This article will show you how to enable the 'Text to Speech' screen reading option in Microsoft Office Applications. Note that the 'Text to Speech' is digitised, and may not sound as natural as reading aloud yourself. 

Following the setup instructions, there are some brief directions on how to use this feature. 


The following guide and usage instructions are written using screenshots from Microsoft Word, but the process is the same for all Office Applications. 


How to setup 'Text to Speech':

  1. Open Microsoft Word, and start a new document. 
  2. On the Quick Access Toolbar on the top left of the screen, click the drop down arrow:
  3. Click "More Commands"
  4. Ensure "Quick-Access Toolbar" is selected on the left hand side of the screen, then change the "Choose commands from:" drop down box to "All commands."
  5. Scroll through the commands list to find "Speak" and highlight it blue, by left clicking on it. Now click "Add >>"
  6. Confirm "Speak" has been added to the list under "Customize Quick-Access Toolbar," then click "OK"
  7. Your Quick-Access Toolbar will now have a "Speak" icon available for use:


How to use 'Text to Speech' once it is setup:


There are two ways to use this feature. 


Option 1:


  1. Highlight the portion of text you want to hear read aloud, and then click on the "Speak" button


Option 2: 


  1. Place the mouse cursor where you would like it to start reading aloud, and click on the "Speak" button.