Read Aloud
Paste text or open a .txt, .md, or .docx file, then press Play. Free, no sign-up, and nothing you add is uploaded. Save texts to your listening library to replay them later.
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Your page
Listening library
Nothing saved yet. Add some text above, give it a name, and press Save to library.
Heads up: your library is saved only in this browser on this device. Clearing your browser's cache, cookies, or site data will permanently delete it. It won't carry over to other browsers or devices, and anything saved in a private or incognito window is erased when that window closes.
How it works and your privacy
- Nothing is uploaded or collected. This site has no server, database, account, or tracking. The text you paste and the files you open are never uploaded or sent to me. When you close or reload the page, it's gone unless you save it to your library. Like any website, GitHub (which hosts this page) may keep standard visit logs, but it never receives your text.
- Your browser opens your files. Text (.txt) and Markdown (.md) files are read directly by your browser. For Markdown, symbols like # and * and link addresses are removed so they aren't read out loud.
- Word files (.docx) use a free, open-source library called Mammoth. The first time you open a Word file, your browser downloads Mammoth's code from jsDelivr, a free public code host. Mammoth then pulls the text out of your document right on your device. Your document itself never leaves your device. A security check confirms the downloaded code hasn't been altered. Older .doc files aren't supported, so re-save them as .docx in Word first.
- The voices come from your browser and device. Voices marked "online" in the list are provided by your browser's maker, such as Google or Microsoft, and may send the text to their servers to create the audio. To keep everything on your device, pick a voice without the "online" label.
- Your screen stays on while it reads. Phones can stop the voice when the screen turns off, so the screen stays awake during playback and can sleep again when you pause or stop. If you switch to another app, the reading may stop; when you come back it picks up at the sentence it was on.
- What's remembered stays in your browser. Your voice and speed choice, plus anything you save to your listening library, are kept in your browser's own storage on this device. It's never sent anywhere. Delete a saved text any time with its Delete button. Clearing your browser's cache, cookies, or site data erases everything saved.