Add Speech Recognition Context Menu in Windows 10

Menu Context Menu Icon

Windows provides both a device-based speech recognition feature (available through the Windows Speech Recognition Desktop app), and a cloud-based speech recognition service in those markets and regions where Cortana is available. For your convenience, you can add a special command to start Speech Recognition directly from the Desktop context menu.

Windows Speech Recognition lets you control your PC with your voice alone, without needing a keyboard or mouse. There's a special wizard to help you get started. You need to plug in your microphone, and then configure Windows Speech Recognition. Speech Recognition is a nice addition to the dictation feature of Windows 10.

Speech Recognition is only available for the following languages: English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Australia), French, German, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional), and Spanish.

From our previous article, we have learned the command that is used to start the Speech Recognition app. The command looks as follows:

C:\WINDOWS\Speech\Common\sapisvr.exe -SpeechUX -Startup

Let's add it to the context menu.

You need to sign in as Administrator before proceeding.

To add the Speech Recognition context menu in Windows 10, do the following.

  1. Download the following ZIP archive: Download ZIP archive.
  2. Extract its contents to any folder. You can place the files directly to the Desktop.
  3. Unblock the files.
  4. Double click on the Add Speech Recognition To Desktop Context Menu.reg file to merge it.
  5. To remove the entry from the context menu, use the provided file Remove Speech Recognition From Desktop Context Menu.reg.

You are done!

How it works

The Registry files above modify the Registry branch

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\

Tip: See how to go to a Registry key with one click.

They add a new subkey named 'SpeechRecognition'. Under the 'SpeechRecognition\Command' subkey it contains the mentioned command

C:\WINDOWS\Speech\Common\sapisvr.exe -SpeechUX -Startup

When you click on the Speech Recognition context menu entry, Explorer starts the command and opens the Speech Recognition app.

That's it.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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