Windows 11 Insider Preview build 26052 has a hidden feature, and here is how you can enable it
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Key notes
- Microsoft’s Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26052 has a hidden accessibility feature.
- The hidden feature is called Speak for me.
- You need ViveTool to enable the feature.
Microsoft released a new Insider Preview build 26052 yesterday, adding a plethora of new features to Dev and Canary channel users. But beyond what Microsoft labeled as new in the build, there is a noteworthy new feature that’s hidden in the latest Dev and Canary channel update.
As first spotted by PhantomOcean3 on X (previously known as Twitter), a new accessibility feature called “Speak for me” is hidden in Windows 11 Build 26052. The name of the feature pretty much explains what it’s meant to do: it allows you to type what you want Windows to speak aloud, thus creating your voice avatar. You can use that voice to communicate with people in online meetings or in-person conversations.
Microsoft won’t force this feature on users. You’ll be able to press the Win key + Ctrl + T to turn on or off the feature quickly. Alternatively, there is a dedicated page for the “Speak for me” capability in the Settings app. If that’s what you prefer, open the Settings app by pressing the Win key + I key on your keyboard and then navigate to Accessibility > Speak for me and enable/disable the Speak for me toggle.
However, before you know how to enable or disable it, you need to know how to make the hidden feature appear on your PC running Build 26052. Well, it’s super simple: you need to have ViveTool installed on your computer. If you don’t have issues with third-party tools, follow the below steps to enable the feature.
How to enable Speak for me in Windows 11 via ViveTool
- Download ViveTool GUI from GitHub.
- Install the app.
- Open the app and search for feature ID 47123936.
- Enable it.
After you enable the feature ID, you’ll need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect. However, it’s worth taking note that this is currently in the testing phase, and as noted by PhantomOcean3, the feature currently doesn’t work even after enabling it from the Settings page. Nevertheless, we’re hopeful, it’ll start functioning in the coming days.
