How to change the text-to-speech (TTS) settings for screen readers in macOS 12 Monterey

This section takes you through step-by-step instructions on how to change the text-to-speech (TTS) settings for screen readers in macOS 12 Monterey, complete with pictures of the screens to help.

1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences from the menu.

2. In the System Preferences window, click Accessibility.

3. In the sidebar, select Spoken Content.

4. Click the drop-down menu for System Voice and choose a new voice from the list. Tip: The Siri voices tend to be the most natural sounding. To hear how your new voice sounds, click the Play button.

5. You can add new voices to the list. Click the drop-down menu for System Voice, then select Customise.

6. Tick any of the voices to add them to the list. The voices you tick will be downloaded so you will need to be connected to the internet. To hear how your new voice sounds, click the Play button. Click OK to save your changes.

Note: A voice you add will only be used to speak text that is written in the language for that voice.

7. You can now choose from the voices you just added from the Voices drop-down menu.

8. Use the slider for Speaking Rate to speed up or slow down speech.

9. Use the slider for Volume to set the volume for spoken text. Setting the volume here doesn’t affect the volume for media on your Mac.

10. When you are happy with your settings, close System Preferences by clicking the Close button (red circle) in the top-left corner of the window or using the Cmd + W keyboard shortcut.

Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If so, you will need to contact them to access these settings or for help.