A long page, PDF, message, or document gets easier when your device reads it aloud. iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and Chromebook all include current text to speech paths, and major apps add their own read-aloud buttons. Start with the device-level setting for everyday text, then use the app controls for webpages, Office files, and PDFs.
Turn on read aloud for selected text on iPhone or iPad
This fixes selected text, full-screen reading, and Siri-started screen reading on iPhone or iPad.
Open Settings.
Go to Accessibility.
Open Read & Speak.
Turn on Speak Selection to read highlighted text.
Turn on Speak Screen to read the current screen.
Select text in an app.
Tap Speak.
For a whole screen, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.
Ask Siri Speak screen.
Return to Read & Speak.
Change Voices, Default Language, Detect Languages, Speaking Rate, or Pronunciations.
Use Select to Speak on Android
Open Settings.
Choose Accessibility.
Open Select to Speak.
Turn on Select to Speak shortcut.
Swipe up with two fingers to start the tool.
When TalkBack is on, swipe up with three fingers instead.
Tap the Accessibility button or shortcut for the on-screen control.
Select the text or items you want Android to read aloud.
Open Settings, Accessibility, and Text-to-speech output.
Choose the Preferred engine.
Choose the Language.
Adjust Speech rate.
Adjust Pitch.
Missing Select to Speak or TalkBack controls point to Android Accessibility Suite in Google Play.
Have Windows read text aloud
Use Narrator when spoken feedback needs to cover apps, controls, windows, and documents. Use Magnifier reading for quick reading from the current screen.
Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter to start or stop Narrator.
Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings.
Turn on Use Narrator.
Press Ctrl to stop Narrator reading.
Press Narrator + Tab to hear the current item.
Press Narrator + R to read from the focus or cursor.
Press Windows logo key + Plus sign to turn on Magnifier.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Enter to start, pause, or resume Magnifier reading.
Press Ctrl + Alt and left-click to read from the mouse pointer.
Open Narrator’s voice in Narrator settings.
Select Add legacy voices.
On Windows 10, the same two steps read Personalize Narrator’s voice and Add more voices.
Open Manage voices.
Select Add voices.
Select a language.
Choose Add.
Fix the Windows shortcut that does nothing
The most common cause is an old Narrator shortcut or an old Windows settings label from older instructions.
Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter to start or stop current Windows Narrator.
Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N to open the Narrator settings page.
Use Start, Settings, Accessibility, and Magnifier for current Magnifier settings.
Treat Windows logo key + Enter as an older Windows Narrator shortcut, not the current command.
Treat Ease of Access as an older Windows settings label when the current path says Accessibility.
Make your Mac speak text
Open the Apple menu.
Choose System Settings.
Go to Accessibility.
Open Read & Speak.
Turn on Speak selection.
Select text.
Press Option-Esc to start or stop spoken text.
In apps that show the menu, open Edit, Speech, and Start Speaking.
To stop from that menu, open Edit, Speech, and Stop Speaking.
Click the Info button beside Speak selection.
Set Keyboard shortcut.
Set Highlight content.
Set Word color.
Set Sentence color.
Set Sentence style.
Set Show controller.
Turn on Speak announcements for alerts and dialogs.
Click the Info button next to System voice.
Click the name of the voice.
Swipe left with two fingers on the downloaded voice, then click Delete.
Use Option-Esc as the fast test before changing voice or highlight settings.
Control read aloud on a Chromebook
The most common cause is looking inside the app instead of Chromebook’s Accessibility and Text-to-Speech settings.
Select the bottom-right time area.
Press Alt + Shift + s for the keyboard route.
Open Settings, Accessibility, and Text-to-Speech.
Turn on Select-to-speak.
Hold Search or Launcher while dragging the pointer.
Highlight text and press Search + s or Launcher + s.
Select the Select-to-Speak button near the time and drag over text.
Turn on ChromeVox under Text-to-Speech for a full screen reader.
Press Ctrl + Alt + z from any page to turn ChromeVox on or off.
Press Search + r or Launcher + r to read from the current location.
Open Text-to-Speech voice settings.
Use Speech Engines for voice choices.
Use Speech Properties for rate, pitch, and volume.
Open Select-to-speak settings for Select-to-speak voices.
Open Speech.
Turn on Use natural voice when device is online.
Type words and have them spoken
This fixes the separate need to enter text and have the device speak it, instead of reading existing screen text. Apple notes that Live Speech is not available in all languages, so check Apple’s iOS and iPadOS or macOS feature availability page if the setting is missing.
On iPhone, open Settings, Accessibility, and Live Speech.
Turn on Live Speech.
Choose a Voice.
Triple-click the side button or Home button.
Select Live Speech.
Paste the text instead when it already exists.
Tap Speak.
Open Settings, Accessibility, Live Speech, and Phrases to save a phrase.
Select Add Phrase.
Choose Save.
On Mac, open the Apple menu, System Settings, Accessibility, Speech, and Live Speech.
Turn on Live Speech.
Enter text in the Type to Speak field.
Click Speak.
Press Return instead from the Type to Speak field.
Read webpages, PDFs, and Office documents aloud
In Microsoft Edge, right-click a page and choose Read aloud, or open Settings and more, Read aloud. When the option is hidden, use Settings and more, More tools, Read aloud.
For Edge Immersive Reader, open a supported page, select Enter Immersive Reader, then select Read Aloud. In Chrome on Android, open a text webpage, tap More, and choose Listen to this page; Google requires Make searches and browsing better to be on, and the option is missing on pages that are not supported. On a computer, open More, More tools, and Reading mode, then select Play.
In Word, place the cursor or select text, open Review, and choose Read Aloud. Microsoft lists Read Aloud for Office 2019, Office 2021, and Microsoft 365. In classic Outlook, select a message, open Home, and choose Read Aloud; in an open email, use Message, Immersive, Read Aloud. New Outlook and Outlook on the web do not support inline Read Aloud in the reading pane, so open View, select Immersive Reader, and press Play.
For PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Reader, open View, Read Out Loud, and Activate Read Out Loud. To set the voice first, open Edit, Preferences, Reading, clear Use Default Voice, and choose a voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is text to speech the same as a screen reader?
No. Select-to-speak and read-aloud tools read selected text or page text. Screen readers such as VoiceOver, TalkBack, Narrator, and ChromeVox also speak controls, alerts, navigation, and other screen details.
Why do older iPhone instructions say Spoken Content?
Older Apple support wording uses Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content. Apple’s current iPhone guide uses Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak for Speak Selection and Speak Screen.
Can work or school devices block text to speech settings?
Yes, for specific settings. Admins can set Chrome and ChromeOS accessibility policies such as Select to speak, Spoken feedback, and Read aloud for web pages, and a policy that is set cannot be overridden by the user. Apple’s Accessibility payload for managed Macs covers zoom, screen display, and VoiceOver, not Read & Speak. Windows SpeakForMe policy only controls whether users can create personal voice models. A locked setting is an admin-controlled state, not a broken text to speech feature.
Does Adobe Read Out Loud replace a screen reader?
No. Adobe identifies Read Out Loud as separate from a screen reader. Acrobat Reader uses a system text to speech engine for this feature.
