Perhaps a piece of text is too small, and you forgot your glasses. Or maybe you’ve downloaded a PDF file of a story or article, and you want to listen to it while jogging or working around the house.
Whatever the reason, having your PDF files read aloud can be very convenient. Fortunately, using features such as third-party apps, it’s possible to do so easily. This article will be highlighting the different methods you can use to have your PDF files read aloud.
Carry on to discover more.
Read PDF Aloud: Android
Staring at your phone to read a piece of text for too long can inevitably make your eyes hurt. With the help of third-party text-to-speech apps, Android users can put this worry aside. If you find yourself reading PDF files on your Android device often, it may be worth giving some of these apps a go to rest your eyes.
eReader Prestigio
eReader Prestigio is an app designed for the Android operating system, allowing users to have PDF files and eBooks read aloud. This great app lets users enjoy reading books aloud and PDF documents. The app offers over 50,000 books to choose from and is multi-lingual, with over 25 languages on offer. The app can be downloaded directly from the Google Play Store.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- It’s multi-lingual
- Over 50,000 eBooks are available
- Sync books and PDF files between your cloud accounts
Cons:
- Larger PDF files may take some time to complete conversion
- Contains advertisements
NaturalReader Text to Speech
This app offers an easy way to convert PDF to voice files and is available on Android and iOS devices. If you’re using an Android, once you’ve downloaded NaturalReader from the Google Play Store, you will be able to upload any files you wish to convert to audio. The plus icon in the upper-right hand corner allows you to add more text manually by selecting it from either your Dropbox, Google Drive, or anywhere else it may be stored.
Pros:
- Many natural-sounding voices to choose from
- No advertisements
- Simple and easy to use
- Accessible from anywhere through cloud storage apps
Cons:
- Limited options for the free version
- Little to no offline support
Speech Central
Designed especially for visually impaired users, Speech Central lets users listen to PDF files, eBooks, explore the web, and more, all through a Bluetooth headset.
Pros:
- Import PDF files plus other documents with ease
- Easily customized for individuals
- Receive a certain number of free articles a day
- Easy to access for those who have visual impairments
Cons:
- The layout is not intuitive
Read PDF Aloud: iPhone
Often, people can be on the go and don’t have time to read an essential file for work or study. For this reason, being able to have PDFs read aloud to you via your headphones can make all the difference.
If you are using iOS 10 or above, you can use the voice reader feature to read text aloud to the user.
To access this feature:
- Head to “Settings” from your home screen.
- Hit “Accessibility.”
- Select “Spoken Content.”
- Tap the toggle next to where it says “Speech Selection” to switch on the feature.
If you are using an older version of iOS or just don’t want to use the above method, then several apps can do the trick just as well.
Voice Dream Reader
This popular iPhone app lets you read PDFs (plus other files) aloud easily with many excellent features, such as 36 built-in voices in 27 languages. Different voices can also be purchased for a small fee.
Pros:
- Supports PDF, Word, Powerpoint, Plain text, Google Docs, and RTF
- It offers a multi-language feature
- Able to continue reading documents even when the screen is locked
Cons:
- There is a fee that comes with using the app.
vBookz PDF Voice Reader
This free-to-download app makes converting PDF files to audio easy. This high-quality tool comes with access to 17 languages and offers multiple tools for orientation.
Pros:
- Free to download
- Access to over 40,000 books
- Allows imports from iTunes to a Mac or PC
Cons:
- Some additional features may cost money
Read PDF Aloud: Mac
If you are using a Mac, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s possible to have documents read aloud to you. Perhaps you’re studying for something and want the PDF read aloud so you can take notes. Or maybe, you are visually impaired and need the extra support. Whatever your reason, here’s how to access the speech feature on our Mac.
To hear the entire document:
- Open the PDF document.
- Select “Edit” at the top of the page.
- Click “Speech,” then “Start Speaking.”
To hear a selected piece of the document:
- Open the PDF document and highlight the piece of text you would like to be read aloud.
- Click “Edit.”
- Choose “Speech,” then “Start Speaking.”
To end the audio:
- Go to “Edit.”
- Select “Speech.”
- Press “Stop Speaking.”
Read PDF Aloud: Windows
Those who use Windows may gravitate towards Adobe Reader as their default choice for reading PDF files. To have PDF files read aloud using Adobe Reader, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the PDF document you wish to read in Adobe Reader.
- From the bar at the top of the page, click “View.”
- Click on “Read Out Loud” at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
- Choose “Activate Read Out Loud.”
It’s also possible to activate this feature using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Y.
Read PDF Aloud Online
It’s also possible to read PDF texts aloud online. One way to do so is through texttospeech. To use this feature:
- Head to the textospeech website.
- Upload the PDF file you want to be read aloud.
- Select the speaker icon to hear the text.
Another popular option for reading PDFs aloud online is NaturalReaders. Here’s how to use it:
- Head to the NaturalReaders site.
- Click on “Open Documents” in the center of the page.
- Choose the PDF file you wish to have read aloud.
- Once the file is downloaded, it will automatically open on a new page.
- Click the “Play” button at the top of the page to read the PDF aloud.
Read PDF Aloud: Chrome
If you are using Chrome and wish to have a PDF document read aloud, you may want to consider installing Read Aloud, a Chrome extension reader. You can easily download the feature from the Chrome Web Store. Here’s what you’ll need to do to activate the feature:
- Once you’ve found the Read Aloud app in the Chrome Web Store, select “Add to Chrome.”
- In the pop-up that appears, choose “Add Extension.”
- You’ll notice the “Read Aloud” icon appear to the right of your search bar. It looks like an orange megaphone.
- Open the PDF file online that you wish to be read aloud.
- Click the orange megaphone icon. The entire page will be read to you.
Listen to This
The ability to have PDF files read aloud is extremely handy. Sometimes, life can get busy, and sitting down to read a file may not be an option. Additionally, certain businesses can reach out to more clients without worrying about a language barrier.
Whatever your reason, knowing how to have PDFs read aloud can be extremely useful. We hope that this article has helped you better understand how this process works, depending on your chosen device.
Have you tried to have your PDF read aloud? Which method did you use? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
