Accessibility Change Voice Access "Wait time before acting" in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to change the Voice Access "Wait time before acting" on voice command setting for your account in Windows 11.

Voice access in Windows 11 enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control their PC and author text using their voice. For example, you can open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and author emails using your voice. Voice access uses modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and works even without the internet.

Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.7019 (24H2) and build 26200.7019 (25H2), Microsoft is introducing a new Wait time before acting setting in voice access, allowing users to configure the delay before a voice command is executed. This provides greater flexibility for users with varying speech patterns, enabling more accurate recognition whether speaking slowly or quickly.








1 Turn on Voice Access.

2 Click/tap on the Settings (gear) icon on the right side of the voice access toolbar at the top of the screen. (see screenshot below)

3 Click/tap on Wait time before acting in the drop menu.

4 Select the Instant (0.1 seconds), Very Short (0.2 seconds), Short (0.3 seconds), Medium (default - 0.5 seconds), Long (1.0 seconds), Extended (2.0 seconds), or Very Long (3.0 seconds) time you want.







1 Do step 2 (Instant), step 3 (Very Short), step 4 (Short), step 5 (Medium), step 6 (Long), step 7 (Extended), or step 8 (Very Long) below for what you want.





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)

This is the default setting.

(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)

9 Save the REG file to your desktop.

10 If you have Smart App Control turned on, you will need to unblock the downloaded REG file.

11 Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.

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

13 If Voice Access is currently turned on, then turn off and on Voice Access to apply.

14 You can now delete the downloaded REG file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink