistakes or change certain words. You can edit by voice, although the process is more cumbersome than using a mouse and keyboard. But if you know the right phrases, you might want to give it a try. Here are the editing commands that Microsoft says you can dictate:

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How to use voice recognition

Speech recognition is another option if you want to control Windows 8.1, 10 or 11 with your voice. To set this up, open the Control Panel in Icon view and click voice recognition applet. Select the Start speech recognition Link to set up the feature.

The first Speech Recognition setup screen explains what the feature does and how it works. click Next, and then choose whether you’re using a headset, desktop, or standalone microphone. click Next to display information about the correct placement of your microphone.

click Next again and read the sentence aloud to ensure that speech recognition picks up the tone and volume of your voice. click Nextand if your voice has been recognized correctly, the screen will tell you that the microphone is set up and ready to use.

click Next and decide whether you want the speech recognition feature to examine the documents and e-mail messages in your Windows search index. This helps the feature better understand the words you typically use. If you agree, click Enable document verification. If you have privacy concerns, click Disable document checking. Click next.

click Next, and then choose the activation mode. Choose Use manual activation mode if you want to enable voice recognition by clicking the microphone button. Choose Use voice activation mode to start speech recognition by saying “Start listening”.

Click Next to see a reference sheet that lists all the commands you can issue with your vote. press the View reference sheet Key to open and read a web page with all voice commands. Looking for what to say? Those voice commands(Opens in a new window) work on Windows 10 and 11.

click Next, and then choose whether you want speech recognition to load automatically every time you start Windows. click Next to get the opportunity to learn how to use the function. click start tutorial for a built-in lesson, or click Skip tutorial to bypass this part.

If you choose to run the tutorial, you’ll see an interactive webpage with videos and instructions on how to use speech recognition in Windows. The voice recognition panel is also displayed at the top of the screen.

You can now talk to your computer or customize the speech recognition tool. Return to Control Panel and open it voice recognition. press the Advanced language options Link to optimize speech recognition and text-to-speech features.

If you right-click the microphone button in the speech recognition area at the top of the screen, a pop-up window will appear. From this menu you can access various functions and configure various options.