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Read PDF

Tip To save only part of a PDF document to a sound file, use Split Document first.

Set up default read aloud parameters

  1. Select File > Options > Read Aloud.
  2. Under Configuration, select a language in the Language list.
  3. Select a voice in the Voice list.
  4. Under Speech Parameters:
    1. Set the volume by adjusting the Volume slider.
    2. Set the speed of the speech by adjusting the Rate slider.
  5. Under Reading Order, optionally select Use tags for reading out if document is tagged.

For more information, see Read aloud preferences.

Set up read aloud parameters for the active document

  1. Go to File > Info > Description, click the Properties, then select Advanced Properties in the drop-down list.

    The Document Properties window appears.

  2. Select the Reading tab.
  3. Select an item in the Reading direction list to specify the reading order

    • Left to the right

    • Right to left

  4. In the Language, select the document language to use for reading aloud.

Read aloud text

  1. Go to Advanced Processing > Read Aloud and click any of the tools:

    • Current Page icon Current Page: Read the current page from beginning to end.

    • To End: Read from the start of the current page to the end of the document.

    • To File: All document text enters an mp3 file you can name and save.

    Once you have started reading, the Read PDF toolbar is displayed. Read PDF toolbar

  2. Use the controls of the toolbar.

    The toolbar has the following controls (from left to right):

    • Stop: Stop reading out. (The Escape key also stops reading.)
    • Pause: Pause reading. When paused, the button changes to Resume.
    • Previous page: Jums to the beginning of the previous page.
    • Previous paragraph: Jump to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
    • Next paragraph: Jump to the beginning of the next paragraph.
    • Next page: Jump to the beginning of the next page.

Read an image-only PDF

Such PDF files or pages can be read only after they are made searchable.

Search icon Use the Search tool at the right of the Home ribbon to test whether a PDF document or page is searchable. Select Search Current and enter a word from the PDF text (not in a comment or annotation). If searched words cannot be found, then this is an image-only PDF.

  1. Convert the PDF searchable, as it is detailed in Turn a PDF with image-only parts to searchable in Power PDF.
  2. Read the text aloud, as it is detailed in Read an image-only PDF.

Read aloud a PDF ordered by tag structure

To follow tag structure when reading aloud, proceed with the following steps.

  1. Go to File > Options > Read Aloud, and select the Use tags for reading out if document is tagged check box.
  2. Follow the steps in Read aloud text.

For more information, see About PDF tagging and reading aloud.

Set up read aloud options for Jaws

  1. Go to File > Options > Accessibility > Speech.
  2. If the document is tagged for reading aloud, then the screen reader keeps to the tagging by default. Select the Override reading order in tagged documents check box to ignore tagging, instructing the screen reader to sequence the reading on its own.
  3. To control the sequence of text to be read out, and pick one of the following items in the Reading Order list:

    • Use reading order in raw stream: Mirror the sequence of the components (such as headings, text blocks) of the document.

    • Left-to-right, top-to-bottom reading order: Follow the conventional reading sequence.

  4. To control the amount of pages to read, go to File > Options > Accessibility > Speech and pick one of the following items in the Page range list:

    • Read the entire document: Read the whole document.

    • Read the currently visible pages only: Read only those pages displayed in the document panel.

    • For large documents read the currently visible pages only: Applies the setting above, but only for long documents. Use the Number of pages that large documents minimally contain box to specify at least how many pages a document should contain to be treated as large.