Your PS5 is amazing at running games, streaming shows, and occasionally… deciding it wants to become a talkative roommate.
If you’ve ever heard your console narrating menus like it’s auditioning for audiobook duty, or you keep getting that
“Hey PlayStation!” voice prompt at the worst possible moment (usually when you’re trying to be quiet), you’re in the right place.

The trick is that “PS5 voice assistant” can mean a few different features:
Voice Command (Preview) (the “Hey PlayStation!” voice control),
Screen Reader (Accessibility narration),
and Chat Transcription (speech-to-text + text-to-speech in chat).
This guide walks you through turning off the exact one that’s bugging youplus a few bonus settings to keep your PS5 from
listening when you don’t want it to.

Step 0: Identify which “voice assistant” you’re hearing (30-second diagnosis)

Before you start flipping toggles like you’re defusing a cartoon bomb, match the symptom to the feature:

• You see a pop-up or prompt when someone says “Hey PlayStation!”
  (or your PS5 “wakes up” and listens): you’re dealing with Voice Command (Preview).
• The PS5 reads menu items out loud (“Settings… Users and Accounts…”) while you scroll:
  that’s Screen Reader (Accessibility).
• You hear spoken chat lines or narration during party/game chat:
  that may be Chat Transcription (Accessibility) or an in-game accessibility option.
• You don’t want your controller mic hot by default (privacy or accidental triggers):
  adjust Microphone settings in Sound.

Now let’s shut the right thing offcleanly, without breaking anything you actually like.

1) Turn off “Hey PlayStation!” (Voice Command Preview)

Voice Command (Preview) is the PS5 feature that listens for the wake phrase
“Hey PlayStation!” and then lets you say things like “Open YouTube,” “Capture that,” or “Pause.”
If you want your PS5 to stop listening entirely, disable Voice Command. If you still want voice control but hate the wake phrase,
turn off the “Listen for ‘Hey PlayStation!’” option instead.

Option A: Disable Voice Command (Preview) completely (most effective)

1. From the PS5 Home screen, select Settings (gear icon).
2. Scroll to Voice Command (Preview).
3. Toggle Enable Voice Command to Off.

That’s the “make it stop forever” switch. Once off, the console won’t listen for “Hey PlayStation!” and the voice command feature won’t run.

Option B: Keep Voice Command, but disable the wake phrase “Hey PlayStation!”

If you like voice commands occasionally (hands full, controller battery low, snack emergencyno judgment),
but you don’t want your PS5 listening for a trigger phrase all day:

1. Go to Settings > Voice Command (Preview).
2. Leave Enable Voice Command on.
3. Toggle Listen for “Hey PlayStation!” to Off.

With this setup, you typically activate voice command manually from the Control Center (so it listens only when you tell it to),
rather than constantly waiting for the magic words.

Pro tip: Reduce accidental activations (even if you keep it on)

• If your PS5 activates when the TV says “PlayStation” or a streamer yells “HEY!” dramatically, disabling the wake phrase is your best move.
• If you use a headset with strong noise cancellation, voice recognition may behave oddly. Consider switching the active input mic
  (controller mic vs. headset mic) depending on what’s connected.

2) Turn off PS5 Screen Reader (the “narrator voice” in menus)

If your PS5 is reading the interface out loudmenus, options, text labelsthis is almost always the
Screen Reader accessibility feature. It’s incredibly helpful for many players, and incredibly confusing if enabled by accident
(especially during setup or after a mysterious button combo).

How to disable Screen Reader

1. From the Home screen, open Settings.
2. Select Accessibility.
3. Select Screen Reader.
4. Toggle Enable Screen Reader to Off.

Once off, your PS5 should stop narrating navigation and UI text immediately.
If you want to keep it available but quieter, Screen Reader settings typically include adjustments like speech speed, voice type,
and voice volume (helpful when you want “useful” instead of “startling”).

Helpful note: Screen Reader has control shortcuts (in case it turns on again)

Screen Reader can be controlled with button combinations (for example, pausing/playing reading). If you ever hear it again,
it’s a clue that Screen Reader got enablednot that your PS5 became sentient overnight.

3) Turn off Chat Transcription (if your PS5 is reading chat or converting voices)

Chat Transcription is another Accessibility feature that can make your PS5 feel “voice-y.”
It can convert other players’ voice chat into text and can read aloud text you type to other players.
It’s great when you need it. It’s chaos when you don’t.

How to disable Chat Transcription

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Accessibility.
3. Select Chat Transcription.
4. Toggle Enable Chat Transcription to Off.

If you still hear spoken audio in chat after turning this off, check two more places:
the game’s own accessibility settings (many games include narration and TTS options),
and your party/voice chat settings (some chat audio controls can behave differently depending on the game).

4) Stop the PS5 from listening by default: mute the microphone (privacy + fewer surprises)

Even if you turn off voice features, you may still want your microphone muted by defaultespecially because the DualSense controller includes a built-in mic.
This is also the best “belt and suspenders” solution if your household is loud, you play near a TV, or your cat regularly walks across your controller
like it pays rent.

Fastest method: use the DualSense mic mute button

On the DualSense controller, press the Mute button to mute/unmute your mic.
When muted, you’ll typically see an orange indicator light. This is the “shh” button your future self will thank you for.

Best long-term method: set “Microphone Status When Logged In” to Mute

If you want the mic to start muted every time you sign in:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Sound.
3. Select Microphone.
4. Set Microphone Status When Logged In to Mute.

This doesn’t break voice chatyou can still unmute when you actually want to speak.
It just prevents the classic “hot mic + background noise” moment.

Optional: confirm your active input device

If you frequently switch between a headset, USB mic, and controller mic, double-check:
Settings > Sound > Microphone > Input Device.
This matters because Voice Command (Preview) and chat features use whatever microphone is active.

5) Privacy setting: limit Voice Data Collection (if Voice Command is enabled)

If you use Voice Command (Preview), you may also want to review the PS5’s voice data setting.
The console includes a control for voice data collection related to the feature.
If your goal is “less voice stuff in general,” this setting is worth a quick look.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Users and Accounts.
3. Select Privacy.
4. Find Voice Data Collection and choose the option that best matches your comfort level (for example, disallowing collection).

Practical takeaway: you can disable Voice Command entirely (best), or keep it but reduce how much voice-related data is collected (good).
Pick the combo that matches your household and your personal “my console doesn’t need to know that much about me” vibe.

6) Troubleshooting: when the voice won’t stop (common scenarios)

“I don’t see Voice Command (Preview) in Settings.”

This is normal in some cases. Voice Command (Preview) has been a limited release and is tied to certain account regions and language support.
If your PlayStation Network account or console region doesn’t qualify, the menu may not appear.
In that case, focus on mic settings and accessibility settings (Screen Reader / Chat Transcription), because those are widely available.

“The PS5 still talks during Netflix / YouTube / movies.”

Two likely culprits:

• Screen Reader is still enabled (it narrates UI, including app menus).
• You may have enabled an audio description track inside the streaming app or within the content itself.
  That narration is different from PS5 accessibility narrationand it’s usually controlled in the app’s audio/subtitle menu.

“It only happens in one game.”

Many games include their own text-to-speech and narration options separate from PS5 system settings.
If Screen Reader is off but a specific game still narrates menus, check the game’s settings for:
“Narration,” “Menu narration,” “Text-to-speech,” “Accessibility voice,” or “Chat TTS.”

“My controller mic keeps turning on again.”

Set Microphone Status When Logged In to Mute, and get used to the mute button.
This combo handles most accidental mic activations without you having to babysit settings every session.

Quick checklist: silence your PS5 in under 2 minutes

FAQs

Will turning off Voice Command (Preview) affect my headset or party chat?

Novoice commands and voice chat are separate. Disabling Voice Command stops “Hey PlayStation!” features, but party chat still works.
Just make sure your mic isn’t muted when you actually want to talk.

If I mute the controller mic, can I still use a headset mic?

Yes. The PS5 uses the selected Input Device. If your headset is the active mic, it can still work even if the controller mic is muted.
Always confirm in Settings > Sound > Microphone.

Why did the PS5 voice narration turn on in the first place?

Most commonly: it was enabled during initial setup, toggled in Accessibility by accident, or activated by a button combination.
It happensespecially when multiple people use the console, or when someone explores settings like a curious raccoon.

Real-world experiences: what PS5 owners run into (and how they fix it)

Let’s talk about the stuff that doesn’t show up in the official “here’s the toggle” instructionsthe lived-in moments where
PS5 voice features become either surprisingly helpful or hilariously annoying. While every setup is different, these are common
situations PS5 owners describe when they’re trying to turn off voice assistant features.

1) The “midnight gaming” problem: You’re trying to squeeze in a quiet session after everyone’s asleep.
Then your PS5 chirps back at you or the “Hey PlayStation!” prompt appears because the TV audio said something vaguely similar.
The fix that tends to stick is disabling Listen for “Hey PlayStation!” while keeping Voice Command available manually.
That way you still have the feature if you want it, but it won’t jump out like a jack-in-the-box at 1:00 a.m.

2) The “why is my PS5 narrating everything?” moment: A lot of people first encounter Screen Reader when
they accidentally enable it during setup or while exploring Accessibility options. It can feel like the console is suddenly
“stuck” in narration modeespecially because it reads interface elements that you didn’t even realize had labels.
Once they find Settings > Accessibility > Screen Reader and turn it off, the relief is immediate. The next lesson is
remembering Screen Reader exists at all, so if it happens again, you know it’s a settingnot a haunted console.

3) Families and shared consoles: In households where multiple people use the PS5, voice settings can change
unexpectedly. One person enables Screen Reader to test it. Someone else tries voice commands for fun. A younger player toggles
something while mashing buttons in a menu (a time-honored tradition).
Many owners handle this by setting the microphone to start muted at login and treating Voice Command like an “opt-in per session”
feature rather than something always listening. It’s a simple boundary: the console doesn’t get to hear the living room unless invited.

4) Streaming, party chat, and the accidental hot-mic: If you stream gameplay or jump into party chats often,
the built-in DualSense mic can create those “oops, everyone heard my snack bag” moments.
People who stream regularly tend to love the Microphone Status When Logged In: Mute setting because it prevents accidental audio sharing,
while still letting them unmute when they’re ready.
It’s less about turning features off and more about controlling when they’re active.

5) Confusing “voice features” that aren’t the PS5: Sometimes the PS5 isn’t the narrator at all.
Streaming apps and certain movies/shows can have audio description tracks enabled.
Games can have their own narration or text-to-speech settings.
In those cases, PS5 owners often do a quick two-step test: if the voice happens only inside one app/game, it’s probably an app/game setting;
if it happens across the system menus, it’s probably Screen Reader or a PS5 accessibility option.

The big takeaway from real-world use is that the best setup usually isn’t “turn everything off forever”it’s
turn off constant listening, keep accessibility options available when you actually need them, and make the mic start muted
so you’re always in control. Quiet console, happy home.

Conclusion

Turning off the PS5 “voice assistant” is easy once you know which feature you’re dealing with.
If you’re seeing “Hey PlayStation!” prompts, disable Voice Command (Preview) (or at least turn off the wake phrase).
If your console is narrating menus, turn off Screen Reader.
If chat is being spoken or transcribed, disable Chat Transcription.
And if you want fewer surprises across the board, set your microphone to start muted when you log in.