How to fix ‘Speech recognition could not start’ issue

Many people want to know how to fix ‘Speech recognition could not start’ issue. When people try to start the Speech Recognition feature in Windows 11/10, they often get a message that says “Speech Recognition could not start.” Most of the time, this problem happens when ctfmon.exe is not set to start automatically when Windows starts. But there are other things that can cause this error, like a change in the language of the recognizer.

Speech recognition makes it possible for your computer to have features like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and even voice access. But speech recognition doesn’t always work, and when it doesn’t, your computer will show a pop-up window that says “Speech recognition could not start.” This problem isn’t new to Windows. Users have been having it since the Vista version.

The following error message shows up on the PC screen whenever they try to start the Speech Recognition. There are a few ways to get around this problem, such as starting ctfmon.exe at startup, changing the Speech settings, adding a new recognition profile, etc. Let’s try each workaround one at a time to see which one solves your problem. Here are the many ways how to fix ‘Speech recognition could not start’ issue.

What is speech recognition?

Speech recognition, also called automatic speech recognition (ASR) or voice recognition, is a technology that lets computers or systems turn spoken language into written text or machine-readable commands. It is a part of natural language processing (NLP), which is a larger field. The main goal of speech recognition is to understand and interpret human speech correctly. This is done by turning spoken words into a digital format that machines can read and understand.

With this technology, people can talk to their computers, phones, virtual assistants, and other devices instead of typing or pressing buttons. Speech recognition systems use complex algorithms and models, which are often based on machine learning, to find patterns in audio signals and figure out what words are being said. Through training on data and adapting to different voices and accents, these systems are always learning and getting better at what they do.

Causes of the ‘Speech recognition could not start’ issue

1. Microphone Issues: If the microphone is not working properly or is muted, it can prevent speech recognition from starting.
2. Audio Driver Problems: Outdated or faulty audio drivers can interfere with speech recognition functionality.
3. Permission Settings: Incorrect or insufficient permissions for the microphone can prevent speech recognition from accessing it.
4. Background Applications: Other applications using the microphone simultaneously can conflict with speech recognition.
5. Language Packs: Missing or corrupted language packs necessary for speech recognition can cause the issue.
6. Internet Connection: An unstable or interrupted internet connection can affect cloud-based speech recognition services.
7. Software Conflicts: Conflicts with other software or settings on the computer can interfere with speech recognition.

How to fix ‘Speech recognition could not start’ issue

Make sure your microphone in use is working properly

1. Check to see if your microphone is working right. Check to see if the wires are still whole and not cut or broken. Make sure there are no breaks in it.
2. If you’re sure the microphone isn’t broken, you should go to its properties.
3. Open the Control Panel to do this. One way to do this is to press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, then type “control” in the search bar and press Enter to open it.
4. Once you are in the Control Panel, you need to go to the Sound settings. To find the Sound section faster, go to the View by menu in the top right corner and choose Large icons.
5. Once the Sound settings show up on your screen, click the Recording tab. Then, look for the microphone you want to use in Speech Recognition and double-click on it to open its properties.
6. You need to look at the volume of your microphone by going to the Levels section. All you have to do is make sure the volume on the microphone is at its highest level.
7. Also, make sure that the microphone is turned on and that all the settings are correct.
8. Once you’re sure the microphone is working right, try again to see if the Speech Recognition works now.

Check speech language

If your software doesn’t recognize what you say into the microphone, it could be because you have the wrong language set for speech recognition. Here are some ways to check and fix this.

1. Right-click on the Start button and choose Settings from the menu.
2. Go to the tab on the left that says Time and Language.
3. Scroll down in the right pane and click on Speech.
4. Check the language used in the speech and change it if it is wrong.

Check for microphone permissions

1. Right-click on the Start button and choose Settings from the menu.
2. In the Settings window, go to the list on the left and click on the Privacy and Security tab.
3. Scroll down to App permissions and click on Microphone in the right pane.
4. Turn on the Microphone access switch and let your apps use the microphone.

Run Speech Recognition at Startup

When you run into this problem, the first thing you should do is force your computer to start Speech Recognition when it starts up. If you do this, the feature will start automatically when you turn on your computer. This was sometimes enough for Speech Recognition to work.

All you need to do is go to Speech Recognition’s properties and change the setting so that it starts when the computer does. After you do this and save the changes, they will take effect when your PC starts up again. Here are the steps you need to take if you don’t know how to do it:

1. Open the Control Panel. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box, then type “control” in the search bar and press Enter. The Control Panel will automatically open.
2. Once you’re in the Control Panel, click the Ease of Access button. This will take you to a new screen with accessibility options, such as Speech Recognition.
3. On the next screen, click on Speech Recognition.
4. In the Speech Recognition settings, look on the left side until you find the Advanced speech options.
5. Now that you’re in the Speech Recognition properties, go to the Speech Recognition tab and look for the User Settings. You will see the option to Run Speech Recognition at Startup right below them. Make sure to click the box next to them to turn on this option.
6. After that, click the Apply button to save these changes.
7. Once you’ve done that, you just need to restart your PC to see if Speech Recognition works the next time it starts up.

Run the Recording audio troubleshooter

1. Right-click on the Start button and choose Settings from the menu.
2. Go to the System tab on the list on the left side of the Settings window.
3. Scroll down in the right pane and click on Troubleshoot. Select Other troubleshooters on the next page.
4. From the list of troubleshooters, choose Run for the one that says “Recording Audio.”

Conclusion

Speech recognition makes it possible for your computer to use voice-to-text, text-to-speech, and even voice access. But sometimes speech recognition doesn’t work, and when that happens, your computer will show you a pop-up message that says “speech recognition could not start.” Don’t worry; we’ll give you a list of ways to fix the speech recognition error on Windows. If you want to know more information about this issue so you can visit Microsoft Official Website.

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