Other PDF Issues

How to Use Read Aloud for Selected Text in Adobe Acrobat

Olivia Miller Oct 18, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to listen to selected text in a PDF document and needs to know how to enable the text-to-speech feature natively or via third-party tools.

How to Use Read Aloud for Selected Text in Adobe Acrobat

Product: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Device & OS: Windows, Mac, Android
Scenario: Trying to hear specific selected text in a PDF read aloud instead of reading it manually on a screen.
Observed behavior: Needs to configure built-in tools in Acrobat or device accessibility settings to activate text-to-speech playback for PDF text.

Before you start

Ensure your device's volume is turned up and that your PDF is text-based, as text-to-speech features cannot read flattened image text or scanned documents without OCR (Optical Character Recognition) applied.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Built-in Read Out Loud Feature (Windows & Mac)

Adobe Acrobat Reader for desktop has a native Read Out Loud function that can dictate text directly from your document.

The built-in Read Out Loud tool reads the text in a PDF aloud using the system's available text-to-speech engine. You must activate the feature before you can select specific text or pages to read.

Open the PDF

Launch Adobe Acrobat Reader on your Windows or Mac computer and open the target PDF document.

Activate Read Out Loud

Navigate to the top menu bar, click on 'View', hover over 'Read Out Loud', and select 'Activate Read Out Loud'. Alternatively, press Shift+Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Shift+Command+Y (Mac).

Select Text to Read

Once activated, go back to View > Read Out Loud and choose 'Read This Page Only' or 'Read To End of Document'. You can also highlight specific text blocks to have them read aloud.

Use the Built-in Read Out Loud Feature (Windows & Mac)

Shortcut keys: You can pause and resume the playback using Shift+Ctrl+C (Windows) or Shift+Command+C (Mac), and stop it using Shift+Ctrl+E (Windows) or Shift+Command+E (Mac).

Solution 2

Enable TalkBack Screen Reader (Android)

Android devices support Acrobat Reader Mobile App accessibility features, including TalkBack, which acts as a screen reader for your PDF text.

Solution 3

Use Device Text-to-Speech Output (Android)

If you prefer not to use TalkBack, you can configure your Android device's native Text-to-Speech output engine to handle audio playback for supported apps.

PDF Text-to-Speech Tool

Listen to Your PDFs Effortlessly with WPS Office

WPS Office features a robust, built-in PDF reader that supports seamless text-to-speech functionality. Easily select any text and have it read aloud without complex accessibility configurations.

1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF document you want to listen to.
2. Find the Read Feature: Navigate to the 'Home' or 'View' tab on the top ribbon and locate the 'Read' or 'Text to Speech' icon.
3. Select the Text: Highlight the specific text you want to be read, or simply click play to start reading from the beginning of the page.
4. Adjust Audio Settings: Use the on-screen playback controls to pause, change the reading speed, or select a different voice style.

Built-in PDF Read Aloud feature for immediate, high-quality audio playbackFully compatible with all Adobe PDF files and document formatsLightweight application ensures fast viewing and editing without laggingFree and easy to use across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the read aloud feature skipping pages in my PDF?

The PDF might contain images or scanned pages without recognized text. Text-to-speech engines can only process actual text layers. Perform an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scan on the document to make the image text readable.

Can I change the voice or speed of the Adobe Acrobat reader?

Yes. On desktop, you can adjust these preferences by going to Edit > Preferences > Reading in Acrobat. On mobile devices, you can change the voice and speed via your device's native Accessibility or Text-to-Speech settings.

Does the read aloud feature work offline?

Yes, built-in device text-to-speech engines and Acrobat's native Read Out Loud function operate locally on your device and do not require an active internet connection.

Can I use read aloud for protected or encrypted PDFs?

If a PDF has security restrictions that prevent text copying or restrict accessibility access, the read aloud feature may fail. The author must allow 'Enable text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired' in the document's security properties.

PDF Troubleshooting