Windows 10: Enable or Disable Speech Recognition Voice Activation in Windows 10

How to: Enable or Disable Speech Recognition Voice Activation in Windows 10

How to Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition in Windows 10


When you set up Speech Recognition in Windows 10, it lets you control your PC with your voice alone, without needing a keyboard or mouse.

Using only your voice, you can open menus, click buttons and other objects on the screen, dictate text into documents, and write and send emails. Just about anything you do with your keyboard and mouse can be done with only your voice.

Speech Recognition is only available for the following languages: English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Australia), French, German, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional), and Spanish.

You can choose to enable or disable voice activation mode for Speech Recognition.

• Enable voice activation mode - Windows Speech Recognition turns off when you say the "Stop Listening" voice command, and must be turned on by clicking on the microphone button or pressing the Ctrl+Windows keys
• Disable voice activation mode - Speech Recognition goes into sleep mode when not in use, and can be activated by saying the "Start Listening" voice command.

See also:

• Use speech recognition | Windows Support
• Windows Speech Recognition voice commands | Windows Support

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable voice activation for Speech Recognition for your account in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition in Advanced Speech Options
• Option Two: Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition using a REG file

OPTION ONE [/i] Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition in Advanced Speech Options
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Speech Recognition icon.

2. Click/tap on the Advanced speech options link on the left side. (see screenshot below)



3. In the Speech Recognition tab, check (enable) or uncheck (disable - default) Enable voice activation for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)



4. You can now close the Speech Recognition control panel if you like.





OPTION TWO [/i] Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition using a REG file

*note The downloadable .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Speech\Preferences

ModeForOff DWORD

1 = Disable
2 = Enable


1. Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Enable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Enable_voice_activation_for_Speech_Recognition_for_current_user.reg

Download

3. To Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition
*note This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Disable_voice_activation_for_Speech_Recognition_for_current_user.reg

Download

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Set Up Speech Recognition in Windows 10
• How to Start Speech Recognition in Windows 10
• How to Create a Start Speech Recognition Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Add Start Speech Recognition Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Add, Delete, and Change Speech Recognition Profiles in Windows 10
• How to Change Speech Recognition Language in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Run Speech Recognition at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Document Review for Speech Recognition in Windows 10
• How to Add, Delete, Prevent, and Edit Speech Recognition Dictionary Words in Windows 10

:)

 

Speech recognition errors

Hi Steve,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.


I understand your query regarding speech recognition on the software you are using for Speech Recognizer. Let me help you in resolving the issue.

I would appreciate if you can provide us the following information to help us understand the issue better.

• 
  How many language packs are installed and enabled on your computer and what are they?
  
• 
  Does this happen with all the language packs in the computer?
  
• 
  What are the recent changes that you have made to the computer prior to this issue?
  
• 
  Did you try any troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue?
  

The issue might be due to settings on your computer. Let’s refer to the following suggestion and check the issue status.

Refer to these steps and check the issue status.

• 
  Press Windows and X keys together.
  
• 
  Click on Control Panel.
  
• 
  Open Control Panel then Speech Recognition Options.
  
• 
  In the upper right of the Speech Recognition Option window click
  Advanced Speech Options.
  
• 
  Remove the checkmark next to, ‘Allow computer to review your documents’.
  
• 
  Click Apply and click OK
  

Refer below article to Use Speech Recognition:

Voice recognition in Windows 10

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/use-voice-recognition-in-windows-10#v1h=tab02

Keep us posted on Windows related queries and we will be happy to assist you further.

 

Win 10 Speech Recognition

I was going to try the settings one more time as you suggested. However I ran into deadlock even at the first step:



“…Select the
Speech Recognition > Set up Speech Recognition page…”



No such choice as “Set up Speech Recognition”. How can I send you the screen shot?

 

Speech Recognition shortcut on the desktop?


Several threads suggest making a shortcut using the following string to turn on Windows 10 native Speech Recognition:

%windir%\Speech\Common\sapisvr.exe -SpeechUX

However, I am trying for a Desktop Shortcut which enables Speech Recognition AND opens the Control Widget (the oval with the Microphone in the circle to control Mic on-off, etc.).

When I program in the suggested shortcut, the Control Widget does not appear and I'm not sure that SR is even turned on =no way to know since no way to turn on microphone that I know of without the Widget.

How can I enable SR to turn on, and the Widget to appear, through a desktop shortcut?

Also, I am just beginning to use this Windows native Speech Recognition, so I'm not too familiar with it yet but early results are promising. I have always used Dragon but have given up on that. I use speech recognition for voice to text dictation and not commands controlling the PC, etc.

I am gravitating toward the old Speech Recognition and not Speech Services (Win-H). Why? Because as I understand it, Speech Services (Win-H) relies on the Cloud back and forth, while Speech Services is wholly within the PC. Would rather not tie up Internet resources which might slow the process of dictation voice to text.

Any comments if the Cloud slows this down and whether your experience is that Speech Services is more, or less, accurate / easy to use than Win-H.

BTW, I have pretty much disabled Cortana, so maybe this disables Win-H, but I might reenable Cortana if Win-H is much better.

Thanks.

I have Windows 10 64 bit latest updates installed.

 

Windows Speech Recognition

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

I would require more information to help you better.

Are facing any issue with speech recognition?

I would suggest you to follow the steps to see Advance speech options.

• Press Windows+X key on the keyboard
• Click on control panel
• Select speech recognition
• On the left hand pane you will see Advance speech option
  

I would also suggest you to refer to the below link:

How to use Speech Recognition

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-8/using-speech-recognition

(Step applies to Windows 10 as well)

Hope this information helps and let us know if you have any further queries related to Windows we will be glad to help you.

 

Win 10 Speech Recognition

Hi Sidneylo,

With the description you've provided regarding the issue on your Windows 10 Speech Recognition, it's possible that some of its settings may not be enabled on your system. To sort this out, allow me to ask the following information:

• Was Speech Recognition working fine before?
• Were there any changes made or updates installed on your computer prior to the issue?
• On what edition, build, and version of Windows 10 is your computer running? To check, navigate to
  Settings > System> About, and look for Windows specifications.

In the meantime, try to turn off, then turn back on the speech recognition and see if it works. If the issue persists, then I suggest that you reconfigure it. Here are the steps:

1. In the Cortana search, type in Control Panel, and select it from the search results.
2. If the View by is in Category view, click the drop-down and select either large or
   small icons.
3. Select the Speech Recognition > Set up Speech Recognition page, then click
   Next.
4. Select the type of microphone you have, hit Next, then follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Once you're on the Improve speech recognition accuracy, make sure to select
   Enable document review, then hit Next.
6. Select the Use voice activation mode since you want to activate it by using the
   Start Listening command, then hit Next.
7. If you want to start this feature at startup, select Start automatically at startup. If not, choose the other option, then hit
   Next.
8. Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to complete the set up.

For more information, please check out:

Windows Speech Recognition commands

Use speech recognition

Please update this thread with the result so I'll be able to further assist you.

Regards.