VoicedByMe / Use cases / Read a PDF aloud

Guide · PDF · Windows and Mac · Updated 24 October 2026

Have any PDF read aloud to you.

Q: How do I get a PDF to read aloud on Windows 11?

Open it in Microsoft Edge and press CtrlShiftU, or use Read Out Loud in Adobe Acrobat Reader. For natural voices offline, VoicedByMe opens the PDF and reads it with highlighting.

To have a PDF read aloud on Windows 11, open it in Microsoft Edge and press CtrlShiftU. On a Mac, open it in Preview and choose Edit → Speech → Start Speaking. Both are free. Adobe Acrobat Reader reads PDFs too, but scanned PDFs make it say "empty page", because they have no text in them. For natural voices offline, scanned pages included, and audiobooks to take with you, VoicedByMe reads PDFs on your own computer for $30 once.

Download for Windows Download for Mac Free for a day · then $30 once

Samples made offline with ready-made voices. All of them are AI-generated.

Free ways

With what's already on your computer.

Windows: Microsoft Edge

Right-click the PDF, choose Open with → Microsoft Edge, then select Read aloud in the toolbar or press CtrlShiftU. Edge highlights each word, and you can change the voice and speed. Its natural voices are the ones marked Online and need the internet; offline it falls back to Windows' standard voices. More on Edge's Read Aloud.

Windows or Mac: Adobe Acrobat Reader

Choose View → Read Out Loud → Activate Read Out Loud (ShiftCtrlY, or ShiftCmdY on a Mac), then Read This Page Only (ShiftCtrlV) or Read To End of Document (ShiftCtrlB). It uses your computer's voices and works offline. You have to activate it again for each PDF you open.

Mac: Preview

Open the PDF in Preview and choose Edit → Speech → Start Speaking. Select a passage first to hear just that. For better voices, download a Premium voice in System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content.

Chrome

Chrome has no read-aloud button for PDFs of its own. Extensions such as Read Aloud work in Chrome's PDF viewer; for PDFs on your computer, turn on Allow access to file URLs in the extension's settings.

"Empty page"

Why it says "warning: empty page".

If Acrobat Reader says "warning: empty page", or Edge reads nothing, the PDF is almost certainly a scan: each page is a picture of text, with no actual text inside. A reader can only speak text it can find.

The fix is text recognition (OCR), which turns the pictures back into text. Acrobat Reader can't do it; the paid Acrobat can. VoicedByMe does it on your computer automatically: pages that are only pictures are recognised with the text recognition built into Windows or macOS, then read like any other page.

If a PDF with real text still says "empty page", it may be badly tagged. Try another reader before fixing the file.

With VoicedByMe

Open it. Listen.

Open the PDF

Drag it into VoicedByMe, or open it from the app. Word files, EPUBs and text files work the same way.
Pick a voice

One of 70 natural voices, or your own, cloned from twenty seconds of talking. Set the speed you like.
Listen, or take it with you

The part being read is highlighted, and your place is kept for next time. Or turn the PDF into an audiobook with chapters for your phone.

Compared

Ways to hear a PDF.

	Natural voices	Works offline	Scanned PDFs	Saves audio	Price
VoicedByMe	Yes, or your own voice	Yes	Yes, recognised on your computer	Yes, and audiobooks	$30 once
Microsoft Edge	Yes, online	With standard voices	No	No	Free
Acrobat Reader	No, the system's voices	Yes	No: "empty page"	No	Free
Mac Preview and Spoken Content	Premium voices	Yes	No	No	Free
Online PDF-to-audio sites	Yes	No, the PDF is uploaded	Some	Often on paid plans	Free tiers, then paid

As of October 2026. Check each app's own site for its current features and prices.

Questions

How do I get a PDF to read aloud on Windows 11?

Open it in Microsoft Edge and press CtrlShiftU, or use Read Out Loud in Adobe Acrobat Reader. For natural voices offline, VoicedByMe opens the PDF and reads it with highlighting.

How do I have a PDF read aloud on a Mac?

Open it in Preview and choose Edit → Speech → Start Speaking, or select text and press OptionEsc after turning on Speak selection in Accessibility → Spoken Content.

Why does my PDF reader say "warning: empty page"?

The page is a scanned picture with no text in it. Run text recognition (OCR) first, or use a reader that does it for you, like VoicedByMe.

Can Adobe Reader read a PDF aloud?

Yes: View → Read Out Loud → Activate Read Out Loud, then read the page or the whole document. It uses your computer's voices, and can't read scanned pages.

Can I turn a PDF into an MP3 or an audiobook?

Yes. VoicedByMe saves a PDF as an M4B audiobook with chapters, or a file per chapter, on your computer. Online converters do it too, usually with limits or a paid plan.

Is there a free PDF reader with natural voices?

Microsoft Edge's Read Aloud has free natural voices, online. Offline, the Mac's Premium voices are the most natural free option.

Can it read PDFs in other languages?

VoicedByMe reads English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Russian, and finds the language of each part by itself, so a mixed document is read correctly. French, Portuguese and Italian need turning on first, in Settings.

Can ChatGPT read a PDF aloud?

Not really. ChatGPT can summarise a PDF you upload, and read its own replies aloud, but it isn't a reader that goes through your document from start to finish. VoicedByMe opens the PDF and reads all of it, scanned pages included, with the part being read highlighted.

Why is Read Aloud not working in Edge?

Usually one of three things: the PDF is a scan with no text in it, you're offline (Edge's natural voices need the internet), or the file opened in a different app. Try a standard voice in Edge's voice menu. VoicedByMe reads scanned PDFs, offline.

How much does it cost?

$30 once for the first 50 customers, then $50. No subscription. The full app is free for one day so you can try it first. A license is for one computer.

For Windows 10 and 11, and Macs with Apple silicon

Your PDFs, read aloud.

$30once. Launch price for the first 50 customers, then $50.
One computer. No subscription.

Download for Windows Download for Mac Also for Windows 10 and 11 Also for Macs with Apple silicon

The full app, free for 24 hours. Purchases aren't refundable, so please try it first.