Here's how you can make your Mac speak selected text in OS X with a simple keyboard shortcut or a click on the mouse.
While we make use of our Macs in a wide variety of ways on a day to day basis, there are still some features deep inside OS X that we barely make use of, which will subsequently make our lives even more easier. One of those features is the ability to make your Mac speak out the selected text with the press of a key combination on the keyboard, or just using a simple click on our mouse. Today, we'll guide you through the entire process and hopefully you'll leave this space learning something awesome.
Make Your Mac Speak Out The String Of Text You Have Selected
1. Launch System Preferences from Launchpad or the Mac menu bar.
2. Click on 'Dictation & Speech.'
3. Over here you'll see a bunch of new options. But at the top there are two tabs - click on the one that reads 'Text to Speech.'
4. Check the option that is labelled 'Speak selected text when the key is pressed.' You may click on 'Change Key' to modify the shortcut for speaking out selected text. But we recommend that you keep it at the default setting so that you now how the feature works beforehand, and then tweak it to your liking later.
You also have the option to change the voice to male or female, depending on the way you want it. But again, keep it at the default one for now.
5. Now open a Web page or any text file and select the text you want your Mac to read out. Press the 'Option + Escape' key combination on the keyboard to read out the text.
Alternatively, you can achieve the same without using your mouse in certain places. Select a string of text in Safari, for instance, right-click on it, then select Speech > Start Speaking. The select text will immediately be read out to you. Plain and simple.
The text to speech feature is extremely handy especially if you want your Mac to read out a long document to you, saving you a bunch of time if you're planning to go through the trouble of doing things manually. Furthermore, it's a brilliant feature for those who are visually impaired as well.
If you found today's guide useful, then be sure to let us know about it in the comments section below.
