We spend a lot of time reading from screens.
Emails. Articles. Instructions. News. Research. Blog posts.
But sometimes you don’t actually need to read what’s on the screen.
You can let your browser read it to you.
Microsoft Edge has a built-in feature called Read Aloud, and it’s one of those simple tools you may have had available all along without realizing it.
Even better? You can use it on both your computer and your phone.
📺 Watch the video below to see how it works on both devices.
What Is Read Aloud?
Read Aloud turns the written text on a webpage into spoken audio.
Open an article or other webpage, start Read Aloud, and Edge will begin reading the content to you.
You can follow along on the screen or simply listen.
Depending on your device and version of Edge, you’ll also find controls that let you pause the reading, move forward or backward, adjust the reading speed, and choose from available voices.
Why Would You Want Your Browser to Read to You?
This is one of those features where the technology itself isn’t really the exciting part.
What it gives you is.
Maybe you’ve been staring at a computer all day and your eyes need a break.
Maybe listening helps you absorb information better than reading it.
Maybe there’s a long article you want to get through.
Or maybe you simply want another way to consume information.
Read Aloud gives you that option.
And I am a big fan of technology giving us options.
Use Read Aloud on Your Computer
If you’re browsing with Microsoft Edge on your computer, open the webpage you want to hear and look for the Read Aloud option.
Once it starts, Edge will read the webpage while giving you controls for the listening experience.
You don’t need to install a separate program or copy the article into another app.
The feature is already built into the browser.
You Can Use It on Your Phone, Too
Here’s the part you might not realize: Read Aloud isn’t limited to your desktop computer.
Microsoft Edge on your phone can read webpages aloud, too.
That means the article you started looking at on your computer doesn’t necessarily have to keep you sitting in front of your computer.
Open a webpage in Edge on your phone, find the Read Aloud option in the browser menu, and let your phone do the reading.
The exact location of the option can change as apps are updated, but the feature itself is easy to use once you know to look for it.
Technology Should Work the Way You Need It To
One of my favorite things about discovering little features like this is realizing that technology doesn’t always have to require us to change the way we work.
Sometimes technology can adapt to us.
Don’t feel like reading?
Listen.
Need to give your eyes a break?
Listen.
Prefer hearing information?
Listen.
It’s a tiny feature, but those tiny features can make technology feel a whole lot more useful.
And that’s what building Tech Confidence is all about: learning what’s available, trying it, and deciding what makes your life easier.