Frequently asked questions

• Focus of these recommendations: free options that work well with library readings and common campus tools (Google Workspace + Microsoft 365, both provided free for staff and students)
• More options: MRU Assistive Technology page
• Access + training: if you receive services through Access and Inclusion Services, they can suggest additional tools and provide training
• Other tools exist: many text-to-speech tools are available on the web. For licensed library content, avoid uploading or pasting full articles/chapters into third-party sites. Prefer built-in tools or apps that read what’s on your screen.

Recommended free options (what each is good for)

• Chrome Reading mode (built-in)
  Good for: web pages in Chrome (articles, course sites)
  How to start: right-click page → Open in reading mode → Play
  Guide: Chrome Reading mode
• Microsoft Edge: Read aloud (built-in)
  Good for: web pages + many PDFs (often more reliable for PDFs than Chrome)
  How to start: right-click page → Read aloud (or open PDF in Edge → Read aloud)
  Guide: Edge Read aloud
• Adobe Acrobat Reader: Read Out Loud (free app)
  Good for: PDFs that don’t read well in Edge
  How to start: View → Read Out Loud → Activate
  Guide: Acrobat: Read PDF aloud
• Read&Write (Read and Write Gold) (MRU-supported for students)
  Good for: reading + extra study/writing supports
  How to start: install for your platform → sign in with MRU Google Workspace credentials
  Download (choose platform): Read&Write student resources
• Word for the web: Immersive Reader / Read Aloud
  Good for: Word documents in a browser (reading view + read aloud)
  How to start: open in Word for the web → look for Immersive Reader or Read Aloud
  Guide: Using Windows Narrator in Office for the web
  Tip: from Google Docs, download as .docx and open in Word for the web
• NVDA (free screen reader for Windows)
  Download: NVDA (NV Access)

Note: If a PDF is scanned (image-only), text-to-speech may not work well without OCR (text recognition).

Library help

• Library FAQ: assistive tools in library databases