For the visually or hearing-impaired user, managing Windows can sometimes prove tricky. Thankfully, there are several “Ease of Access” features which, once enabled, can help improve your Windows experience. Here we will take a look at two such features, Narrator and Speech Recognition. We will also discuss the steps you need to take to enable them.

Narrator in Windows 8

A built-in screen reader, Narrator can be used for several different functions. For instance, it can tell Windows users what they are doing with the keyboard and mouse.

In Windows 8, Narrator is available in several languages besides English, including Japanese, French, and Spanish.

Below are 3 shortcuts for activating Narrator in Windows 8.

• Using keyboard – Press and hold Windows Logo & Enter key together
• Tablet – Simultaneously press Windows Logo Key & Volume Up Button
• Sign in Screen – Click Ease of Access (located in bottom left-hand corner)

In the Narrator window, you can choose the way you want to use it as well as tweak its settings to suit your needs.

Speech Recognition for Narrator in Windows 8

To use this feature, you must complete two steps. These steps are setting up a microphone & training Windows 8 to recognize your voice. Before we learn how to do both, lets look over some important features offered by Speech Recognition.

• Control Windows 8 by using voice command – By using different short commands a user can perform a number of actions like opening applications or accessing files
• Dictation – By using your voice and certain commands you can construct spoken text as well as navigate through it

Setting up a microphone for Narrator in Windows 8

To set up the microphone you will need to complete the following steps:

• Browse to Search
• Type ‘set up a microphone’ in the box below Search (the search box). Alternatively click Settings, and then Set up a Microphone (the first listed option)
• Follow the onscreen instructions

Training your pc to recognize your speech

To do this, perform the following 4 steps:

• Browse to Search
• Type ‘speech recognition’ in the box below Search (the search box). Alternatively click Settings, and then Speech (the first listed option)
• Click Train your computer to better understand you

Windows 8 is a big improvement on older Windows versions, especially in terms of performance and stability. Nevertheless, like all operating systems, Windows or otherwise, its performance is likely to drop a little over time. To keep Windows running efficiently you can download and run a driver update tool.

Windows Drivers Updates >>