Get Your Computer to Say What You Type

XP, Vista, 7, and Windows 8 come with a built in voice database, which you can access via the Microsoft SAPI (Speech Application Programming Interface); in this guide, you’ll learn how to get your computer to say what you type using one of three methods.

Speak to Me!
(Method 1) The easiest way to access this feature is through the Windows speech settings. If you’d like quick access, there’s also a script you can use to access the SAPI via Visual Basic (see below)

Press Start, type speech and click change text to speech settings
Type what you want said in the preview pane and click Preview Voice
Optional: Change the voice (options vary by operating system)

Method 2: Use a Quick Access Visual Basic Script
Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad (Windows Key, type notepad, press Enter)
CreateObject("sapi.spvoice").Speak(InputBox("Speak:"))

Thanks to Jon Davis for the condensed script.

Save the file as speak.vbs
Double-click on speak.vbs, type in your message, and press Enter

Method 3: Use a Tool

If you’d rather skip the script, you can download the Windows Guides text to speech tool for quick access.

Help!

If the script didn’t work:

Your browser may display quotation marks in a different character set. Go back to the Notepad file and replace all the quotes [ " ] using your keyboard. Save the file and try again.