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Help using "narrator" - apparently a tool of the Devil - to read a Word document.
Me | 7 March 2022 | Kristi (Scarlett156)

Posted on 03/07/2022 8:34:20 AM PST by Scarlett156

I can't get "narrator" or "speak" to read a Word document. I've looked up a ton of help articles and videos already.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Humor; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: justreadityourself; texttospeech; windows10
One PC has the licensed version of "Word" that has a built-in "immersive reader." It's ok once you get used to it. But the machine I want to be able to use to read Word documents (because reading page after page of text makes my poor old eyes tired) has Word 2007 and it doesn't even have a "speak" command listed under "all commands."

When I open Windows 10 "narrator" it ONLY reads like the document name and that's it. Supposedly if you press the "narrator" button (supposed to be "caps lock" or "insert" and that's how it is set up in "settings") and "down arrow" Narrator will start reading your document. BUT IT DOESN'T.

Another video said there is a "speak" command in all versions of Word after 2003. I cannot find it in Word 2007.

I want to be able to open Word, pull up a document, and have old David read it. THAT'S ALL. The laptop I want to use for this should be able to do it.

I thought maybe I had jiggered the settings so went to an article about how to reset all the "narrator" settings - there are not the same categories on the screen that show up when you go into "narrator settings" - like there's supposed to be something called "commands" where you can reset the commands. NO THERE ISN'T.

I'm getting ready to throw two computers out the window into the snow. ALL I WANT TO DO IS HAVE THE D4MN THING READ A DOCUMENT FROM THE BEGINNING. THAT'S ALL I WANT TO DO. AND WHEN I OPEN NARRATOR ALL IT DOES IS READ THE D4MN HEADINGS AND BUTTONS AND STUFF AND THEN THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO MAKE IT READ THE TEXT.

Seriously. I opened a PDF document. It read all the garbage at the side of the page but didn't read the text on the page. I pressed "capslock" and "down arrow" a bunch of times. NOTHING.

1 posted on 03/07/2022 8:34:20 AM PST by Scarlett156
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To: Scarlett156

This is Hugh and Series.

Forget about the Russian/Ukraine war. This belongs in BREAKING NEWS. I’m going to worry the rest of this day about how you will resolve this major, major problem.


2 posted on 03/07/2022 8:37:54 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (I love my country. It's my government that I hate.)
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To: Scarlett156

Which version of Word are you running.

I just opened a doc, highlighted some text, went to the search bar at the top tool bar Alt-Q, and typed in “Read Aloud” and it worked


3 posted on 03/07/2022 8:48:27 AM PST by z3n (Kakistocracy)
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To: Scarlett156

“One PC…”
There’s your problem.


4 posted on 03/07/2022 8:49:20 AM PST by lefty-lie-spy (Stay Metal)
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To: Scarlett156

Buy Deagon.


5 posted on 03/07/2022 8:51:01 AM PST by sauropod (Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.)
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To: sauropod

Deagon= Dragon.


6 posted on 03/07/2022 8:51:41 AM PST by sauropod (Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

What does “hugh and series” mean...?


7 posted on 03/07/2022 8:52:02 AM PST by Scarlett156 (If you want my place at the table, you will have to eat what is on my plate. )
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To: z3n

The Word version on the PC has “immersive reader” but I want to have the narrator read a document on a laptop that has Word 2007. I already typed in as many things as I could think of under “help” - like “read aloud” (nothing), “text to speech” (nothing), and “narrate” (nothing).

I keep thinking that if I could reset Windows 10 Narrator back to its original settings it would probably work on whatever document I wanted to read whether in Word or some other application.


8 posted on 03/07/2022 8:56:59 AM PST by Scarlett156 (If you want my place at the table, you will have to eat what is on my plate. )
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To: Scarlett156

This might help.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/673536/posts


9 posted on 03/07/2022 9:10:32 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Scarlett156

This one is slightly more current.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1689962/posts


10 posted on 03/07/2022 9:12:49 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Scarlett156

Maybe the feature is voice activated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7eooMouleQ


11 posted on 03/07/2022 9:16:10 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Disambiguator

I did something wrong. That’s what you’re trying to say, right?


12 posted on 03/07/2022 9:22:15 AM PST by Scarlett156 (If you want my place at the table, you will have to eat what is on my plate. )
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To: Scarlett156

I typed in my Word 2016: Narrator
The result is below:

“Read Aloud is only available for Office 2019, Office 2021, and Microsoft 365”

You can buy Office but they need you to have Windows 10.
You want to buy the one time purchase version like Office 2021
Do not rent Office 365....

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=microsoft+office&crid=3334N6Y3PNO96&sprefix=microsoft+office+%2Caps%2C271&ref=nb_sb_noss_2


13 posted on 03/07/2022 9:45:18 AM PST by minnesota_bound (I need more hash brown patties! )
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To: minnesota_bound

You can try this.... : )

Hello Computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hShY6xZWVGE


14 posted on 03/07/2022 9:47:54 AM PST by minnesota_bound (I need more hash brown patties! )
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To: Scarlett156

No, just trying to enlighten you, and having some fun as well. I’m pretty sure your computer is not voice activated like the Bentley.


15 posted on 03/07/2022 10:24:14 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: All

I appreciate y’all’s assistance with this. I had already looked in a bunch of different places for a solution.

Then I decided to give up on Word. The problem is, the PC has fully-updated modern version of 365 which I was basically forced to purchase for a job that I don’t have anymore.

I know Windows 10 sucks. As above, I had to use certain things to be able to do transcription and there was no choice. Word 365 has a thing called “immersive reader” that interacts with Window’s narrator.

I don’t have that job anymore so I have used Linux and Libreoffice and got used to them: Libreoffice can open all the document types in “office” so I started thinking there was probably a way to get Libreoffice writer to read just what I want it to read without helpfully reading all the other BS on the screen like “narrator” does.

There is an extension you can download from Libreoffice’s extensions page that will solve the problem on Windows 10 called “read text.” I decided to give this a try.

To use this extension you select the block of text you want read aloud (to read the whole document use ctrl-A to select all the text). Then you have to click on “tools” and scroll all the way to the bottom of the thing where you’ll see “add ons” (that might be new if you never installed an extension before). Then you select “read aloud” and THEN if you just installed there’s another box that comes up asking you what voice engine you want to use. The one that Windows uses is already selected so you just need to click “ok” - BUT WAIT!

There’s an item at the bottom of that menu that says “Always show this dialog” so if you don’t want to click “ok” every single time then deselect that.

And I guess you could make a macro as well just to choose that extension when you have your text selected so you don’t have to use the mouse.

Anyway I installed the extension and used it and it read everything using the Windows narrator voice. So problem solved and I appreciate everybody’s help.

Also, to Minnesota_bound: As noted above, Windows is something I was forced to use for my job and I have never liked it since day one. When I didn’t have the job anymore they just auto-billed us for another year so now I have to remember to remove that because they’ll probably be billing again pretty soon. They’re crooks.


16 posted on 03/07/2022 10:37:44 AM PST by Scarlett156 (If you want my place at the table, you will have to eat what is on my plate. )
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To: Scarlett156
What does “hugh and series” mean...?

It's part of Freeper lore.

Way back when, FReepers made typos and they grew legs.

17 posted on 03/07/2022 2:25:29 PM PST by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
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