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:

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

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)

Enable or Disable Speech Recognition Voice Activation in Windows 10-speech_recognition_voice_activation-1.jpg

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)

Enable or Disable Speech Recognition Voice Activation in Windows 10-speech_recognition_voice_activation-2.png

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






OPTION TWO

Enable or Disable Voice Activation for Speech Recognition using a REG file


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

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