If you're into voice typing, Windows 11 has your back. The feature isn't new, but seems to have gotten better on the latest version of Windows. But what do you do when it stops working?

If you're accustomed to using voice typing for performing search queries or even writing full documents, you might find making the switch to using the keyboard unpleasant. While the keyboard is an obvious temporary solution, you need to fix voice typing so you can use it again after the lunch break. That's what we're going to help you with.

How to Launch Voice Typing

There are two ways to launch voice typing on Windows 11. Either one works just fine, so go for the one that's more convenient.

The first method for enabling voice typing is pressing the microphone key next to the Spacebar on a touch keyboard. If your key isn't working, it won't trigger the voice typing tool.

The other method that should work in most cases is pressing Win + H. Doing this will bring up the voice typing tool on your screen. Click on the microphone button to start using it.

1. Is Your Microphone Enabled?

As you might expect, disabling your microphone stops voice commands from working. Even if you haven't disabled it yourself, you could've done so inadvertently. Re-enabling the mic is fairly straightforward, though.

To enable the mic, launch the Settings app by pressing Win + I and navigate to Privacy & security > Microphone. Toggle the button next to Microphone on to enable it.

While you're here, also check if the app you're trying to access voice typing with has access to your microphone. For instance, if you're trying to use voice typing on MS Word, make sure Word has access to the mic by checking the button next to it.

enabling mic on Windows

Go back to the app you were trying to use voice typing with and see if it works.

2. Check the Connection to the Microphone

If you're using a wired microphone, a loose connection could be the problem. Since a loosely connected microphone can't relay the sound properly to your system, your voice typing won't work.

The obvious fix is to wiggle the cord in and ensure it's properly inserted. If that doesn't work, try cleaning the port before reconnecting the cord. If you still find yourself out of luck, try connecting the microphone to another computer. If it doesn't work on a different computer, the problem's likely with the headphones, and using a different pair of headphones should fix the issue.

3. Verify if You're Using the Correct Language

Windows lets you choose a language for speech. If you've configured speech settings to default to a different language than the one you want to use for speech typing, it's apparent how that will cause a problem.

You can check which language your computer is currently using for speech from the Settings app. Press Win + I to launch the Settings app and navigate to Time & language > Speech. Select a speech language of your choice and also check the box next to Recognize non-native accents for this language in case you're not a native speaker of the language you've selected.

selecting language for speech

4. Run the Built-In Audio Recording Troubleshooter

Windows comes with a suite of built-in troubleshooters for a range of issues. If you haven't been able to fix voice typing so far, perhaps Windows can find an issue that you didn't and fix it automatically.

While there's no troubleshooter specifically for voice typing issues, there's one for problems with recording audio. Since there's a good chance that the issue is mic-related, you might want to use this troubleshooter.

To run the troubleshooter, press Win + I. Once the Settings app opens, navigate to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Look for Recording Audio in the list and click on the Run button next to it.

running troubleshooter for mic issues to fix voice typing

Doing this will launch the troubleshooting wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions. If the troubleshooter identifies the problem, it will try to fix the problem automatically. If not, there's a last resort.

5. Update the Microphone's Driver

A faulty, corrupt, or outdated driver can result render voice typing unusable. Windows downloads the latest drivers automatically by default. However, in some cases, you'll need to update the driver for your microphone manually.

Press Win + R and type devmgmt.msc to launch the Device Manager. Expand the category called Audio inputs and outputs and find your microphone in the list. Right-click on the microphone device and select Update driver.

updating the mic driver

You'll have the option to let Windows find the best driver and install it automatically, or install the driver manually. In most cases, Windows won't find a driver automatically.

selecting between manual or automatic update

If you do choose the second option, you'll first need the driver installation files downloaded on your PC. You can do this from the manufacturer's website.

Once you have the files, select the second option and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

6. Update Windows

Windows frequently rolls out updates to fix bugs as it keeps identifying them. If a bug in the operating system is causing your voice typing to malfunction, a Windows update can potentially eliminate the issue.

In most cases, Windows will automatically update itself as updates become available unless you've manually disabled automatic updates for your system. If you've disabled updates, you'll need to press Win + I to launch the Settings app and select Windows Update from the left sidebar. Click on the Check for updates button and let Windows scan for currently available updates.

updating windows

Once it completes scanning, you'll see and Download and Install button, provided Windows found updates to download and install. Click on the button and let Windows finish installing the updates.

Voice Typing Up and Running Once Again

Hopefully, one of these fixes worked for you, and you're able to use the voice typing feature again. Sometimes, you may even face a voice typing issue that's app-specific. For instance, when voice typing won't work in Google Docs.

Windows can often run into strange issues, and a voice typing issue is certainly one of them. However, there are a few other issues in Windows 11 that we hope Microsoft will fix soon.