How To Add Custom Text-to-speech Voices In Windows 11 Time And Language Settings

Opening Time and Language Settings

To begin adding or modifying speech synthesis options, you must navigate to the dedicated regional and language configuration panels within the operating system.

1. Open the Start menu ⊞ and click Settings ⚙️ (the gear icon), or press the Win+I keyboard shortcut to open the application directly.

   

2. Select Time & language from the left-hand navigation menu.

   

3. Click on Language & region to view your installed display languages and regional formatting rules.

   

Navigating to Speech Settings

Once you are inside the language management screen, you need to locate the specific audio and speech parameters that control voice synthesis.

1. Scroll down the Language & region page to locate the Preferred languages section.

   

2. Click the three-dot menu button next to your primary language (or the language where you want to add a voice) and select Language options.
3. Scroll down through the individual language feature settings until you find the Speech or Text-to-speech category.

Adding a New Text-to-Speech Voice Package

Note: This step requires administrator privileges.

1. Within the language options page for your chosen language, locate the Speech section and click the Add a voice button.
2. A flyout window will appear displaying a list of available voices and dialects for that language pack.
3. Check the box next to the voice or voices you want to install. If multiple regional variants are available (such as United States, United Kingdom, or Australian English), select the specific accent you prefer.
4. Click the Add button at the bottom of the window to initiate the download and installation process. Windows will fetch the files in the background without requiring a system restart.

Verifying and Testing Installed Voices

After the installation completes, you should verify that the operating system recognizes the new voice and that audio playback functions correctly.

1. Return to Settings › Time & language › Speech to view all active speech engines currently installed on your computer.

   

2. Locate the Voices dropdown menu within the speech configuration panel.
3. Click the dropdown and select your newly installed voice from the list.
4. Type a test sentence into the text preview box provided on the screen.
5. Click the Preview button to listen to the synthesis engine read the text aloud using your selected voice profile.

Managing Existing Voices and Removing Unused Packs

If your system storage is running low or you no longer need certain regional speech engines, you can uninstall individual voice packages to reclaim disk space.

1. Open Settings and navigate to Time & language › Language & region

   

2. Click the three-dot menu next to the language containing the voice you want to remove and select Language options.
3. Scroll down to the Speech or optional features list, locate the specific voice package, and click Remove.

Advanced Voice Customization via Control Panel

While the modern Settings app handles basic language and voice additions, the legacy Control Panel provides granular controls over voice speed, pitch, and audio output devices.

1. Open the Start menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
2. Set the "View by" filter in the top right corner to Large icons or Small icons.
3. Click on Speech Recognition to open the legacy speech configuration utility.
4. Click the Text to Speech link in the left-hand column to open the advanced properties window.
5. Use the Voice selection dropdown to choose your active voice, adjust the Voice speed slider to make the speech faster or slower, and click Preview Voice to test your adjustments.

Troubleshooting Missing Voices and Installation Errors

If a voice fails to download or does not appear in your speech settings dropdown menu, underlying system update or connectivity blocks are usually to blame. Use these steps to resolve common voice installation failures:

1. Verify your internet connection and ensure that metered connection settings are not blocking large optional feature downloads.
2. Open the Start menu, type Services, and press Enter. Scroll down to locate the Windows Update service, right-click it, and select Restart to clear pending queue blocks.
3. Run an elevated command prompt to repair corrupted system image files that interfere with optional feature installations. Right-click the Start button, select Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin), type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, and press Enter. Once that completes, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

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5. Restart your computer and attempt to reinstall the voice package through the Settings application.

Adding Natural Voices for Enhanced Read-Aloud Quality

Microsoft frequently updates Windows 11 with "Natural" voices that utilize advanced neural text-to-speech technology. These voices sound significantly more human than traditional SAPI voices and are ideal for long-form reading, proofreading documents, or assisting users with visual impairments.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. Click the three-dot menu next to your primary language and select Language options.
3. Look for entries labeled with "Natural" in the description (for example, Microsoft Jenny Natural or Microsoft Ryan Natural) when clicking Add a voice.
4. Install the natural voice pack. Once downloaded, these options become immediately selectable in applications that utilize Windows system speech, such as Microsoft Edge read-aloud features and Narrator.

How to Undo This

If you need to revert your text-to-speech configuration, return to Settings › Time & language › Language & region, open the language options for the installed pack, and remove the unwanted speech features. You can also change the default voice back to the original system default via the legacy Control Panel text-to-speech properties window.