Reading is fun and there is no doubt about it, but there are times when you would rather like to hear it out. I am talking about boring reports and other articles that you receive in your email in PDF format. They are not fun to read. They are boring and monotonous.
Jul 16, 2020. Use Reader to open PDF, XPS and TIFF files. Reader makes it easy to view documents, search for words and phrases, take notes, fill in forms, and print or share files. Also note that this app would be retired for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update 2017 and later. We recommend Microsoft Edge for reading PDF, Windows XPS Viewer for XPS and Windows Photos App for TIFF files.
Microsoft already includes different voices within their OS for those who are visibly impaired or blind. Why not use it to our benefit? Sometimes, we are too tired to read and would rather listen with our eyes closed.
Mar 27, 2020 The Best 7 PDF Reader for Windows #1 PDFelement Pro. It is designed with many features that make creating, reading editing and highlighting sections of. #2 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Adobe Acrobat reader is PDF native reader. Therefore it is the most powerful and easy to use. #3 Foxit PDF reader.
To change the default voice in Windows 10, go to Settings > Ease of Access > Narrator > Personalize Narrator’s voice, choose a new voice from the drop-down box. If you need more Windows Narrator voices, you’ll have to choose from third-party providers.
Today, I am going to share some PDF voice reader for Windows platform that will make your life that much easier. They will translate the text into voice and read it out to you, so you can multi-task and work on something else. A real time saver.
Best PDF Voice Reader for Windows
1. Adobe Acrobat Reader
Most people are using Adobe Acrobat Reader to read PDF documents on their Windows-powered machines. Chances are that you already have Adobe Reader installed on your PC but if not then you can download the latest version using the link below. Uncheck unnecessary addons accordingly. I don’t like McAfee much.
Once you are done, open any PDF file that you want to be read to you, and it should open with Adobe Reader by default. If not, right-click and choose Open With option.
Once the PDF is open, click on View and select Read Out Loud option at the bottom of the list. You will have to activate it there. You can also read the shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+Y.
The feature is activated but how do you use it? Simple. Click on a paragraph and it will be read out to you. When Adobe is reading to you, ideally, you should see a progress bar somewhere in the middle but it didn’t pop up for me.
While it gets the job done, the trouble is, I have to click on paragraphs once the machine is done reading it to me.
To counter this problem, what you can do is go back to Settings. This time, you will see new options. You can have Adobe read the current page or the entire document.
Memorize the shortcuts so you don’t have to mess around with options anymore.
Download Adobe Reader (Free)
2. Natural Reader
Natural Reader takes things to the next level. Not only can it convert text to audio, it can also do a lot of things like create audio files from PDF files. This means you can transfer these audio files on your mobile and play it while you go for your morning jog.
You can control the speed and speaker settings. It works not only with PDF files but also Word, TXT, ePub and other formats.
There is an online version that you can use to have it read entire web pages. This is really good for reading blogs and news stories. There are apps available for both Android and iOS platform. There are two different voices to choose from. Makes the experience more human in my opinion.
Also Read:Best Free Open Source PDF Editors for Windows and Mac
For the purpose of this guide, I will be downloading the free version which is good enough. Additional features are available for a one time fee of $99.50.
Natural Reader also offers a Commercial version of the product for a one-time payment of $129.50, and an Ultimate version for $199.50. This adds support for OCR so you can convert printed text into digital text and then have it read to you. It will also allow you to do batch conversions.
There are as many as 6 voices to choose from. There is an advanced pronunciation editor using which you can change the way a word sounds. You know, make it sound more human instead of machine-like. Natural Reader is one of the best PDF Voice Reader for Windows.
Download Natural Reader (Freemium)
3. Read Aloud
Natural Reader is powerful and offers a lot of features but not free. Adobe Reader is free but fails to offer anything else except the basic reading options. Enter Read Aloud. This free software from the house of Microsoft that falls somewhere in between.
Read Aloud can read not only PDF files on your PC but it can also handle web pages, and a number of different formats like Word, Epub, TXT, DOCX, and more. If you are using Windows 10 and Edge browser, you can share files directly with the app.
The settings will allow you to control volume, speed, pitch rate, fonts, and color scheme with the ability to create custom colors. There is a pronunciation editor that you can use to change the way a word sounds. This gives you more control over the way Read Aloud looks, feels, and functions.
It comes with an inbuilt dictionary and a clipboard manager to move text around and understand what they mean. Read Aloud is only available for Windows 10 users though.
Download Read Aloud (Free)
4. Power Text to Speech Reader
One thing that Read Aloud is missing is the ability to convert text in the PDF files to audio files and save it for later listening. This is where Power Text to Speech Reader comes in. Apart from allowing you to listen to your PDF files, you can also convert text to MP3 or WAV format. I can now carry it in a pen drive or upload to Drive.
Also Read:Best Apps to Convert PDF to Word Document
It also works with Windows 7 and 8 powered machines. There is a handy plugin available that will allow you to make it work with IE. Edge, as you know, is only available on Windows 10 onwards.
There is also support for email format (EML) and RTF along with HTML and Doc. This matters because if I receive a long email, I can use it to listen to the whole thing instead of reading it.
As far as voice support is concerned, there are more than a dozen voices to choose from which brings it in level with Natural Reader.
The UI is rather too bland and basic but gets the job done.
Download Power Text to Speech Reader (Free)
5. Balabolka
Another free Text-To-Speech (TTS) program that will help you listen to your PDF files while you are working on other things. Balabolka can convert and save PDF files into audio formats like MP3, MP4, OGG, and WMA. This means more options.
Balabolka supports the maximum number of file formats I have seen in any TTS software so far. Here is a short list but I have only tried PDF: AZW, AZW3, CHM, DjVu, DOC, DOCX, EML, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, MOBI, ODS, ODT, PDB, PRC, PDF, RTF, TCR, WPD, XLS, XLSX.
There is a portable version available that you can install in a pen drive and carry around. Good for people who are constantly traveling or find themselves using different computers. I installed it on a pen drive and used on my laptop.
![Free pdf reader for windows 10 Free pdf reader for windows 10](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134029738/236250619.png)
There is support for different languages and voices (8 using SAPI 4 by Microsoft) both. There is a skin pack available to change the way UI looks, plus you can change fonts and colors. You can change pitch and rate too.
Download Balabolka (Free)
6. Read Aloud (Chrome Extension)
No, this was not developed by Microsoft as the software that I shared above. This is a 3rd party extension for Chrome that will allow you to listen to PDF files on the web without having to download them to your PC.
Install the extension like any other. When you click on the icon, you will see something like in the above screenshot. Choose your language and voice, desired speed and pitch as well as volume.
Now, when you click on the icon again while you are on a page, it will begin translating text to voice and you will see the following screen instead.
You can pause or stop whenever you want. Really simple.
This is not to say that it won’t work for local PDF files. To play the PDF file form your hard drive, simply drag and drop them to the chrome browser and click on the extension, and that’s it. The extension is light-weight and would help you when you receive PDF files in your Gmail or Outlook. This is a bare-bones tool with little to no additional features. It does offer a number of voices to choose from which will make the experience more human.
Install Read Aloud (Free)
7. Acapelabox
Like the previous one, Acapelabox is not a Windows tool, instead it’s an online website. The reason it made into the list is because of the free language options it comes with.
If you are comfortable with the idea of copying and pasting the contents of the PDF file online, Acapelabox is a small tool that will convert text to voice in no time. The UI is simple, it is ad-free, and comes with more voices that you know what to do with.
This is good for those who are looking for different accents as some foreign accents can be difficult to understand. There are also voices of an old name, a bad guy, and a child. The last one is a premium feature but fun to hear. Makes boring reports easy.
Visit Acapelabox (Free)
Wrapping Up: PDF Voice Reader for Windows
If you don’t want anything fancy and just get it done and over with, Adobe Reader is a good option. You can have it read PDF files page-wise or entire file.
If you want advanced features, I would recommend Balabolka which offers a lot for free.
If you can afford a paid software and want good support, or maybe need a commercial version and need additional features, Natural Reader will serve you well.
Also Read:10 Best Text-to-Speech Apps for Android
PDF is still one of the most popular reading formats even after all these years. From reading an e-book or filling up an online form to creating user manuals, PF format is still the most preferred way of reading. While the web browsers are already equipped with basic PDF reading facilities these days, you would still need to download a PDF reader separately for functions like filling forms, adding annotations, etc.
So, as you are downloading a PDF reader for more features, you may feel overwhelmed with the hundreds of them available online with an exorbitant price tag. Therefore, we have curated a list of some of the best PDF readers offering more than just the basic features for free.
Google Drive
While the search giant has its own PDF reading facility attached with its browser and an exclusive app for those who don’t have access to the storage, you can view PDFs right in the Drive if you have access to it.
The Drive is the best place to access PDFs and even store PDF documents. It allows you to change any of your files, or spreadsheets into PDF format and also lets you add PDF documents to the cloud to view them as and when you want. Therefore, the Drive is especially the best option to read or convert documents into PDF.
Price: Free
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
This is undoubtedly the most popular PDF reader of all time. It helps you access, read, or edit your PDFs anytime, at any location. Those using it on a Windows platform, get a complete view and editing rights to different types of PDF and other files.
Features:
- It allows you to view, edit, distribute files and add annotations to the PDF files.
- You can also export the files and arrange them using notes and vibrant highlights.
- Enables you to create your own PDF file from an MS Office document or from a web page.
- It offers a quick and trusted way to access your PDF files on several types of devices.
Best of all, it also functions as an audiobook, reading the content out loud for those books that are difficult to read. Compatible with all major platforms, this PDF reader is perfect for anyone who wants to add notes to the PDF files while on the move.
Price: Free.
Slim PDF
If you are looking for a simple PDF reader that you want to work with, occasionally, then this is it. It helps you to open and view the PDF document without taking much of your computer’s space.
Features:
- Fast in performance, it’s a lightweight and bloat-free application.
- It also allows you to get a print of your PDF files.
- It comes in a compact size and offers a secure way to view and print PDF files.
Moreover, it features a clean user interface and is far smaller than the Adobe Reader.
Price: Free.
Soda PDF
This is another great free PDF reader that offers a complete and user-friendly experience. It helps you to not just open and read PDF Files, but also allows you to create, edit, view, and even annotate PDF documents.
Features:
- Offers free access to different PDF services.
- It allows you to create PDF files from hundreds of file formats.
- Enables you to convert PDFs into other different types of files seamlessly and with no data loss.
The ability to blend many different selected PDF files into a single convenient document or dividing the large-sized PDF files into various smaller documents are among its other major features.
Price: Free.
Foxit Reader
One of the most powerful PDF readers in the category, it helps you to create PDFs, view them, add notes, fill forms, and even create digital signatures on them. It’s a compact software that’s packed with features and perform fast.
Features:
- It allows you to open, read, and print PDFs effortlessly.
- Enables you to create documents in the PDF format and that work with other PDF products.
- It helps you to increase flexibility at work and influence results by allowing you to share the PDF files and collaborate.
- Protects the sensitive data on your documents with different security features.
- It allows you to sign the PDF documents in your own handwriting or create a digital signature.
Offering cloud-based services for PDF files with the option to permit or refuse access to documents, and to keep a check on who has access to your document and send notifications accordingly, and effortlessly implementing the application to all the desktops in the company, are among its other major features.
Price: Free version available.
Nitro PDF Reader
This is one useful PDF reader that gains an upper hand over its competitors by allowing to read, create, edit, annotate and even review PDF documents. This offers more than just the basic features for free as compared to the other PDF readers.
Features:
- It allows you to create PDF from almost any Windows app and from 300+ file formats.
- Leets you drag-and-drop files to create a document on the fly.
- It helps you to customize your PDF documents using tools that can change the resulting quality, ad your own colors, resize the page, embeds fonts, more.
- It allows you to annotate, respond to feedback, highlight texts, and more.
- Enables you to view PDFs, including text, and even collaborate with no additional knowledge required.
From the option to quickly sign your document right from your desk, or scanning a signature to make your own exclusive signature to encrypting your documents for security or the option to share your PDF documents with anyone, at any time and location, it offers a range of such major features.
Price: Free version available; Plans start from $159/user.
PDF-Xchange Editor
It’s a compact PDF viewer, reader, and editor that comes loaded with features. This fast-performing application offers an easy to use approach. It helps you to create PDF documents and even edit them from almost any Windows app making it extremely flexible.
Features:
- It allows you to modify the parameters like the margins, image resolutions, page size, and orientation.
- It also enables you to modify the default settings and the printing axes.
- It helps you to convert PDFs in batches.
Moreover, it supports multiple languages and other features like syntactic identification that speeds up the PDF creation and conversion process, offers the option to customize its applications to fit your requirements, comes with Enhanced OCR plugins, and more.
Price: Free version available; Plans start from $43.50.
SumatraPDF
This is yet another PDF reader that offers all the basic PDF functionalities without slowing down your system. This lightweight application can also read eBook formats on Windows.
Features:
- It allows you to open and read PDF documents effortlessly.
- It offers multiple language options.
- Provides quality zoom and search options.
- Open large-sized files faster and effectively.
- It comes with a range of hotkeys to make it easier to work with PDFs.
It’s simple yet faster and offers additional functionalities like the option to rotate pages, view PDFs in full screen, launches default email application, automatically attaches the PDF to the email, and more.
Price: Free
MuPDF
If you are looking for high-quality graphics along with a minimalist approach, then this PDF viewing software is just right for you. This lightweight tool allows you to view the PDF content without actually requiring an advanced PDF reader.
Features:
- Portable in nature hence does not need to be installed and can be carried on a portable device.
- No Windows updates with fresh entries, and no unused files left behind on the hard drive once the application is deleted.
- It offers the option to save to any computer and directly run the executable file.
- Find and open a PDF using the dialog box that pops up on initialization.
- Sports a simple interface with a regular window with handy keyboard shortcuts.
Among its other major features is a built-in search function to find and highlight the very first entry it locates, zoom in and out features, changing to full-screen mode, page rotation, and using minimum system resources.
Price: Free.
STDU Viewer
Best Pdf Reader For Windows 10
This one is a versatile document viewer allowing you to open and read even the scientific and technical documents that include PDF, WWF, DjVu, JBIG2, and more. It can also open many image files like the ones in CBR and CBZ formats.
Features:
- Sports a user interface that supports multiple languages.
- Helps translate the interface into your preferred language by switching strings in XML.
- It comes with an advanced tabbed user interface and all the basic features.
- Enables you to export text from text layer-based documents.
Moreover, it also works a converter for files that need to be converted from PDF or DjVu to PNG, GIF, etc., can also export a complete page or a section of a page to an image file, allows you to create your own bookmarks, and more.
Price: Free.
Javelin PDF Reader
If your intention is to view PDF files and protect your PDF files from unwanted access, then this software can just be the right choice for you. This completely unified and encrypted PDF reader is perfect for market research agencies, publishers, educationists, government establishments, etc.
Features:
- Provides support for internal and external hyperlinks.
- It offers content or navigation trees, a collection of page display types, document text searching, and more.
- It allows you to annotate, highlight, and even mark up.
- Safeguards the content of the encrypted files from getting copied, and prevents them from getting shared.
Moreover, it also allows you to add limitations like setting permissions for printing, how long to be viewed, etc.
Price: Free version available; Plans start from $199/Year.
Expert PDF Reader
This is among the lightweight PDF readers that convert your files to PDF format and get a print in just a couple of clicks. The best part is, this software loads much faster compared to the bigger names in the category.
Features:
- It allows you to edit the current PDF documents.
- Enables you to change the outlines, add rubber stamps, and change any comments that have been added from the PDF reader.
- It helps you to open PDF files, save them, email them as attachments and get a print.
Equipped with a known hand cursor, displaying PDF files in a neat manner, the option to attach files and sticky notes to the comment section, adding comments using text, highlights, stamp, etc., are among its other significant features.
Price: Free.
Cool PDF Reader
PDF readers are good, but something that slows down your documents can be frustrating. This software makes it easier and faster to read your PDF documents making it a great alternative to the bigger names.
Features:
- Sports a user-friendly interface that’s also easy to understand.
- The interface is loaded with command symbols followed with descriptions as you roll the mouse on them.
- Smallest PDF reading software in the world loads faster, and convenient to read.
- It allows you to open PDF files, read the files, view, them, and even edit files or convert them to other formats like JPG, TIFF, TXT, EPS, and more.
- Enables you to zoom in and zoom out, rotate pages, create bookmarks and PDF slideshow, can be used as a built-in PDF reader, and more.
Moreover, it also allows you to copy any text and images from PDF files, in a couple of clicks, displays slideshows in full-screen, allows you to read in low light reading mode, and in other reading modes like Citrix mode, night reading mode, etc.
Price: Free
Sorax
This is another trusted PDF reader in the list that’s compact and offers fast performance. From opening and reading files to exporting documents to different formats, it does all the basic job of a good PDF reader. It also allows you to get a print of the PDF file.
Features:
- Lighter on the system allowing it to load faster and is user-friendly.
- It offers a drag-and-drop function that helps you to open several documents swiftly and conveniently change between them.
- Sports a tabbed user-interface.
- Allows you to view your PDF files in single-page mode or in double-page mode, organize pages in an uninterrupted column, scroll through documents automatically, and more.
- Enables you to click pictures of the existing document and saves it in the clipboard.
A simple user interface with basic functions and that can be completely customized (lets you insert or delete different toolbars) is another great feature.
Price: Free.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for a lightweight application with a minimal approach, or applications that offer more than basic features like the option to highlight or adding e-signature, the above list of free PDF readers offers all that for a complete experience. So, choose the one that meets your needs and enhance your reading experience.
Microsoft Pdf Reader Free Download Windows 10
I find passion in writing Tech articles around Windows PC and softwares
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