Speech Commands lets visitors use recognized spoken phrases to perform supported actions on the website. It can reduce repeated pointer use for actions such as scrolling or opening a link.
This is different from Read Aloud: speech commands listen for instructions, while Read Aloud speaks page content.
Start speech navigation
- Open the widget and expand Helper.
- Select Speech Commands.
- Allow microphone access if the browser requests it and you want to use voice input.
- Open Commands to review the phrases available on the current page.
- Speak a displayed command clearly and wait for the result.
The browser needs compatible speech-recognition support. A visible control alone does not establish that recognition is supported on the current device.
Use the command overview
The overview combines general commands with commands derived from supported page elements. The list can therefore differ between pages.
Use the wording shown in the overview, especially for a link, section, search field, form, or video. Recognition is not an unrestricted conversation with an assistant.
Examples
In an English interface, general phrases include:
- Scroll down and Scroll up to move through the page.
- Go home to request navigation to the homepage.
- Enable read aloud and Stop read aloud to control reading assistance.
- Highlight links to make links easier to notice.
- Disable speech commands to stop voice control.
Page-specific phrases may include open link followed by the name shown for an available link. Check the overview rather than guessing the label.
For example, use “scroll down” to reach more content, then use a listed link command to open the next page. Wait for navigation to finish before speaking another instruction.
Forms and media
Some pages can expose commands for forms, search, and video playback. Availability depends on the detected elements and command language.
Review entered information before using any listed submit action. After a command, check the website's actual result rather than relying only on recognition feedback.
Stop listening
Turn Speech Commands off in the widget or use a supported spoken stop command. Closing the panel is not the same action as turning voice input off.
If a command is not recognized
Check microphone permission, background noise, the selected language, and the wording in Commands. Use the ordinary page controls if recognition remains unavailable.
Language coverage can differ between general and page-generated commands. Do not assume that every translated widget interface has an identical command set.
For the keyboard toggle, see Using Keyboard Shortcuts.