This product has been discontinued. Microsoft announced the deprecation of Windows Speech Recognition in December 2023 and replaced it with Voice Access on Windows 11 from September 2024. On current Windows 11 builds it has been removed or hidden with no supported way to restore it. Windows 10 and Windows 11 21H2 still include it, but it is no longer developed and will not be fixed. This entry exists because the tool is still widely referenced, and because anyone relying on it needs to know what to move to.
At a glance
Status
Deprecated December 2023. Removed or hidden on Windows 11 22H2+
Replacement
Voice Access, Windows 11 version 22H2 or later
Still present on
Windows 10, Windows 11 21H2 — unsupported and unmaintained
Voice Access is Microsoft's supported successor, available on Windows 11 22H2 and later. It handles full PC control by voice and is substantially more capable than the tool it replaced — Microsoft's own framing, and broadly borne out by coverage. It is a different product from Google's Android app of the same name, which this directory lists as Voice Access; the name collision is unfortunate and not something either company seems inclined to fix.
If you only need dictation rather than device control, Win+H opens Windows Voice Typing, which is actively maintained.
Why it mattered
It was the free accessibility baseline on Windows for two decades, alongside Dragon Professional at the paid end.
It worked offline and on-device, which its successors partly do not — Win+H routes audio through Azure by default.
Third-party tools were built on it.Dragonfly and Caster both support Windows Speech Recognition as an engine, and its removal affects those setups on current Windows 11.
What to do about it
On Windows 11 22H2 or later: switch to Voice Access. It's free, built in, and supported.
On Windows 10: it still works, but plan a migration. Windows 10 support is itself ending, and nothing here will be fixed.
If you need offline, on-device dictation: neither Voice Access nor Win+H fully guarantee that. Handy is free, open source, and runs entirely locally on Windows.
If you use Dragonfly or Caster with the WSR engine: move to Kaldi before upgrading Windows.
Pricing
Free, where it still exists.
Who it's for
Nobody, going forward. If you found this looking for Windows voice control, install Voice Access on Windows 11 or use Win+H for dictation. If you need something that runs locally, Handy does.
Last verified: 10 August 2026. This product is discontinued; the entry is retained for reference.
Similar to Windows Speech Recognition
Windows Speech Recognition: Deprecated in 2023, removed from Windows 11 — use Voice Access instead – Dictation Database
Free, offline, full device control — and natural language is coming
Accessibility
Apple's built-in voice control for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Works fully offline, costs nothing, and gains natural language input via Apple Intelligence in 2026.
The literacy toolbar for dyslexia support — now from Everway, not Texthelp
Accessibility
Literacy support toolbar with speech input, text-to-speech, and word prediction. Education pricing around $15/licence at 150+ seats. Texthelp is now Everway.
