Knowing how to use text to speech on Zoom is useful for accessibility and document presentation. It’s easy to set up once you know which tools to use and your options for text conversion.

In this article, you’ll learn how to use text to speech on Zoom.

Zoom

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom

Unfortunately, Zoom doesn’t have its own text to speech function. This means you’ll need to use a third-party platform for creating spoken text. Depending on your device and needs, it could be as simple as using your built-in screen reading software. For example, on iOS and OSX, VoiceOver screen reader will work fine.

Alternatively, if you’re on Windows, JAWS and NVDA are suitable options, as is TalkBack on Android. 

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom on iOS and OSX

Here are the steps for setting up Voiceover on OSX and iOS. If you’re on an Apple device, this is arguably the easiest way to do it because you don’t need to install any extra software.

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom on iOS

Alternatively, if Siri is enabled, you can ask it to turn on Voiceover.

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom on OSX

Setting up Voiceover is much easier on an iPhone or iPad:

You can also do it by going to Settings and tapping Accessibility. Then, select Voiceover and toggle on or off.

Pros and Cons of Using Voiceover for Text to Speech

It’s worth understanding the pros and cons of Voiceover when it comes to how to use text to speech on Zoom.

Pros

Cons

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom with Android Devices

The process for how to use text to speech on Zoom on Android is very similar to iOS. There’s a built-in service called TalkBack:

  1. Open your Settings menu and then scroll down to Accessibility.
  2. Tap TalkBack and switch it to On.

TalkBack has a lot of settings for language, speed, pitch, etc. and it includes gesture recognition. There’s no point in going over the pros and cons of TalkBack because they’re almost identical to Voiceover on iOS.

How to Use Text to Speech on Zoom with Third-Party Software

An option that’ll work regardless of your operating system or device is to use a third-party program that converts text into speech. Here’s how to use text to speech on Zoom via a separate app.

  1. Download your chosen speech to text software.
  2. Depending on your needs, either upload a document into the app or enable its screen-reading functionality.
  3. Change the speaking settings, such as accent, gender, pitch, speed, etc.
  4. Have the app read out the text.

The steps for this option are quite general, but should be applicable to any text to speech service you choose. However, make sure you research the market and choose one that’s most suitable for your purpose.

For example, some specialize in converting written documents into speech, whereas others function as screen readers. The latter will be helpful if you need it to read the chat box in your Zoom app, whereas document converters will be better if you need to present something to the meeting.

Pros and Cons of Third-Party Software

Again, this list is general because it’ll apply to most text to speech platforms. They’ll also have their own pros and cons depending on functionality.

Pros

Cons

Who Uses Text to Speech on Zoom?

Text-to-speech on Zoom is useful for the following reasons:

Frequently Asked Questions about Text to Speech on Zoom?

How do I enable transcription on Zoom?

To enable transcription on Zoom, go to Account Management and click Account Settings. Find Cloud Recording and select Recording. Turn this on and then choose Advanced cloud recording settings and select Create audio transcript.

Can Zoom transcribe audio to text?

Zoom’s built-in transcription setting will turn audio to text but not in real-time. Instead, it transcribes a recording, which you can then search for keywords. However, a third-party platform will often be more accurate and give you more control over your transcription settings.

Is Zoom Live transcription free?

Zoom’s transcription service is free, provided you have a Zoom account. Follow the steps to enable transcription and the software will produce one after your meeting is over. You can also turn on live captions that happen during the meeting.