I didn’t expect a built‑in screen reader to become one of my most productive shortcuts, but Windows 11’s Narrator quietly did — and it’s worth revisiting if you want to read less with your eyes and more with your ears while staying productive.
Background / Overview
Narrator ships with Windows...
Windows 11 can read almost anything on your screen aloud — from long web articles to email threads, from text inside images and paused videos to full-length documents — and it does so with several built‑in and free Microsoft tools designed for accessibility and productivity. These tools —...
Microsoft is retiring the standalone Microsoft Lens mobile app and consolidating its scanning and capture capabilities into the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, in a phased shutdown that begins in mid‑September and culminates with the blocking of new scans in mid‑December 2025.
Background / Overview...
Microsoft is winding down Microsoft Lens — the compact, no-frills mobile document scanner that began life as Office Lens — and consolidating its scanning capabilities into the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app as part of a broader product rationalization around AI-first experiences. The change is...
Microsoft’s decision to retire the popular Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) mobile scanning app marks a significant change for millions of casual and enterprise users who rely on its fast, reliable capture and OCR workflows — the retirement begins on September 15, 2025, the app will be...
Microsoft is preparing to make a seismic shift in the Office productivity ecosystem by phasing out several popular voice-enabled features from older Office 365 versions by January 2026. The abruptness of this change is reverberating far beyond individual users—entire organizations now face a...
Microsoft is set to make a major change to Office 365 apps that could affect millions of users and IT administrators worldwide. Starting in January 2026, anyone running outdated versions of Microsoft 365 Office apps will lose access to essential features like Read Aloud, Transcription, and...
accessibility
ai in office apps
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enterprise it
it administration
microsoft 365
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microsoft office
microsoft services
office 2026 update
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office feature loss
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office support
office upgrade requirements
readaloud
transcription
Microsoft’s latest announcement has sent waves across enterprise IT departments and accessibility advocates alike: by late January 2026, older versions of Office 365 applications will lose access to popular voice features like Transcription, Dictation, and Read Aloud. This pivotal change affects...
accessibility
ai integration
cloud productivity
dictation
end of support
enterprise it
it management
legacy systems
microsoft 365
microsoft office
office 2021
readaloud
security updates
software lifecycle
software update
tech updates
transcription
voice features
windows 10
Microsoft has announced a significant update affecting users of its Office suite: starting January 2026, key features such as Read Aloud, Dictate, and Transcribe will cease to function on versions older than 16.0.18827.20202. This change necessitates that users and IT administrators update their...
Microsoft has announced a critical update for Office users, emphasizing that certain features will cease to function unless the application is updated to version 16.0.18827.20202 or higher by January 2026. This directive primarily affects the Office Intelligent Services, which encompass features...
Magnifier, a built-in accessibility tool in Windows, is designed to improve on-screen visibility and offers a unique feature that allows screen text to be read aloud. While it has long served people with visual impairments, recent updates have expanded its utility to a broader range of users...
accessibility
assistive features
assistive technology
digital inclusion
dyslexia support
inclusive design
learning disabilities help
magnifier settings
magnifier shortcuts
microsoft support
readaloud
screen reading
text-to-speech
visual impairment
windows magnifier
windows tips
Microsoft Edge's Immersive Reader is a powerful tool designed to enhance the online reading experience by simplifying webpage layouts, removing distractions, and offering customizable features to suit individual preferences. Originally developed to assist readers with dyslexia and dysgraphia...
Immersive Reader has emerged as a transformative feature within Microsoft Edge, offering users a powerful set of tools to enhance reading comprehension, accessibility, and focus when consuming digital content. Originally pioneered in Microsoft’s Education products, Immersive Reader has become an...
accessibility
assistive technology
browser productivity
cloud processing
digital inclusion
digital learning
disability
education technology
focus
immersive reader
learning tools
microsoft edge
pdf reader
readaloud
text customization
text reading enhancements
translation
user experience
web content simplification
Reading online content can be a daunting task in today’s digital landscape. Webpages are often cluttered with advertisements, popups, and design elements that distract readers from the main text. In response, browser developers continually strive to incorporate tools that facilitate focus...
accessibility
assistive technology
browser tools
digital learning
digital readability
distraction-free browsing
dyslexia support
immersive reader
inclusive technology
learning aid
microsoft edge
multilingual reading
pdf reader
readaloudreading customization
reading mode
text-to-speech
visual impairment
web declutter
While using found a funny thing that can be done on Chrome with 9 accents.
I found this while using Chatgpt when translating paragraphs. It works with the below Chrome extension. It seems to work with 9 languages. It reads each one with original accent. So if it has the 1st line in a one of...
Ever dreamed of a world where your AI assistant not only writes brilliant responses but also narrates them like a tech-savvy audiobook? Wait no more—the future is here, and Microsoft Copilot is leading the charge with its latest enhancement: read-aloud support for chat responses.
Set to launch...
I want to use Read Aloud to listen to a document while I work, but all my work is in Word and this causes a problem. I can change the focus to some other app, and Read Aloud doesn't care. It just keeps playing. But the minute I put the focus in a different Word document, Read Aloud stops...
The past few months have forever changed the way we work, learn and play each day. Our routines have been entirely disrupted, and we’ve had to adapt to new ways to stay productive, entertained and healthy. This change in our global landscape has increased our dependency on technology and...
accessibility
bing homepage
community engagement
digital tools
global awareness
immersive reader
inclusion
learning tools
microsoft edge
online learning
open source
picture dictionary
productivity tools
readaloud
tech activism
technology
translation
user experience
visual aids
web development
With the latest feature updates, you can now do a lot more with your PDF in Microsoft Edge like, customize different views, take notes, and even have your PDF read aloud to you!
Check out all that the PDF viewer in Microsoft Edge has to offer:
Text highlighting and handwritten notes...
annotations
browser
cortana
document management
features
file browsing
microsoft edge
navigation
notes
pdf forms
pdf reader
presentation mode
readaloudreading mode
scrolling
text highlighting
toolbar
user tips
windows 10
windows ink
Today, we’re beginning to roll out the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to Windows 10 customers around the world. This release upgrades Microsoft Edge to EdgeHTML 16, the best version of Microsoft Edge yet. The Fall Creators Update also includes new enhancements like improved favorites management...
browserstack
css grid
devtools
e-books
edgehtml
fall creators update
fluent design
microsoft edge
motion control
notifications
payment api
pdf annotation
readaloud
remote testing
service workers
taskbar pinning
web apps
web development
webvr
windows 10