Go hands-free with Windows 11! See how voice access feature works

The latest Windows 11 was released on October 5, and since then it has rolled out a number of new features and patches to fix bugs. In the recent version 22518, it includes a number of new features such as daily wallpaper tool, a widget button and for the user's convenience, an advanced hands-free control system called Voice Access. Microsoft is one of the leading companies in voice recognition and speech synthesis and therefor, much is expected of the Windows 11 voice access feature.

The recent Windows 11 voice access feature is different from Microsoft's Speech Recognition tool, as it lets you control every part of the Operating System unlike the Speech Recognition tool which works for a few elements. All you need is your voice and the system's microphone. That's all and your system will be hands free with Windows 11 Voice Access. Voice Access can also be used to browse through apps, interact with GUI elements, replicate mouse actions, and perform other odd tasks that would normally involve hands-on control or expensive accessible hardware.

How will Windows 11 Voice Access work?

Following the activation of Voice Access, a top menu bar will display your voice requests in real time, the way Siri or Google Assistant appears on your device now. Moreover, Voice Access does not require an internet connection because it processes all voice data locally on your device.

You can turn off the Voice Access feature or on at any moment with simple commands, making it a useful tool for both impaired and non-disabled users. Even if you are tired enough to type, just command your Windows 11. That means now, even if you need to write long emails, you can quickly dictate it to your Voice Access feature. Or think about using it while cooking, you can easily command it to pick or cut a call or browse to other websites without making it dirty.

The interesting part of the Voice access feature is the use of grid and number overlays. This enables you to interact with UI elements that are complex or unnamed. The number overlay adds a number to each on-screen button, UI element, or menu, while the grid overlay divides your screen into nine control zones. Your voice command can even show or hide these overlays.

But for now, the Voice Access feature is available to Windows 11 Insider build. When it will be available to all other users of Windows 11, is not clear yet. Additionally, the Voice Access feature only supports English voice commands, for the rest of the language, a long wait seems a head.