How to Add Natural Voices in Windows 11 Narrator
Narrator is the built-in screen reader in Windows 11 that reads text on your screen aloud to help you navigate your PC. Natural voices in Narrator replace robotic computer sounds with human-like speech.
Voice packs like Microsoft Jenny download straight from your system settings in seconds. Adding a lifelike voice makes long documents and web pages much easier to listen to every day.
Open Settings , go to Accessibility, then Narrator. Click “Add natural voices,” choose a voice from the list, and click Install. You can then select your new voice in Narrator settings.
What is Narrator?
Narrator is a built-in screen reader in Windows 11 that reads text, buttons, and menus out loud to help you navigate your computer. This tool is designed for users who are blind or have low vision, making it easier to read emails, browse websites, and write documents without needing to look closely at the monitor.
Windows 11’s Narrator brings several improvements. This updated version helps users send emails, browse websites, and write documents, serving as a vital aid for those who are blind or have low vision.
What Are Natural Voices?
Natural voices in Windows 11 Narrator are modern text-to-speech options that sound like real people talking instead of robotic computer generated speech. These voices use advanced technology to create smooth, clear audio for reading text aloud, and they work entirely offline once downloaded to your computer.
- Legacy voices: Older and less clear voices.
- Natural voices: Newer, clearer voices that sound more like real people.
These natural voices use advanced text-to-speech technology to sound much closer to actual human speech. Operating offline means users access them without an internet connection, providing greater flexibility and accessibility.
How to Add Natural Voices to Narrator
Adding Natural Voices to Narrator involves a few steps:
Step 1Open Windows Settings
Click the Start menu and select Settings, or press Windows key + I on your keyboard to open Settings quickly.
Step 2Go to Accessibility
In the Settings window, click Accessibility on the left sidebar.
Step 3Select Narrator
Find and click on the Narrator option on the right side.
Step 4Add Natural Voices
Look for the tile that says "Add natural voices" and click it.
Step 5Choose Your Voice
Choose the natural voice you want from the list, then click the Install button.
Step 6Wait for Installation
Voice downloads usually finish within a few seconds, and Windows notifies you the moment everything is ready.
Step 7Use Your New Voice
Return to the Narrator settings panel to select your new natural voice for daily use.
How to Remove Natural Voices
Removing an installed natural voice requires using Windows PowerShell:
Step 1Open Windows PowerShell
⚠ Administrator permissions are required
Open the Start menu, type PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and choose "Run as administrator".
Step 2List All Natural Voices
Type this command and press Enter to view all installed natural voices:
Get-AppxPackage -Name "*Voice*" | Select Name, PackageFullName
Step 3Find the Voice You Want to Remove
Locate the voice targeted for removal and copy its full package name.
Step 4Uninstall the Voice
Execute this command to uninstall the voice, ensuring PackageFullName gets replaced with the copied name:
Remove-AppxPackage -Package PackageFullNameThe selected voice disappears from the computer immediately following execution.
More Information
Learn about new accessibility features in Windows 11 from the Windows Experience Blog.
Summary
Adding natural voices to Windows 11 Narrator significantly improves your daily computer experience by replacing robotic screen reader sounds with smooth, realistic speech. These high quality voices run locally on your system without an internet connection and can be easily managed through your standard Windows settings whenever you need them.- Adding or removing natural voices in Narrator is simple and makes the voice sound much better.
- Narrator helps you use your PC by reading things aloud, even helping with emails and browsing.
- Natural voices sound clearer and work even offline.
- Legacy voices are not as clear or natural sounding.
- You can customize Narrator voices anytime to fit your needs.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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