What it does

The Read Aloud tool will read whole Word documents, Outlook emails and web pages (viewed in the Microsoft Edge browser) aloud to you. 

How to use it

Word

Read Aloud is available in the desktop and online versions of Word. Instructions on how to use it are available on the Listen to your Word documents web page. Click on the platform you are using to get the relevant instructions.

Outlook emails

Read Aloud also works in Outlook. Instructions on how to use it are available on the Listen to your Outlook email messages with Read Aloud web page. Click on the platform you are using to get the relevant instructions.

Webpages

For instructions on how to have web pages read aloud in Edge go to Use Learning Tools in the Edge browser.  If the Read Aloud feature is unavailable you may need to update your Edge browser.

EBooks

To use Read Aloud to have eBooks read aloud to you right click on the text of the eBook and choose Read Aloud.  If Read Aloud is not available in the menu  press CTRL + Shift + U.  The Read Aloud toolbar will appear at the top of the window.  Use the Play and Pause buttons to control the reading.  The Voice Options button allows you to change the voice and the speed of the reading.  More details helped is available on the eBook Collections page.

PDF files

You can use the Edge Read Aloud tool to read PDFs that open from webpages. 

For PDF files you have saved to your computer these will also open in Edge if you have set Edge as your default PDF viewer.  If not, you can open PDF files in Edge by:

1. Right clicking on the PDF file
2. Choose Open with from the menu
3. Then select Microsoft Edge.  

Once you have a PDF file open in Edge right click on Read Aloud.  If Read Aloud is not available in the menu  press CTRL + Shift + U.  The Read Aloud toolbar will appear at the top of the window.  Use the Play and Pause buttons to control the reading.  The Voice Options button allows you to change the voice and the speed of the reading.