Microsoft Gives Windows 11 Users the Power to Swear (or Not): Profanity Filter Toggle Arrives
Finally, the freedom to express yourself fully on Windows 11 is here! Microsoft is rolling out a new feature that allows users to disable the profanity filter for voice typing. This long-awaited toggle addresses customer feedback and promises a more authentic voice typing experience.
For a while now, Windows 11 has featured voice typing, but its prudish nature censored any colorful language, replacing offending words with asterisks. The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3941 in the Beta Channel, however, introduces a simple switch to unleash the full force of your vocabulary.
"We're excited to address the top customer feedback for voice typing by starting to roll out a new setting that lets you control the profanity filter," Microsoft announced. Jen Gentleman, a Principal Technical Program Manager at Microsoft, also highlighted the change, recalling her past experiences testing profanity filtering on Windows Phone. We can only imagine the challenges of ensuring accurate dictation in… less-than-polite scenarios.
With the profanity filter disabled, Windows 11 will transcribe your true feelings, no matter how expletive-laden. However, the feature is disabled by default, so surprise exclamations won't suddenly appear in your documents.
Beyond the profanity filter, the update delivers other features, particularly for Copilot+ PCs. These include updates to Click to Do and improvements to Windows Search. Improved Windows Search will now prioritize keyword matches within the text of cloud files for users signed into OneDrive with a work or school account.
Windows Insiders can access these new features by enabling the toggle in Windows Update. Keep in mind that features in the Beta Channel may not always make it to the final production release.
Also in the Dev Channel with Windows Insider Preview Build 26200.550 is access to Click-to-Do, an AI feature using contextual actions, and Improved Search using natural language. These, however, require a Copilot+ PC.
The option to control the profanity filter in voice typing is welcome improvement to the OS. It provides users with greater flexibility and control over their computing experience, but given recent Microsoft updates, it's also possible this feature might need a patch of its own soon.
What do you think about the new profanity filter toggle? Will you be switching it off or keeping it on? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
