Microsoft Edge Read Aloud: Have Any Webpage or PDF Read to You Out Loud

Microsoft Edge, the web browser that comes built into Windows, includes a Read Aloud feature that can read any webpage or PDF document out loud to you using a natural-sounding computer voice. This feature is completely free, already installed on your computer, and works for anyone who finds reading on a screen tiring, has low vision, or learns better by listening.

Read Aloud works on any webpage — news articles, how-to guides, government websites, medical information pages, and more. It also works on PDF files you open in Edge, which is particularly useful for reading forms, instructions, or long documents. As it reads, Edge highlights each word and sentence so you can follow along visually while listening.

You can control the reading voice, speaking speed, and language. Edge offers several different voices — some sound more natural and conversational than others. Microsoft's "Jenny" and "Guy" voices in English are among the clearest and easiest to understand. You can slow the reading speed way down if the voice moves too quickly for comfortable listening.

You can start, pause, and skip forward or backward using a simple toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when Read Aloud is active. Clicking anywhere in the text also moves the reader to that location. So you can skip to a specific section of an article.

Read Aloud is especially useful for people who want to multitask. You can listen to an article while eating, resting, or doing something else nearby, with the computer doing the reading for you.