How to Fix Hey Copilot Not Working on Windows 11

Microsoft’s new Hey Copilot feature lets you activate Copilot hands-free using just your voice. When it’s working, you can say “Hey Copilot” to launch the assistant, open apps, adjust system settings, and perform tasks without touching the keyboard or mouse.

But for many users, “Hey Copilot” doesn’t respond at all — even when Copilot itself seems to work fine. The issue usually occurs due to disabled voice activation settings, microphone permissions, outdated Windows builds, unsupported regions, or problems with Copilot services.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the best ways to fix Hey Copilot not working on Windows 11 so you can get voice activation working again.

1. Make Sure Your PC Supports “Hey Copilot”

Microsoft is rolling out Hey Copilot gradually, and it’s only available on recent Windows builds.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to System → About.
3. Check your OS version and build number.
4. You should be on Windows 11 24H2 or the latest Insider Preview for full voice activation support.

If you’re on an older version, the feature may not be available yet.

2. Update Windows 11 to Enable Copilot Voice Features

If Hey Copilot isn’t available or not responding, updating your system is the first thing you should do.

1. Open Settings → Windows Update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. Install all available updates, including optional cumulative updates.
4. Restart your PC.

Voice activation features are tied to the latest AI updates, so outdated builds often cause issues.

3. Enable Copilot on the Taskbar

You can’t use Hey Copilot if Copilot isn’t activated at the system level.

1. Open Settings → Personalization → Taskbar.
2. Under Taskbar items, turn on Copilot.
3. Confirm the Copilot icon appears on the taskbar.

If Copilot is disabled, voice activation will not work.

4. Enable Voice Activation Permissions for Copilot

Windows won’t listen for “Hey Copilot” unless voice activation is enabled.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Voice activation.
2. Look for Copilot in the app list.
3. Turn on both:
   • Let apps use voice activation
   • Allow Copilot to respond to “Hey Copilot”

If these toggles are off, Hey Copilot will remain inactive regardless of microphone settings.

5. Check Microphone Permissions

Copilot requires microphone access to hear the wake word.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.
2. Ensure Microphone access is enabled.
3. Scroll down and make sure Copilot or Windows Speech Services is allowed to use the microphone.

If microphone access is blocked, Hey Copilot cannot detect your voice.

6. Test Your Microphone to Ensure Windows Can Hear You

If your microphone is not working properly, Copilot won’t respond.

1. Open Settings → System → Sound.
2. Scroll to Input.
3. Select the correct microphone (avoid “disabled” or “disconnected” devices).
4. Click Start test and speak normally.
5. If Windows does not detect sound:
   • Increase microphone volume
   • Try unplugging and replugging the microphone
   • Switch to a different microphone or headset

This helps confirm whether the issue is with Copilot or your audio hardware.

7. Enable Online Speech Recognition

Copilot relies on cloud voice processing.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Speech.
2. Turn on Online speech recognition.

Without this enabled, Copilot won’t interpret your voice commands.

8. Sign Out and Sign Back Into Your Microsoft Account

Sometimes account authentication breaks voice activation.

1. Open Settings → Accounts.
2. Click Your info.
3. Choose Sign out (if applicable).
4. Sign back in with your Microsoft account.
5. Restart your PC.

This refreshes cloud syncing for Copilot features, including voice activation.

9. Restart Copilot and Windows Voice Services

If background services are stuck, voice activation won’t respond.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Find and restart these processes:
   • Copilot.exe
   • Windows Speech Runtime Executable
   • RuntimeBroker.exe
3. Right-click each and choose End task.
4. Restart the PC.

When these services reload, Hey Copilot often starts working again.

10. Disable Any VPN, Proxy, or Network Filter

Copilot’s voice features require cloud access. A VPN or DNS filter may block connections.

1. Disconnect your VPN.
2. Open Settings → Network & internet → Proxy and disable manual proxies.
3. Reset DNS to automatic if using custom DNS (AdGuard, NextDNS, Pi-hole).
4. Restart the PC.

If Hey Copilot begins working afterward, your network was blocking AI queries.

11. Clear Copilot Cache and Voice Data

Corrupt voice activation data can prevent the wake word from functioning.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Activity history.
2. Click Clear history.
3. Go to Speech → Clear speech data.
4. Restart your PC.

This forces Windows to rebuild fresh voice activation data.

12. Re-Train Your Voice Model

If Copilot doesn’t recognize your voice tone or accent, retraining helps.

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Speech.
2. Follow the steps to improve voice typing and speech recognition.
3. Speak naturally to train Windows’ AI models.

This update improves Hey Copilot’s accuracy.

13. Reset Copilot in Windows Settings

If the integration is corrupted, resetting the Copilot feature can fix it.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
2. Search for Copilot or Microsoft Copilot (if listed).
3. Click Advanced options.
4. Select Repair.
5. If it still doesn’t work, click Reset.
6. Restart your PC.

This restores Copilot’s app files and permissions.

14. Update Audio Drivers

Outdated audio drivers can interfere with microphone detection.

1. Press Windows + X → select Device Manager.
2. Expand Audio inputs and outputs.
3. Right-click your microphone → choose Update driver.
4. Select Search automatically for drivers.
5. Restart your PC after the update.

If Windows cannot hear you properly, Hey Copilot won’t hear the wake word.

15. As a Last Resort: Reset Windows Speech Settings

If everything else fails, resetting speech settings can fix hidden corruption.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Speech.
2. Click Clear data.
3. Then toggle Online speech recognition off → restart → turn it back on again.

This forces Windows to reinitialize all voice services.

Wrapping Up

If Hey Copilot is not working on Windows 11, the issue often involves permissions, microphone settings, outdated system builds, disabled AI features, or blocked voice activation services. By updating Windows, enabling voice activation toggles, checking microphone access, and restarting Copilot-related services, you can restore wake word functionality quickly.

Once fixed, you can open Copilot hands-free and interact with your PC using natural voice commands — making Windows 11 more convenient and intelligent than ever.