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voice access wake up

Peninah Kalemera 0 Reputation points
2026-05-18T07:45:22.19+00:00

voice icon shows an alert sign, i can hear but can't be heard . have turned on the voice icon in the settings.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accessibility
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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-18T07:45:40.2566667+00:00

    The alert on the Voice access microphone icon with “can hear but can’t be heard” usually means the mic is blocked or Voice access is in Sleep/off state rather than actively listening.

    Check these in order:

    1. Confirm Voice access is listening
      • If the mic is in Sleep state, say: "Voice access wake up" or "Unmute".
      • Or use the keyboard shortcut: Alt+Shift+B to toggle between Sleep and Listening.
      • If the mic is Off, press Alt+Shift+C to turn it on, or left‑click/long‑press the microphone button as in the table below:
      Action Keyboard Mouse on mic button
      Wake up Voice access Alt+Shift+B From sleep: left‑click; from mic off: long press
      Make Voice access sleep Alt+Shift+B From listening: left‑click
      Turn off microphone Alt+Shift+C From listening: long press
      Turn on microphone Alt+Shift+C Left‑click
    2. Verify Windows microphone privacy
      • Go to Start > Settings > Privacy > Microphone.
      • Under Allow access to the microphone on this device, select Change and make sure it is On.
      • Scroll down to Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your microphone and ensure access is On for any app being used with Voice access.
    3. Make sure Windows can hear the microphone
      • If the mic is not working system‑wide, follow the steps in Fix Microphone Privacy Settings and, if needed, the broader audio troubleshooting in Windows.

    If Voice access is listening, microphone access is allowed in Privacy settings, and the mic works in other apps, the alert should clear and commands like “Voice access wake up” should be recognized.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Clary-N 12,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-19T09:09:32.0166667+00:00

    Hi Peninah Kalemera,

    Thank you for the detailed information and I appreciate you sharing what you’ve already tried.

    From your description, the alert on the microphone icon typically indicates that Voice Access is either not actively listening or is unable to receive input from the microphone. The steps previously provided by the Q&A Assist cover the key checks around waking Voice Access and verifying microphone permissions, which are a great starting point.

    If those have already been confirmed, you may also want to review the following additional checks to help isolate the issue further:

    First, please make sure that the correct input device is selected. Go to Settings > System > Sound, and under Input, confirm that your intended microphone is chosen. If multiple input devices are listed (for example, a built-in microphone, USB headset or Bluetooth device), Voice Access may be listening to a different device than expected.

    While you’re in the same section, you can also test the microphone. Speak into the device and observe the input level indicator. If there’s no movement, it means Windows is not detecting any audio input from the microphone, which would prevent Voice Access from working.

    It would also help to check whether the microphone works in other applications, such as Sound Recorder or Teams. If it does not work there either, this would point to a system-level issue (for example, device connection, mute state or driver-related concern) rather than Voice Access specifically.

    Additionally, please check for any physical mute buttons on your headset or microphone and try reconnecting the device or using a different USB port if applicable. In some cases, other applications such as Teams or legacy speech recognition tools may take control of the microphone, so closing those apps can also help rule out conflicts.

    If the microphone input is detected correctly in Sound settings but Voice Access still shows the alert icon, feel free to share a screenshot of your Sound input configuration and confirm the type of microphone you’re using (built-in, USB or Bluetooth). I’ll be glad to take a closer look and help you further.

    Looking forward to your update.

    If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

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