How to set up and use Windows 11 Voice Typing and Live Captions for hands-free productivity and accessibility

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to set up and use Windows 11 Voice Typing and Live Captions for hands-free productivity and accessibility. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Windows 11 includes two powerful built-in tools that can boost your productivity and make your computer more accessible: Voice Typing, which lets you dictate text anywhere you can type, and Live Captions, which transcribes audio from your apps and meetings in real time. This guide walks you through enabling both features and getting the most out of them on your Windows 11 device.

Setting Up Voice Typing

System Requirements

Before you begin, confirm your device meets these requirements:

• Windows 11 (any edition, version 22H2 or later)
• A working microphone (built-in, USB, or Bluetooth headset)
• An active internet connection is recommended for the most accurate speech recognition, though Voice Typing can also work offline using on-device recognition
• Microphone permissions enabled for the apps you intend to dictate into

Enabling Voice Typing

1. Open Settings by pressing Windows + I.
2. Navigate to Time & language > Language & region.
3. Under Language, confirm your display language is set to English (Australia) or another supported language. Voice Typing works best when the language matches your accent. If your preferred language is not listed, click Add a language and choose one that supports speech recognition.
4. Return to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
5. Ensure Microphone access is toggled On.
6. Scroll down and confirm Let apps access your microphone is also On.

Using Voice Typing

1. Open any text field, such as a new email in Outlook, a Word document, or the search box on the taskbar.
2. Click into the text field to place your cursor.
3. Press Windows + H to launch the Voice Typing toolbar.
4. Click the microphone icon on the floating toolbar, or simply start speaking. A short tone confirms listening has started.
5. Speak naturally at a steady pace. Punctuation is added automatically when you say the relevant command.
6. Press Windows + H again, or click the microphone icon, to stop dictation.

Setting Up Live Captions

Enabling Live Captions

1. Press Windows + Ctrl + L to launch Live Captions immediately. A setup window will appear the first time.
2. If prompted, confirm the microphone access request.
3. Select your preferred caption position: Top of screen, Bottom of screen, or Floating.
4. Choose your caption style. Options include a white text on dark background, large text, or a compact view. You can change these later.
5. Click Done to begin.

You can also enable Live Captions manually:

1. Open Settings with Windows + I.
2. Go to Accessibility > Captions.
3. Toggle Live captions to On.
4. Customise the text size, font, colour, and background to suit your preferences.

Using Live Captions

1. Once enabled, Live Captions appears whenever your device detects audio. A small banner shows the source (for example, System audio or Microphone).
2. To switch the audio source, click the Live Captions window, then select the dropdown arrow and choose Microphone if you want captions for in-person conversations.
3. Drag the captions window to reposition it on your screen.
4. Click the Settings icon within the Live Captions window to adjust style, language, or other options.

Customisation and Settings

Voice Typing Settings

• Auto-punctuation: Auto-punctuation is enabled by default. Toggle it on or off using the voice commands "auto punctuation on" or "auto punctuation off".
• Primary language: Change your spoken language under Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Click the three dots next to your language and select Language options to confirm speech recognition is installed.
• Online speech recognition: Toggle this off under Settings > Privacy & security > Speech if you prefer Voice Typing to use only on-device recognition and not send audio to Microsoft cloud services.

Live Captions Settings

• Caption position: Choose between top, bottom, or floating.
• Caption style: Adjust text size, font, colour, and background opacity.
• Microphone source: Switch between system audio and an external microphone.
• Caption language: Change the language used for transcription from the available list.

Troubleshooting

Voice Typing Not Working

1. Confirm your microphone is selected as the default recording device. Go to Settings > System > Sound > Input and choose the correct device.
2. Test your microphone in Settings > System > Sound > Input > Test your microphone.
3. Make sure the target app has microphone permission. Open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone and verify the app is listed and toggled on.
4. Check your internet connection. Voice Typing uses cloud-based speech recognition for best accuracy, though it can fall back to on-device recognition.
5. Restart the Voice Typing toolbar by pressing Windows + H twice.

Live Captions Not Appearing

1. Confirm Live Captions is enabled in Settings > Accessibility > Captions.
2. Ensure your audio drivers are up to date. Open Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers, right-click your audio device, and select Update driver.
3. If using Bluetooth headphones, verify they are connected and selected as the default playback device.
4. Some virtualised or remote desktop sessions may not pass system audio to Live Captions. Test with audio played locally on the device.

Poor Accuracy or Recognition

1. Speak clearly and at a moderate pace, around 10 to 15 centimetres from the microphone.
2. Reduce background noise by closing windows, moving away from fans, or using a headset with noise cancellation.
3. Confirm the language setting matches your accent. Australian English users should select English (Australia).
4. Run the built-in Speech troubleshooter: Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Speech > Run.

Still Having Issues?