With the growing need for touch-free technologies, we have evolved into smart speakers (Google Nest, Amazon Alexa, etc.) and phones that require just a voice command to operate. We are even watching the tech space with audio guides (Amazon Audible, Podcasts, etc.) rather than that physical book copies.
You might already hear about the text-to-speech technologies that help to read out text or content that we enter. Similarly, Microsoft Edge offers a Read Aloud feature within the browser that automatically reads out the text. It doesn’t require any extension support or software to be installed.
The read-aloud features in Edge automatically detect the language and start reading out. There are control buttons to pause and play the read-aloud cursor. We can move forward and backward using the same controls.
There are also a few customization options, such as increasing or decreasing the reading pace, changing the voice output, and even adding the voice option that isn’t available. I strongly recommend using immersive reading along with the read-aloud feature. I use the read-aloud feature in the Edge browser whenever I am in a hurry and want to read an article or story I’ve created to get a basic idea.
Just invoke the read-aloud command in Microsoft Edge, and you’re good to go with the built-in text-to-speech feature.
Enable Read Aloud
With the increased use of applications like Amazon audible, Spotify podcasts, and so on, it becomes increasingly important to use our time efficiently by reading texts aloud rather than line by line.
Here are the steps to enable the Read Aloud feature in the Microsoft Edge computer browser:
- Launch the Microsoft Edge browser on a computer.
- Open the webpage link that you want to Read Aloud.
- Tap on More
at the top right corner for the menu list. - Choose the Read Aloud menu from the list.
This will invoke the Read Aloud control bar in the header. - Hit on command button on the control bar.
The readout aloud will start and convert the text to speech automatically. Few controls link the Pause/Play, Back, and Forward command buttons.
We can also customize the Voice option to choose the available list of Microsoft Voice. Microsoft Edge also offers the option to add the Voice Language if unavailable in the drop-down list. We can even increase or reduce the Read Aloud speed between Fast/Normal/Slow based on our pace of understanding.
Bottom Line: Edge Read Aloud
The Microsoft Edge read aloud built-in text-to-speech feature is stunning and unique. It uses Microsoft AI for converting text to audio output. It’s one step ahead in the future compared to rivals like Chrome or Firefox.
The read-aloud feature is offered in various voice options and controls and can customize speed. It is straightforward and helpful, especially when reading my blog post aloud. I also use it to read aloud any story I have curated to focus more on grammatical errors.
Microsoft Edge also offers a reading mode known as an immersive reader that assists reading and gives a clutter-free experience while consuming content.
Let us know your thoughts about the read-aloud or free text-to-speech feature offered within the Microsoft Edge browser. Have you tried to read aloud on this blog post? If not, try it once.