# Text to Speech — Convert text to speech audio on Mac

Turn documents into spoken audio with the Mac's built-in voices. Part of OneMacTools, 151 private tools in one native Mac app (macOS 26 or later); category: Audio. Runs on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.

Drop text, Word, RTF, Markdown or PDF documents and get an audio file read by one of the Mac's voices, at the speed you like. Listen on a walk or in the car.

Page: https://www.onemactools.com/tools/text-to-speech · Download: https://www.onemactools.com/download · Pricing: https://www.onemactools.com/pricing

## How to use it
1. **Drop your documents.** Drag in text, Markdown, Word (.docx), RTF, HTML or PDF files, or SRT subtitles.
2. **Choose a voice.** Pick one of the Mac's voices, or leave System voice to use the one set in System Settings.
3. **Set the speed.** Move the slider between 120 and 320 words per minute. 185 is a natural pace.
4. **Choose the format.** M4A for listening on your phone, WAV or AIFF for editing or adding to a video.
5. **Click Speak.** Each document becomes an audio file with the same name, in a new dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools. Listen with the Preview (eye) button or use Show in Finder.

## Options
- **Voice:** System voice, or any voice installed on your Mac for your language and English. System voice uses the one chosen in System Settings › Accessibility › Spoken Content.
- **Speed:** From 120 to 320 words per minute in steps of 10, 185 by default. Around 160–200 is comfortable for most listening; go higher to get through long reports quickly.
- **Format:** M4A, WAV or AIFF. M4A is compressed and small, ideal for a phone or podcast app. WAV and AIFF are uncompressed and bigger, better if you'll edit the audio or use it in a video.

## Tips
- Try a couple of voices on a short document first. Some sound far more natural than others.
- Download better voices in System Settings › Accessibility › Spoken Content › System voice › Manage Voices. Enhanced and Premium voices sound much more natural. Reopen OneMacTools so they appear in the list.
- Scanned PDFs are pictures of text and have nothing to read. Run them through Make PDF Searchable or Extract Text first.
- Strip out page headers, footnotes and references before converting, or they'll be read aloud too.
- Long documents make long audio files. Split a big PDF into chapters first if you'd like one file per chapter.

## Questions
**How do I convert text to speech on a Mac?**
Drop the document onto Text to Speech, choose a voice, speed and format and click Speak. The Mac reads it into an audio file you can play anywhere.

**How do I turn a PDF into an audiobook on a Mac?**
Drop the PDF onto Text to Speech and choose M4A. The whole document is read into one audio file you can listen to on your iPhone.

**How do I get more natural voices?**
Open System Settings › Accessibility › Spoken Content, click the info button next to System voice and download Enhanced or Premium voices. Reopen OneMacTools and they'll be in the Voice list.

**Why does it say my file has no readable text?**
The document is probably a scan, which is a picture of text. Use Make PDF Searchable or Extract Text to get the text out first.

**Can I use the audio in a video or podcast?**
Yes. Choose WAV or AIFF for the best quality to edit with. The voices are part of macOS, so check Apple's terms if you plan to publish commercially.

**Can it read in other languages?**
Yes, if you have a voice for that language. The list shows voices for your Mac's language and English; choose a voice that matches the text.

**How fast should I set it?**
185 words per minute is close to normal speech. Many people listen comfortably at 220–260 once they're used to a voice.