Use Reading mode and Read aloud on your Chromebook

Customise your reading experience on Chrome with Reading mode. This feature is conveniently located in the side panel and helps you:

• Focus more easily on text.
• Reduce distractions from images and videos on screen.
• Select alternate typeface and font size.
• Adjust letter and sentence spacing.
• Choose background colour.

If you’re using a Chromebook, you can hear the text that you read with Read aloud.

Tip: The contents from general websites are shown and applied in the side panel.

Use and manage Reading mode and Read aloud

Important:

• Reading mode is available in Chrome.
• Read aloud is only available in Chromebook.

When you use Reading mode in the side panel, you can:

• Play, pause, rewind or fast forward while you read.
• Change the playback speed.
• Select your preferred voice.
• Turn on or off text highlighting.
• Adjust the font settings.

To turn on and adjust reading mode:

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. Go to a website with text that you’d like to read.
3. At the top right, select More More tools Reading mode.
4. Under 'Reading mode', use the toolbar to:
   • Adjust the font: Select Font .
   • Adjust the font size: Select Font size .
     • To decrease the font size: Select Decrease .
     • To increase the font size: Select Increase .
   • Change the Reading mode colour theme: Select Colour theme .
   • Change the spacing between sentences: Select Line spacing .
   • Change the spacing between letters: Select Letter spacing .
5. To hear the text spoken aloud with Read aloud, select Play .
   • On your keyboard, you can press K.
6. Adjust your Read aloud settings:
   • Play and pause while you read: Select Play or Pause .
   • Adjust the playback speed: Select Playback speed .
   • Jump to the beginning of the previous or next sentence: Select Previous or Next .
     • To use your keyboard: Press Left arrow or Right arrow Enter.
   • Select your preferred voice:
     • To preview a voice:
       • Through the toolbar:
         1. ​​​​​Select Voice .
         2. Next to the voice name, select Preview .
       • Through your keyboard:
         • Press Right arrow Enter.
     • To select a voice: Select the voice that you prefer.
     • To add a language: Select Voice Languages….
       • To search a language: At the search bar, enter the language.
       • To add a language: Turn on the preferred language.
       • To remove a language: Turn off the language.
     • Turn on or off text highlighting:
       • To turn on text highlighting: Select Turn on highlight .
       • To turn off text highlighting: Select Turn off highlight .

Tips:

• To pin Reading mode, at the top right of the side panel, select Pin to toolbar .
• At the top right of the browser toolbar, you can access Reading mode after you pin it. Select Reading mode .
• When you use Reading mode for the first time, natural voices for the page language are automatically downloaded.
• When there isn’t enough space for the toolbar options to fit, you can find the toolbar options when you select More .

Related resources

• Use magnification on your screen
• Change text and display settings
• Manage Chrome side panel