To use Text-to-Speech (TTS) on your Mac, you can leverage its built-in accessibility features to have selected text read aloud. This functionality is part of macOS and can be easily configured through System Settings or System Preferences, depending on your operating system version.
Activating Text-to-Speech on Mac
Enabling TTS on your Mac involves a few straightforward steps to configure the system to read aloud spoken content.
Step-by-Step Guide
The path to activate TTS may vary slightly depending on your macOS version.
| macOS Version | Navigation Path |
|---|---|
| macOS Ventura or newer | System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content |
| macOS Monterey or older | System Preferences > Accessibility > Spoken Content |
| Older macOS versions | System Preferences > Dictation & Speech > Speech |
Once you navigate to the correct section:
- Enable Speak Selection: Look for a checkbox labeled "Speak selection" or "Speak selected text when the key is pressed" and ensure it is checked.
- Set a Shortcut (Optional but Recommended): You'll typically find an option to change the default keyboard shortcut for speaking selected text. The default is often
Option (⌥) + Esc. You can customize this to a key combination that is comfortable for you.
How to Use Speak Selection
Once enabled, using TTS is simple:
- Select Text: Highlight any text you want to hear read aloud in an application, web page, document, or email.
- Activate Shortcut: Press the configured keyboard shortcut (e.g.,
Option (⌥) + Esc). Your Mac will begin reading the selected text. - Stop Speaking: Press the same shortcut again or click the "Stop" button that may appear in a small control panel.
This feature works across most applications where text can be selected, including web browsers, word processors like Pages or Microsoft Word, email clients, and text editors.
Customizing Your Text-to-Speech Experience
macOS offers several options to personalize your TTS settings:
- System Voice: You can change the default voice your Mac uses. Go to the same
Spoken ContentorSpeechsection in System Settings/Preferences and choose from a variety of voices, including different accents and languages. You can also download higher-quality, more natural-sounding voices for a better listening experience. - Speaking Rate: Adjust the speed at which your Mac reads text aloud. There's usually a slider to control the speaking rate from slow to fast.
- Highlight Content: Enable the "Highlight content" option to have the spoken words or sentences highlighted as they are read, which can be beneficial for reading comprehension and tracking.
- System Notifications: You can also configure your Mac to announce system alerts or specific events using TTS.
Practical Applications of TTS on Mac
Text-to-Speech can be a valuable tool for various users and scenarios:
- Accessibility: For individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties like dyslexia, TTS provides an auditory alternative to reading.
- Proofreading: Hearing your written content read aloud can help you catch grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and typos that you might miss when silently reading.
- Multitasking: Listen to articles, emails, or documents while performing other tasks that don't require visual attention.
- Learning and Retention: Some people find that listening to information helps with comprehension and memory retention, especially for long texts.
- Language Learning: Listen to text in different languages to improve pronunciation and listening skills.
By utilizing these built-in features, your Mac can transform written content into spoken words, enhancing productivity and accessibility.
