Here’s how effective Windows voice typing is

Q: How effective is Windows voice typing?

A: If you’ve become accustomed to talking to your smartphone to generate text or email messages, you can do the same thing on your PC with a tool built into Windows 10 and 11.

The ‘voice typing’ feature is a tool that can be very useful for those who are tasked with inputting text throughout the day.

It allows you to dictate text instead of typing and use voice access commands for tasks that usually require a mouse click.

Getting It Setup

Go to Windows Settings > Accessibility > Speech and make sure the ‘Voice Access’ switch is turned on. If it isn’t, you’ll need to go through a few steps to get the voice module downloaded and installed.

You’ll also have the option of determining when you want voice access to start (before or after you sign in) or neither if you want to manually activate it.

The advantage to having it start automatically is that you can use your voice to turn on the microphone by saying ‘voice access wake up’.

Make sure you go through the brief tutorial to understand all of the available options and how to use them.

If your computer is older or isn’t running properly, you may experience long lags in the text appearing.

The On/Off Toggle

Once you’ve confirmed that everything is setup, press Windows + H on your keyboard to bring up the voice typing interface, which is a small pop-up that prompts you to start speaking.

Make sure you click on the text box or app where you want the text to appear. As you dictate, your words appear in the active window.

It’s best in a quiet environment and you’ll want to speak clearly and a little slower for the best results. You can also use voice commands like “delete” to remove words or “new line” to start a new paragraph. It’s an intuitive way to let your voice take the lead.

Now, let’s dive into a couple specific ways you can use voice typing in your daily life.

Easy Email Composition

Writing emails can be a time-consuming task, especially if you’re juggling multiple conversations. With voice typing, you can dictate your emails instead of having to type them out. Try opening your email app, clicking in the body of the message, hit Windows + H, and start speaking.

For instance, you could say: “Hi Samantha comma I wanted to follow up on the project timeline period Could we schedule a call next week question mark.”

Proofreading the results, especially as you get started is vital.

Quickly Capture Ideas

Have you ever had a great idea while working but didn’t want to disrupt your flow by typing it out? Voice typing can help you quickly capture thoughts, brainstorms, or to-do lists. Open a note-taking app, start voice typing, and let your ideas flow.

Practicing Is Key

As with any new skill, the more you use it, the easier it gets. I suggest you work with the tool on non-essential tasks to get the hang of how and when it might be a productivity booster.