In the past, the applications belonging to this software sector focused on offering us the essentials to create and edit text files. The most advanced ones offered us some additional functions and components, but quite basic. But in recent years things have changed to a great extent thanks to the widespread use of these office software. Here we are going to focus on the most used and popular suite which is Office from Microsoft . Specifically, we will talk about one of the programs that could be considered one of the most used globally.
We refer to the Word editor, a software solution that is probably more than familiar to most. How could it be otherwise, it continues to offer us everything we need to work with texts, but at the same time we find innumerable additional functions that make things easier for us. For example, we will have the possibility of working simultaneously with a multitude of elements that enrich the content of our documents.
A clear example of all this can be found in the function that we are going to focus on in these lines. And it is that, for those of you who do not know, we already have a very useful feature that is responsible for reading Word documents for us , available from Office 2019 and in Microsoft 365.
Don’t waste time, Word reads the documents for you
With all this, what we want to tell you is that we have the possibility of making the Microsoft program read the text of the documents aloud through the PC speakers . As you can imagine, all this will allow us to do other things while we listen to the content of any file loaded here. In addition, if we take into account the wide compatibility with multiple formats of this program, a wide range of possibilities opens up.
The first thing we do for all this is to load the text document in a way, or we create it through the keyboard as we have always been used to. But it may be the case that this document is made up of a good number of pages and we do not have time or desire to read them. This is something we achieve through the feature using text-to-speech or TTS that we find in the Review menu option.
On the left side of the program’s options bar that appears at that moment, we find the Read aloud shortcut. As soon as you click on it, a new panel will appear on the right side of the main interface that allows you to start the function or configure it previously.
Configure the reading function of the text editor
And it is necessary to take into consideration that the Microsoft program offers us some interesting parameters to improve the reading of documents aloud . We just have to click on the icon that has a gear wheel to access these customizable options.
The first thing we can do in this regard is to choose the voice that most interests us or likes to listen to when reading the document. It is worth mentioning that here we will have the possibility of selecting a male or female voice for the execution of this functionality. In addition, depending on what we are doing or the circumstances of each case, we can also adjust the speed at which the content will be played out loud. To finish, we will only have to click on the Play button to start playback.
In the Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 versions, you can have a document read aloud to you in Word. This is a great function, for example, if you have been writing for a long time and want to check your document again. The “Read Aloud” function is also helpful if you want to use Word in an access friendly way. You will find it in the “Review” submenu, but you can also display it in the Quick Access Toolbar at the top of a document. Alternatively, start it directly with the Word shortcut [Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Space].
Contents
- Quick guide: Read Word out loud
- Read Word aloud: Settings
- Read Word document out loud: Instant method
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Quick guide: Read Word out loud
- In the Word menu “Review” you will find the function “Read Aloud” — as symbol “A)))” – to the left.
- Place the cursor at the point where you want to start reading aloud.
- Click the “Read Aloud” icon. Alternatively, press [Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Space].
- control buttons for reading aloud appear at the top right of the document window: Back, Pause, Forward, Settings (to change the speed and speaking voice).
- End the read aloud by pressing X or press [Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Space] again.
Tip
In addition to Word, the option to have texts read aloud is also offered by the Office programs Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
Read Word aloud: Settings
When you hear a Word document read aloud, you have the option to pause, skip back, and skip forward, just as you would when listening to an audio file. First select whether you want to hear the entire text or only parts of it:
- Cursor at the beginning of the document: the document is read aloud from the beginning.
- Cursor at a specific point in the text: The document will be read aloud from here on.
- Text selected: The selected text will be read aloud.
Click “Pause” or “Play” in the middle of the “Read Aloud” menu to pause or restart the voice output. You can also use the “Next” and “Back” buttons to switch back and forth. The reading flow then resumes at the next or previous paragraph. Alternatively, you can control this with the following key combinations (shortcuts):
- [Ctrl] + [Space]: play or pause.
- [Ctrl] + [Left arrow]: jump to the previous paragraph
- [Ctrl] + [Right arrow]: jump to the next paragraph
You can also control reading speed and speaking voice when you have a text read aloud in Word. Select the speaker and gear icon on the right to open the settings. Now you can use a slider to change the reading speed. You can also do this with the following shortcuts:
- [Alt] + [Left arrow]: slower reading speed
- [Alt] + [Arrow right]: faster reading speed
In the submenu “Voice selection” you can choose between different male and female voices.
Word often automatically detects which language a document is written in and displays this in the bar at the bottom left. Otherwise, you can assign a language to the document. The “Read Aloud” function is based on this language setting.
If another language — for example, Spanish — is set, follow these steps to change the language.
- Select the text you want to have read aloud.
- Select the “Review” tab.
- Click the “Language” option and select your language from the menu.
- Start the “Read Aloud” command again.
Read Word document out loud: Instant method
Step 1: Open Microsoft Word or open the desired text document in Word right away.
Step 2: In the top blue toolbar for the Quick Access Toolbar, click “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” and check “Read Aloud”. If this command does not appear the first time, select “More Commands…”.
Step 3: Select “All Commands” from the “Select Commands” menu bar.
Step 4: Scroll down the long list to get to the “Read Aloud” command. Now click on this command.
Step 5: In the list on the right, you can specify where you want to position the Read Aloud function in the toolbar for quick access. Then click on “Save”.
Step 6: Now that you’ve added the Read Aloud command to the quick access toolbar, you can have Word read aloud a selected passage of text or the entire text. Click on the “Read Aloud” function in the toolbar for quick access — icon “A” — or alternatively press the key combination [Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Space]. Microsoft Word will now read out loud the selected text.
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- How To Make The Microsoft Word Read Aloud To You
By Sarah | Follow |
Last Updated August 16, 2022
Microsoft Word is a world-famous word processor contained in the Microsoft Office suite. You can create a document in Microsoft Word easily to save important information. Sometimes, you may want to change Word text to speech for different reasons like multitasking and time saving. How to get Word to read to you? 3 different ways will be introduced.
Can Microsoft Word Read out Loud
Microsoft Word, included in the Microsoft Office suite, is a great tool for word process and information storage. It’s pretty easy and safe to create a Word document and share it with others. However, people sometimes need to hear the information directly instead of reading it; they are asking can Word read to me. Sure, some features are built in it to make Microsoft Word read aloud possible. What are they? How to get Word to read to you? These questions will be answered later.
Tip: To protect the valuable information saved in a Word document, you need to enable the auto-save feature and start a regular backup plan. If a Word document is lost unexpectedly, you should get the following MiniTool software to help you recover it.
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Possible Reasons for Getting Word Read Aloud
- You need to proofread some content.
- You want to improve your understanding and your ability to learn.
- You have a lot of things to do, so you don’t have time to read a Word document.
- You want to share the content of a document with people who can’t see.
- Etc.
How to make Word read to you? You should just use the following tools built in Microsoft Word to read information out loud. Let’s take Windows 10 read text as an example.
#1. Read Aloud
The Read Aloud feature is able to read all or part of your document. But you should know that it’s only available for Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 users.
Read Microsoft Word with Read Aloud
How to make Microsoft Word read to you by using Read Aloud:
- Locate the Word document you want to read on your computer.
- Open it as you usually do.
- Put your cursor to the place where you want the reading aloud to begin.
- Shift to the Review tab in the opening Word.
- Click Read Aloud. The content will be read out loud.
Microsoft Word Won’t Open On Windows & Mac: How To Fix It.
A small control panel will appear in the top right corner to help you control the reading. The buttons from left to right are:
- Previous: go back to the start of the current/previous paragraph.
- Pause/Play: pause or continue the reading.
- Next: go forward a paragraph.
- Settings: modify the Reading speed and Voice Selection directly.
- Stop: exit Read Aloud.
#2. Speak
You can find the Speak feature in not only Word, but also Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. It will only read the selected text for you. In contrast, the Read Aloud feature helps to read the entire document starting from your cursor location.
Read Word Using the Speak Button
How to have Microsoft Word read to you:
- Open the target Word document.
- Select the words or paragraphs you want the system to read.
- Click on the Speak selected text icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.
- Click on this icon again if you want to stop reading.
How to lock & protect a Word document?
Add the Speak Icon to Quick Access Toolbar
What if you can’t find the Speak selected text icon? You should add it to the Quick Access Toolbar manually.
- Click on the Customize down arrow on the right side of the Quick Access Toolbar.
- Select More Commands from the drop-down menu.
- Choose Quick Access Toolbar in the left pane of the Word Options window.
- Look for the Choose commands from box.
- Scroll down to find and select Speak.
- Click Add and then click OK to confirm the action.
You can open Control Panel -> Ease of Access -> Speech Recognition -> Text to Speech to change the Speak preferences.
#3. Narrator
This is a Windows Screen reader app that can read everything on your screen (text and user interfaces). It is not restricted to Microsoft Word.
Use Narrator in Windows 10 to Read
- Press Windows + Ctrl + Enter.
- Put your cursor onto the text you want the computer to read.
- Press Narrator key + Down arrow to start reading.
- Press Narrator to stop.
- Press Narrator key + Down arrow again to continue reading.
How to modify your Narrator:
Press Windows + I -> select Ease of Access -> choose Narrator from the left sidebar.
That’s all about how to make your computer read to you.
Please read this page if you’d like to recover lost Word files on Mac.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Sarah has been working as an editor at MiniTool since she graduated from university. Sarah aims at helping users with their computer problems such as disk errors and data loss. She feels a sense of accomplishment to see that users get their issues fixed relying on her articles. Besides, she likes to make friends and listen to music after work.
Have you ever needed to proof a document but have re-read it so many times that you find yourself skipping obvious spelling, grammar or logic errors? Well, anyone who reads this site knows that I certainly do. I am a tech who wants to convey clear instructions but often find myself struggling with final pass editing.
There is now an easy solution, the READ ALOUD feature in Microsoft Word which is using TTS or “Text To Speech” technology that Microsoft has had for decades.
In fact there are now four different read out-loud features that Microsoft users can make use of:
1 – READ ALOUD
On the REVIEW TAB, click READ ALOUD ICON:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| CTRL + Alt + Space | Start Read Aloud |
| CTRL + Space | Play or pause Read Aloud |
| CTRL + Left Arrow | Skip to start of previous paragraph |
| CTRL + Right Arrow | Skip forward to start of next paragraph |
| Alt + Left Arrow | Decrease reading speed |
| Alt + Right Arrow | Increase reading speed |
2 – SPEAK
Use the older Microsoft Text To Speech tool named SPEAK.
3 – NARRATOR
In Windows 10, click the START button and type NARRATOR then put your mouse over anything you want it to read you.
Read Aloud is only available for Office 2019, Office 2021, and Microsoft 365. On the Review tab, select Read Aloud. To play Read Aloud, select Play in in the controls. To pause Read Aloud, select Pause.
Contents
- 1 How do you get a Word document to read to you?
- 2 How do I turn on text to Speech in Word?
- 3 How do you speak in Word?
- 4 Can Word 2016 read out loud?
- 5 Why is my read aloud not working on word?
- 6 Can you make word read out loud on Mac?
- 7 How do I change the read aloud voice in Word?
- 8 How do you get word to read out loud on Mac?
- 9 Does Microsoft Word have voice typing?
- 10 Does Word 2010 have speech to text?
- 11 Can Cortana type for me?
- 12 How do I make Word 2013 read aloud?
- 13 How do I make my computer read to me Windows 10?
- 14 What is Read Mode in Word?
- 15 Why is my Microsoft edge not reading aloud?
- 16 Why does my Mac say every letter I type?
- 17 How can I make my computer read text?
- 18 How do I turn on text to speech on a Mac?
- 19 Does Mac Have speech text?
- 20 How do I dictate to a Word document in Windows 10?
How do you get a Word document to read to you?
Another way to have your text read aloud in Word is to select the Review tab > Read Aloud button. The greatest benefit of Read Aloud as opposed to the Speak command is… (a) You don’t have to highlight the text. Just position your cursor where you want the reading aloud to begin and click the Read Aloud button.
How do I turn on text to Speech in Word?
Using “Text to Speech” in Word:
- Highlight the text you wish to be read out loud (select Ctrl-A for the whole document)
- Select the “Speak” icon and it will begin reading the highlighted text.
- To stop the reading, select the “Speak” icon again.
How do you speak in Word?
Dictate on Your Mobile Device
Your iPhone, iPad, and Android devices offer built-in dictation features accessible from the keyboard. These tools support Microsoft Office apps and other text-based programs. To dictate text in an Office document, tap in any area to display the keyboard and select the microphone icon.
Can Word 2016 read out loud?
Speak is a built-in feature of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. You can use Speak to have text read aloud in the language of your version of Office.
Why is my read aloud not working on word?
Select the ‘Ease Of Access‘ category from the left. There, under the ‘Ease Of Access’ category, locate ‘Applications Display Options’ and under its heading, activate ‘Show Read Aloud’ feature by checking the box marked against it. When done, press the OK button to return to Outlook.
Can you make word read out loud on Mac?
You can use the Text to Speech feature to hear selected text read aloud in a Microsoft Office for Mac file.Click Accessibility > Speech. Select the voice that you want to use. Tip: You can change the speed at which words are read by moving the Speaking Rate slider.
How do I change the read aloud voice in Word?
Step 2: Select the Review tab at the top of the window. Step 3: Click the Read Aloud button. Step 4: Click the Settings button at the right side of the window. Step 5: Click the dropdown menu under Voice selection, then choose the desired voice.
How do you get word to read out loud on Mac?
To activate Mac Text to Speech:
Open System Preferences, click Accessibility, then Speech. (If you are not running the latest Mac operating system then you will click System Preferences > Dictation & Speech > Speech). Select the “Speak selected text when the key is pressed” checkbox.
Does Microsoft Word have voice typing?
With Microsoft Word’s “Dictate” feature, you can write using a microphone and your own voice. When you use Dictate, you can say “new line” to create a new paragraph and add punctuation simply by saying the punctuation aloud.
Does Word 2010 have speech to text?
Yes, MS Office 2010 includes a text-to-speech feature.(You do this via the Control Panels rather in Word itself [Control Panels > Speech Recognition > Text-to-Speech, selecting the preferred voice from the drop down list.]
Can Cortana type for me?
Well, now you can, with a new app called Dictate. Microsoft has released the add-in for not only Word, but also Outlook and Powerpoint. It uses Cortana’s speech-recognition technology to offer speech-to-text functionality. In other words, you simply speak what you want to type.
How do I make Word 2013 read aloud?
To use this feature, simply open Word, click Review tab > Read Aloud, or press Alt+Ctrl+Space on your keyboard. Click Play/Pause to start and stop the narration. Select Settings to change the reading speed. If you are using MS Office 2013, there is another option for accessing the text-to-speech conversion feature.
How do I make my computer read to me Windows 10?
How to turn Narrator on or off on Windows 10 using Settings
- Click the Start button and then click the Settings icon, which resembles a gear.
- Click “Ease of Access.”
- In the pane on the left, click “Narrator.”
- In the “Use Narrator” section, turn the feature on or off by clicking the button labeled “Turn on Narrator.”
What is Read Mode in Word?
If you’re reading a document, not writing or major editing, click or tap View > Read Mode to hide the writing tools and menus and to leave more room for the pages themselves. Read Mode automatically fits the page layout to your device, using columns and larger font sizes, both of which you can adjust.
Why is my Microsoft edge not reading aloud?
Enabling the Read Aloud feature is easy but you must update your Microsoft Edge to its latest version.On the address bar, type the following: edge://flags/#edge-read-aloud-pdf. Look for Read Aloud in PDF and click to open a drop-down menu. Click Enabled.
Why does my Mac say every letter I type?
A Mac has the ability to use speech synthesis to read onscreen text aloud. Apple calls this feature “VoiceOver,” and it helps to make the Mac more accessible for users who have difficulty seeing the screen.Disable this feature in a few easy steps and make your Mac stop talking.
How can I make my computer read text?
How to get Word to read a document aloud
- In Word, open the document you want to be read aloud.
- Click “Review.”
- Select “Read Aloud” in the ribbon.
- Click where you want to start reading.
- Hit the Play button in the Read Aloud controls.
- When you’re done, click “X” to close the Read Aloud controls.
How do I turn on text to speech on a Mac?
TTS
- To start, open the System Preferences panel under the Apple icon and click on Dictation and Speech.
- Select the Text to Speech tab.
- Check the option “Speak selected text when the key is pressed.
- Click the Set Key option.
- Choose one modifier key — Command, Control, Option, or Shift — plus one other key of your choice.
Does Mac Have speech text?
Macs have voice dictation built-in, allowing you to talk instead of type. This feature functions more like voice dictation on a mobile operating system, and less like the more complicated Speech Recognition feature found in Windows.
How do I dictate to a Word document in Windows 10?
To use the Windows 10 speech recognition, open a document, email, or other file into which you want to dictate. Hold down the Windows key and press H to trigger the dictation toolbar. You can now dictate your text. When you’re done, press Win key + H to turn off the dictation toolbar (Figure G).