In the wake of Microsoft's decision to sunset Cortana in 2023, a noticeable void was left for Windows power users who longed for a truly integrated and powerful voice control system. While Microsoft has pivoted towards its new AI-powered Copilot and the accessibility-focused Voice Access feature, many users still yearn for a solution that is both deeply customizable and respects user privacy. Into this gap steps Talk2Windows, a remarkable open-source project that resurrects the dream of comprehensive voice control for Windows 10 and 11, offering a level of command-line power and local processing that its predecessors never achieved.

This free tool is not just another simple voice assistant; it's a robust framework that leverages the power of PowerShell and a dedicated voice recognition engine to give users granular control over their operating system. From launching applications and managing system settings to executing complex scripts and inserting text snippets, Talk2Windows presents a compelling vision for the future of hands-free computing on the Windows platform. It’s what many enthusiasts hoped Cortana would become: a powerful, scriptable, and private digital co-pilot for their PC.

The Core Engine: Understanding Serenade

At the heart of Talk2Windows is a crucial dependency: the Serenade app. Originally designed as a tool for developers to write code using natural speech, Serenade provides the sophisticated speech-to-code engine that Talk2Windows builds upon. It’s an open-source application in its own right, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it can be configured to run its speech recognition models either in the cloud or, more importantly for privacy advocates, entirely locally on your machine.

When you install Talk2Windows, you are essentially installing a massive library of pre-written PowerShell scripts and then using a setup script to register these as custom commands within Serenade. Each voice command, such as "Windows, open calculator" or "Windows, check CPU temperature," is tied to a specific .ps1 script in the Talk2Windows folder structure. When Serenade recognizes the command, it executes the corresponding script, effectively translating your voice into a direct action on the operating system. This architecture is both simple and incredibly powerful, as it opens the door for users to extend the system's capabilities by writing their own PowerShell scripts.

The Paramount Feature: A Commitment to Privacy

In an era where data privacy is a paramount concern, the most significant advantage of Talk2Windows is its ability to operate completely offline. By configuring its underlying Serenade engine to use the "Local" server endpoint during setup, users ensure that all voice processing happens on their own PC. Your voice data is never sent to the cloud, analyzed by a third-party company, or used to train external machine learning models.

This stands in stark contrast to most mainstream voice assistants, which rely on cloud servers to parse commands. Cloud processing introduces inherent privacy risks; voice recordings can be intercepted, stored indefinitely, and become targets for data breaches. Local, on-device processing eliminates these concerns entirely. For users handling sensitive information or those who are simply uncomfortable with their voice commands being transmitted over the internet, this privacy-first approach is a game-changer. It ensures that your interactions with your computer remain your own, offering a level of security and peace of mind that cloud-based alternatives cannot match.

Getting Started: Installation and Setup

Deploying Talk2Windows is a multi-step but straightforward process for anyone comfortable with basic PowerShell commands. It requires installing two main components: the Serenade voice engine and the Talk2Windows script repository itself.

Step 1: Install and Configure Serenade
First, you need to download and install the free Serenade application from its official website, serenade.ai. During the installation, you'll be prompted to choose plugins and programming languages; for the purpose of using Talk2Windows, you can skip these. The most critical step is to configure Serenade for local processing. Navigate to Settings > Server and select the 'Local' endpoint. This ensures your voice data stays on your machine, which is key for both privacy and speed. On Windows, setting up the local server may require installing the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Step 2: Download and Set Up Talk2Windows
Next, download the Talk2Windows project as a ZIP file from its GitHub repository. Extract the contents to a permanent location on your computer, for example, in your user's Documents folder.

Step 3: Run the PowerShell Setup Script
Before running the installation script, you need to allow PowerShell to execute local scripts. Open PowerShell as an Administrator and run the following command: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned.

With that done, navigate to the extracted Talk2Windows folder in your PowerShell terminal. You will find a file named setup.ps1. Right-click this file and select 'Execute with PowerShell'. This script will register all the individual PowerShell command files with Serenade, making them available as voice commands. It also allows you to set a custom wake word, though the default is "Windows."

Step 4: Start Commanding
Once the setup is complete, launch the Serenade app and click the slider to switch it from "Paused" to "Listening" mode. You're now ready to control your PC. Try a simple command like, "Windows, open Notepad," and watch as the application launches instantly.

An Expansive Command Library out of the Box

What makes Talk2Windows immediately impressive is the sheer breadth of its pre-configured command library. The developer has included hundreds of useful scripts that cover a wide range of actions, far surpassing the native capabilities of assistants like Cortana. The commands are logically grouped into categories:

  • Application Management: You can open and close a vast list of common applications, from "7-Zip" and "Discord" to "VLC" and "Visual Studio."
  • System Settings: Easily access specific settings pages with commands like "Windows, open display settings" or "Windows, open Bluetooth settings."
  • System Monitoring & Information: This is where Talk2Windows truly shines for power users. You can ask, "Windows, check CPU temperature," "Windows, check internet speed," "Windows, check for crash dumps," or "Windows, check uptime."
  • File & Folder Navigation: Quickly open important folders like "Downloads," "Documents," or even your "autostart" folder with simple commands.
  • General Commands: A wide array of utility commands are available, such as "Windows, empty recycle bin," "Windows, enable god mode," "Windows, roll a dice," or "Windows, translate 'hello' to Spanish."
  • Text Insertion: Insert common symbols or phrases like "Windows, insert checkmark" or "Windows, insert shrugging."
  • Fun & Entertainment: The system also includes lighthearted commands to "tell me a joke" or "launch a browser game" like Tetris or Wordle.

The True Power: Creating Custom Voice Commands

While the built-in library is extensive, the true potential of Talk2Windows lies in its open and scriptable nature. Unlike closed systems, you are not limited to a finite set of commands. If you have a task you perform regularly, you can automate it with a simple PowerShell script and link it to a voice command.

The process involves creating a new .ps1 file within the appropriate subfolder of the Talk2Windows scripts directory. The project's creator, Markus Fleschutz, also maintains a separate GitHub repository called "Mega Collection of PowerShell Scripts," which contains over 500 scripts that can serve as a fantastic resource or starting point for your own custom commands.

Let's say you want to create a command, "Windows, start my workday," that opens your email client, your team chat application, and a specific project folder. You would:

  1. Create a new file named start-my-workday.ps1 in the scripts folder.
  2. Inside this file, you would write the PowerShell commands to perform these actions: