Listening to resources on your device
This section of our Assistive Technology Guide explains how to use text-to-speech (TTS) tools to play back text on your device as spoken words. You may choose to listen to material on your devices for several reasons, including:
- Having difficulty reading the screen or looking at the screen for extended periods
- Multitasking and productivity
- Increasing your comprehension of heavy text
Desktop
It is possible to listen to text on your computer from a Word document, a website, or a PDF file.
Office 365
- Listen to your Word Documents (Built-in)
- Use Immersive Reader in Office 365 (Built-in)
Windows
- How to use Magnifier on Windows (Built-in)
Mac
- Set up and use Spoken Word on Mac (Built-in)
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Read a PDF aloud with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Free download)
Natural Reader
- Natural Reader Online (Subscription service with free option)
- Natural Reader Desktop (Subscription service with free option)
Mobile
You can take a photo of the text you want to read aloud on your phone or ask Siri or Google Assistant to read your screen.
iPhone
- Hear iPhone speak the screen (Built-in)
Android
- Text-to-Speech Output on Android (Built-in)
- Ask Google to read a webpage (Built-in)
Office 365
- Read aloud text from an image with Microsoft Lens (iPhone, Android, free)
Using a screen reader
A screen reader uses text-to-speech to communicate the screen interface rather than only reading out text from a document. This is useful if you find yourself needing to navigate the interface of your computer in a non-visual way.
Desktop
- Learn about NVDA (Windows, free)
- VoiceOver User Guide for Mac (Mac, built-in)
- Complete guide to Narrator (Windows, built-in)
Mobile
- Turn on and practice VoiceOver on iPhone (iPhone, built-in)
- Get started on Android with TalkBack (Android, built-in)
Web
- ChromeVox: use the built-in screen reader on Chromebook (Chromebook, built-in)
Also in this guide
Our guide to assistive technology is made up of five sections:
Contact us
You can contact us in the way that best suits you. For any question relating to Disability Support Services:
Phone: +64 9 921 9210
Email: disability.office@aut.ac.nz