Hear Your Manuscript Read Aloud

Hear your chapter read aloud and catch the clunky sentences your eyes skip over.

  • Windows and Mac

QuillSpace reads a chapter aloud, highlighting each word. A click on a later paragraph moves the reading there, then Next sentence skips ahead.

8 seconds, with sound

Recorded in QuillSpace for Windows. The Mac steps are below.

Step by step on Windows

  1. Click in the sheet where you want reading to start. To hear just one passage, select it first.
  2. Click the Read Aloud button in the bar above the editor, or press Ctrl+Alt+Space.
  3. Follow along: the sentence being read is highlighted, the current word is marked as it is spoken, and the page scrolls with the voice.
  4. Use the player at the top right of the editor to Pause, go to the Previous sentence or Next sentence, or Close it.
  5. Click any sentence while it reads to continue from there.

Tips for Windows

  • Open Voice settings (the gear in the player) to choose a Voice and a Speed from 0.5× to 2×. QuillSpace remembers both.
  • Listen at a slightly slower speed during final edits. Repeated words and missing words are easier to hear than to see.
  • Read Aloud works in the rich text editor, which is the default. If you switched Editor Type to Markdown, switch back to see the button.

Step by step on Mac

  1. Click in the sheet where you want reading to start. To hear just one passage, select it first.
  2. Click Read Aloud in the editor toolbar, choose Edit › Speech › Read Aloud, or press ⌥⌘R.
  3. Follow along: the sentence being read is highlighted, the current word is marked as it is spoken, and the page scrolls with the voice.
  4. Use the player at the top right of the editor to Pause, go to the Previous Sentence or Next Sentence, or Close it. Press ⌥⌘R again to stop.
  5. Click any sentence while it reads to continue from there.

Tips for Mac

  • Open Voice Settings (the gear in the player) to choose a Voice and a Speed from 0.5× to 2×. QuillSpace remembers both.
  • Listen at a slightly slower speed during final edits. Repeated words and missing words are easier to hear than to see.
  • Typing or switching to another sheet stops the reading. Start it again and it picks up from the cursor.

Frequently asked questions

Which voices can I use?

Read Aloud uses the text-to-speech voices available on your computer, so the list depends on the voices installed in Windows or macOS. Voices in your language are listed first.

Is Read Aloud free?

Yes. Read Aloud is not part of the paid plans on Windows or Mac.

Can it read just one passage?

Yes. Select the text before you start Read Aloud and it reads only the selection.

Related guides

Download for Windows Download for Mac

Free to start. Windows and Mac are separate apps, purchased separately.

Last updated: October 3, 2026

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