It is always difficult for users with visible shortcomings or the older generation to navigate the PC. To solve this problem, Windows introduced the Narrator feature in Windows 11. This is a screen reader built into Windows 11 that helps you when using apps, browsing the web, and more.
To make things more interesting, it comes with natural voices that give you human voice assistance when using your computer. So the question is how to use natural voices in Windows 11 Narrator?
What is Windows Narrator?
Windows Narrator is a screen reader and text-to-speech tool that helps people complete everyday tasks. The tool is designed for visually impaired users. But everyone can use this tool differently as it comes with multiple configuration options.
The tool comes with Windows 11 and can offer voice assistance when you use apps and web browsers or browse your computer.
In addition, it can help you perform daily tasks without using a mouse. It can read and interact with things on the screen such as text and buttons. You can use Narrator to read and write emails, work with documents, and more.
What is so special about natural voices?
Screen readers are nothing new. We have seen it in Windows 10, smartphones and other devices.
But what makes Windows Narrator’s natural voice different from previous screen readers is its natural human voice. The voice has emotions and can express words better than other screen readers, with a robotic voice that can be annoying and obnoxious.
However, Natural Voice comes with the incredible speech synthesis capabilities of Azure Cognitive Services. As a result, you will get natural text-to-speech with natural voices.
How to use natural voices in Windows Narrator?
It’s pretty easy to get started with Natural Voices in Windows Narrator. However, at the moment it only supports natural voices in English and American and requires an initial download. Once you download and install the voice pack, you can use it both online and offline.
To use it, follow these steps:
- Press Windows Key + I to launch Settings.
- Select Accessibility from the sidebar.
- Scroll down and click Narrator.
- Now, under the voice of the announcer, you will find the option “Add natural voices”- click on it.
- Below you will find a list of available natural voices. Choose one and click on the preview to listen to the voice. If you like the voice pack, click the “Install”button.
How to use natural voices in The Narrator?
Now that you have installed the voice pack in Windows, the next question is how to use Windows Narrator.
First, after downloading the voice pack, select it as the default voice for Windows Narrator.
You can select the voice pack you just installed by going to Settings > Accessibility > Narrator. Here, use the “Voice”drop-down menu to select a new voice pack.
Once selected, you can scroll up and turn on the Narrator option to enable this feature. Alternatively, you can go to Start Menu > All Apps > Windows Ease of Access > Narrator to start using it.
Conclusion
Natural Voice Narrator in Windows 11 can be useful in many ways. However, many users have reported that they do not have access to natural voices in Windows 11. If you are facing the same issue, consider updating Windows to the latest version or build and you will have access to this feature.