How to Set Individual Speech Synthesis Speed for Separate Languages in Windows 11
- 29 steps
- Needs administrator rights
- Includes a restart or sign-out
Speech synthesis speed in Windows 11 can be set for each voice, so every language reads at its own pace. Speech synthesis, also called text-to-speech, is the feature that turns on-screen text into spoken audio. Each language pack on your PC has its own voice data and synthesis engine, so a speed that sounds right for English can sound too fast or too slow for Spanish or French.
Windows has more than one speech system. Narrator has its own voice and speed settings in Settings. Older apps use the classic Speech Properties window, where the speed slider is a single control that applies to the selected voice. Adjusting each voice on its own fixes that.
This tutorial covers both systems and notes where they differ, so you change the right one.
Open Settings, go to Accessibility Narrator, and choose the voice for your language to set its speed there; for older apps, run control sapi.cpl, open the Text To Speech tab, select the language’s voice, and drag the Voice speed slider. Each voice keeps its own speed, so changing one language leaves the others alone.
Checking Installed Language Packs and Voice Options
- Press Win+I to open Settings.
- Select Time & language from the left-hand navigation menu.
- Click Language & region. A list of your installed languages should now appear.
- Find your target language, click the three dots icon next to it, and select Language options. The language’s page opens and lists its features.
- Scroll down to the speech features and confirm that Text-to-speech is installed. Check Speech recognition too if you need it.
- If text-to-speech is missing, click Install next to it. On some builds the button reads Download.
- Wait for the download to finish. It needs an internet connection and can take a few minutes on a slow link. A restart is not normally needed, but sign out and back in if the voice does not appear in the next sections.
If the language itself is not in the list, add it first with the Add a language button on the same page, then repeat the steps above.
Navigating to Speech Settings in 🪟 Windows 11
- Open Settings.
- Select Accessibility in the left sidebar.
- Click Narrator. Alternatively, type Speech into the Settings search box to jump to audio output settings.
- On the Narrator page, find the voice section. The full path is Settings Accessibility Narrator Narrator’s voice.
- Use the Voice drop-down to pick the voice for your target language.
- Move the Speed slider until the pace suits that language. The same section also has Pitch and Volume controls.
- Switch to another language’s voice and repeat. After each switch, listen again and check that the Speed setting still suits the new voice.
Narrator keeps these settings for Narrator only, not for other apps.
Windows 11 also offers Narrator natural voices. These are higher-quality voices that you download once and that run on your device, with no internet connection needed afterwards. They are available in many languages. To add them, go to Time & language Speech Manage voices and choose the voices you want.
Natural voices work only with Narrator. They do not appear in the classic SAPI dialog described below. SAPI is the older Speech API that classic apps use.
To reach the classic window instead, press Win+R to open the Run dialog, type control sapi.cpl, and press Enter. This opens the classic speech properties window.
If nothing opens, the Run command may not be available on your build. Use the Settings route above, or the steps in the next section.
Configuring Individual Speech Rates via Speech Properties
The classic Speech Properties window is where you pick a voice and set its speed for apps that use the Windows speech API. It is also the quickest way to hear a speed change before you commit to it.
- Press Win+R to open the Run dialog.
- Type
control sapi.cpland press Enter. The Speech Properties window opens. - Open the Text To Speech tab. The Voice selection area and the Voice speed slider are on this tab.
- Choose the voice for your target language from the Voice selection drop-down. It lists the installed speech synthesis voices that this window can use.
- Drag the Voice speed slider between Slower and Faster to set the speed for that voice.
- Click Preview Voice to hear a sample in the chosen language. If it is too quick or too slow, move the slider and preview again.
- Click Apply, then OK, to save your changes. To undo a change, reopen the window and move the slider back.
Keep two things in mind. First, this window may not list every voice you installed. Narrator natural voices and some other newer voices are available only through Settings and Narrator. If your language is missing here, set its speed on the Narrator page instead.
Second, the slider is one control. After you switch to a different voice, open the window again and check that the slider still suits that voice.
Managing Voice Profiles with PowerShell for Advanced Control
PowerShell helps when you are not sure which voices are installed, or when a voice you expect is missing from the normal menus. The steps below only list the voices. They do not change any speed, so use the earlier sections for that.
- Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
- Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt. Administrator rights are not strictly needed to list voices, but they do no harm here.
- Type the following command to list the installed speech synthesis voices and their identifiers:
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Speech; (New-Object System.Speech.Synthesis.SpeechSynthesizer).GetInstalledVoices() | Select-Object -ExpandProperty VoiceInfo - Read the output and note the exact name of the voice for your target language. Use that name to pick the matching voice in the Speech Properties window.
The command works through the .NET class System.Speech.Synthesis.SpeechSynthesizer. It reports the voices that class can see, which may be fewer than the ones shown in Settings. A voice missing from this list can still be installed and working in Narrator.
Troubleshooting Common Speech Synthesis Speed Issues
If your custom speeds keep going back to the default after a restart or an update, something is overwriting your settings. Background synchronization services and third-party accessibility tools are the usual causes. A Windows or language pack update can also reset them. Work through the checks below in order.
- Open Settings, go to Windows Update, and check for pending cumulative updates. Install them and restart, since an unfinished update can leave speech settings in a half-changed state.
- Press Win+R, type
services.msc, and press Enter. In the list, find Windows Audio, right-click it, and select Restart. This clears audio problems that can make a voice sound wrong even though the speed setting is correct. - Re-apply your preferred speed in the Speech Properties window if a language pack update overwrote it. Click Apply and OK again, then use Preview Voice to confirm. For Narrator, reopen Settings Accessibility Narrator and check the Speed slider.
- If the speed still resets, temporarily turn off any third-party screen reader or accessibility tool, set the speed again, and restart. If the setting now holds, that tool is the cause.
What to do next
Each language voice should now read at a pace that suits it. If you want to go further, look at custom keyboard shortcuts for switching languages quickly, or set up localized speech recognition profiles to match your voice configuration.
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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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