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How to have your PDF read out loud

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Cliff Weitzman
By Cliff Weitzman Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify in Productivity on August 01, 2022
If you are looking for a program that can read aloud PDF files to you, then take a look at how to use text-to-speech programs to help you.

    How to have your PDF read out loud

    Are you looking for a way to have your PDF read out loud to you? Adobe Reader is a popular program because it can help you print your documents clearly—however, PDF files can have some accessibility issues from time to time. This is why you might be looking for a TTS program that can read PDF files to you. How can you activate read out loud? Take a look at a few tips below.

    Android devices

    If you are looking for programs that can help you read PDF documents or web pages on your Android device, there are plenty of options available. There is a native text-to-speech app on the phone. Go to your settings, find the accessibility section, and then select the text-to-speech option. From there, you can toggle on the “select to speak” option when you have something that you want to read, including PDF files. However, the native Android TTS tool is limited and sounds robotic, so you might want to look elsewhere.

    There are a few other TTS apps that can help you. They include:

    eReader Prestigio

    This has become a popular program because it is multilingual and has a user interface that is easy to handle. You can read PDF files on this app, but it can take a while to convert your other files into PDF documents. It also contains ads that you will need to cut through, but it allows you to sync your devices across multiple cloud accounts.

    NaturalReader

    Natural Reader is a popular program for reading PDF documents on Android devices. This is a program that gives you access to lots of voices that can read your PDF files, but the interface can be a bit clunky. It can also be expensive if you need to upgrade from the free version to the premium version. The free version does not give you access to many of its features.

    Speech Central

    Speech Central is an app that has been designed for people with visual issues. It can handle PDF files, along with numerous other file types, using Bluetooth. It can handle PDF documents, but it has been designed for people with visual disabilities, which means it can be hard to use depending on your needs.

    Speechify

    Speechify is a program that can read from the current page to the end of the document with ease. It can handle PDF files, Microsoft Word docs, web pages, and numerous other file types. You can customize the reading speed and change the voice to meet your needs. You can also highlight the text as it is read in front of you, making it easier for you to expand your vocabulary. Speechify comes in both a completely free and a premium version, both of which come with many fantastic text-to-speech features. You can easily find Speechify on the Google Play store, but it will also work across many devices and operating systems. For these reasons, Speechify is the best option if you need a PDF reader for Android.

    iPhones

    If you need a program that can read Adobe Acrobat files on either your iPhone or iPad, you need a program that can handle iOS. There is a native program on the iPhone. All you need to do is go to settings, accessibility, and then hit spoken content. You can use this app to read the text on the screen, but you might have better luck with stronger apps.

    Some of the top options include:

    Voice Dream Reader

    This is a program that can help you take your PDF files and convert them into voice files. The program can handle 27 languages, and it comes with 36 voices. It can handle lots of file types, including PDF files, but it can be costly to employ.

    vBookz PDF Voice Reader

    If you need a program that can read your files to you easily, then this PDF Voice Reader can be helpful. The user interface is very intuitive, but the voices are not that realistic. You might feel like you are listening to a robot, which is why you might want to go with a program with customizable voices instead.

    Speechify

    Finally, Speechify is once again the best option if you need a program that can read your PDF files to you for iOS. It is better than other text-to-speech apps in the App Store, and you can take files out of your Google Drive, Dropbox, or anywhere your PDF files are stored and read them using Speechify. It is one of the top text-to-speech apps available, and the OCR is exceptional. For these reasons, you should use Speechify to help you read PDF files on your iPhone.

    Macs

    If you need a program from the app store that can help you read on a Mac, there are a few choices. They include:

    • Native Voice Reader: Three is a program on Mac computers that can read PDF and ePub files to you. You simply need to open your document, select the edit button, and then let the program start talking to you. It doesn’t sound lifelike, but it is easy to use.

    • Speechify: Speechify can handle many file types. You don’t even have to convert PDF files into a different file type in order to hear it read out loud. You can also increase the reading speed as Speechify goes, helping you save time during the process. Use Speechify to control the pace at which your files are read.

    Windows devices

    Some of the options on your Windows devices include:

    • Native Voice Reader: If you have Adobe Reader on your Windows device, you can ask it to read to you using CTRL SHIFT Y. The voice is not the best option, but it is an easy way to read your files on your Windows computer.

    • Speechify: You might be better off using Speechify to read documents. It can handle the Windows operating system with ease, and you can even pull PDF files from your cloud storage area and ask Speechify to read them to you. It doesn’t get much easier than Speechify, which also has lots of customizable voices and natural-sounding voices in dozens of languages.

    Online

    If you want to go online to have your PDF files read to you, you need to use Speechify to help you. With Wi-Fi, you can go directly to the website. Then, you can open your PDF text file, copy the entire document, and place it in the text box. Then, you can hit the button to have Speechify read the file to you. You even get access to lots of different voices, allowing you to customize your listening experience to meet your needs. You might even want to save the audio files so that you can listen to them later. It is easy to see why Speechify is a popular online reading option for PDF files.

    In Chrome

    If you have Google Chrome, then you might want to use the innate Chrome reader to read your Google Docs and PDF files to you. This is not necessarily free, as the price is dependent on the number of characters that you read per month.

    That is why you should use the Chrome extension available from Speechify instead. Speechify can handle just about any file type through Google Chrome, making it a versatile option. Use Speechify to control the pitch, tone, volume, and more as your PDF files are read to you.

    FAQ

    Some of the most common questions people ask about getting PDF files read out loud include:

    How do I get a PDF to read out loud?

    If you want to get a PDF file read out loud to you, then you need to use Speechify. It can handle PDF files easily, so use Speechify to read your files out loud.

    Can my phone read a PDF to me?

    Yes, this is something that Speechify can do for you. It works well on both iOS and Android devices. No matter what type of phone you have, you should be able to use Speechify on your PDF files and other documents to have them read out loud to you.

    Speechify Text to Speech Features

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    Cliff Weitzman

    Cliff Weitzman

    Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

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