Read back text in webpages

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the default web browser for Windows 10. If you're a Mac user, you can also download Microsoft Edge.

It is based on the same technology as Google Chrome, but has a lot more features.

Using Reading mode

To access text-to-speech in Microsoft Edge you need to firstly load the page that you wish to have read back. You can find the Reading mode icon in the address bar. Press on this icon (or press the F9 key) to access the Reading mode view and the read aloud tools:

You will enter Reading mode, and the screen view will change.

The web page has now reloaded with only the main article visible. The appearance will have changed and you may have a background colour.

You can now select Read aloud to load the reading toolbar.

When you open Read Aloud, the document will automatically start reading from the beginning of the current page.

The text not being read out will automatically be dimmed.

Playback controls are now available in the centre of the Immersive Reader toolbar:

You can also scroll down the page and line up some text to the top of the window. The text will pause as you scroll, and will begin reading back from the top of the window when you stop scrolling.

Or you can highlight a section of text and right-click on your mouse and choose continue to read aloud from here.

Whilst reading, you can change the voice and speed. Look for the Voice options button towards the top right of the screen. When you press on the  Voice options button, the following menu will load:

You can change the appearance of the text and background colour theme by pressing on the settings button:

Using Read Aloud

If you would prefer to have text read out loud from the webpage view rather than using Reading mode, you can use Read Aloud instead.

To use this, double-click to select the first word you want to start reading from, and then right-click to open the menu. In the menu go to Read aloud from here.

A Read Aloud toolbar will open across the top of the webpage, and it will automatically begin reading out text on screen. The text will be highlighted as it is spoken, so that you can track along with it. You can use the buttons on the Read Aloud toolbar to pause reading, along with changing the voice and reading speed.

Reading back a PDF in Microsoft Edge

You can also use the Read Aloud tool in Edge when viewing a PDF.

The Immersive Reader toolbar is not available when viewing a PDF. However a Read Aloud button is available on the toolbar.

Select the read aloud button or press Ctrl + Shift + u to load the Read Aloud toolbar.

The toolbar will load and readback will automatically begin at the start of the document.

The current line is highlighted as the text is read back, and the rest of the text is dimmed

Use the voice options button on the right to customise the playback. Pressing Voice Options will load this menu:

On this page you can change the reading voice and speed. By default pressing Read Aloud or the play button begins playback at the top of the page.

If you scroll down the page, the readback will pause. When you stop scrolling, the readback will resume at the first visible line in the document.

Another way to choose a new starting point is to: press Read Aloud to start playback, press the pause button on the toolbar, now select the text where you want the readback to begin. Right-click and select Continue to read aloud from here.