Canvas text to speech

Listen to your Canvas course, read aloud

Weekly readings, module pages, discussion posts, and assignment instructions, read to you in a natural voice. ArticleAudio also reads eTextbooks embedded in your course and highlights each word as it’s spoken, so you can follow along.

Add ArticleAudio to Chrome

1,000 words free. No credit card required.

Used by students at

How do I get Canvas to read text aloud?

Install the ArticleAudio browser extension, open a Canvas page such as a module reading or discussion, and click Listen to this page in the extension popup. To hear only part of the page, select the text and press Shift+Tab. Each word is highlighted as it’s read, and you can set the speed anywhere from 0.5x to 2.5x.

Does Canvas have a read-aloud feature?

Some schools turn on Microsoft Immersive Reader in Canvas. Where it’s enabled, you’ll see an Immersive Reader button on Pages, the Syllabus, assignment instructions, and the course home page. It opens the text in a separate reading view and can read it aloud.

It isn’t available everywhere, though. Discussions, announcements, quizzes, and content from external tools, such as a publisher’s eTextbook, generally don’t have it. ArticleAudio reads the text on the Canvas page you already have open, including discussions, announcements, and embedded readings, and your school doesn’t need to enable anything.

How to listen to Canvas with ArticleAudio

1. Install the extension

Add ArticleAudio to Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox on your computer. If Canvas was already open, refresh the tab once.
2. Open a reading

Go to a module page, discussion, announcement, assignment, or eTextbook chapter in your Canvas course.
3. Press play

Click the ArticleAudio icon and choose “Listen to this page”, or select a passage and press Shift+Tab. Pause, skip, and change speed from the player.

Listen to a whole page

Click the ArticleAudio icon in your browser toolbar and choose Listen to this page. ArticleAudio picks out the reading and skips the Canvas menus around it. On a page with an embedded eTextbook, it reads the chapter inside the book.

Listen to selected text

Want one paragraph, one discussion reply, or the part of the instructions you’re working on? Select just that text, then start playback in any of these ways:

Click the orange play button beside your selection.
Press Shift+Tab with the default shortcut enabled.
Right-click and choose Listen with ArticleAudio.

Selection works inside embedded readers too, so you can replay a definition or a worked example without starting the chapter over.

What ArticleAudio reads in Canvas

If you can see the text on a Canvas page in your browser, ArticleAudio can usually read it aloud. Here’s where students use it most.

Module pages and readings

Pages your instructor writes in Canvas, from the weekly overview to the reading itself. Listen to the whole page or just the section you need.

Discussions and announcements

Discussion prompts, classmates’ replies, and announcements. Select one reply to hear only that post.

Assignment instructions and the syllabus

Hear the brief before you start, then play it again while you work so you don’t miss a requirement.

eTextbooks inside Canvas

Many courses open a publisher eTextbook inside a Canvas page. ArticleAudio finds the reading inside the embedded reader, reads the pages on screen, and keeps the highlight and scrolling in step with the book.

PDFs and files

Open the PDF in your browser, select the text, right-click, and choose Listen with ArticleAudio. The keyboard shortcut and full-page listening don’t work in PDFs because of browser limits. To turn a whole PDF into audio, use the free PDF to audio tool.

Built for getting through course readings

Listening is useful when you’re tired of the screen, reading in a second language, or working with dyslexia or ADHD. These features help you keep up with a week’s worth of readings.

Follow-along highlighting

Each word lights up as it’s spoken, and the page scrolls with the audio. It’s easier to stay with dense material when your eyes and ears are on the same line.

Speed from 0.5x to 2.5x

Slow down for a new concept, then speed up when you’re reviewing material you already know.

Natural voices

Choose from five natural AI voices instead of the flat, robotic voice of built-in text to speech.

Full reading or a summary

For pages over 2,000 words, choose between the full text and a short summary. Full-page listening handles readings of up to about 10,000 words.

A player that stays out of the way

Minimize the player to a small bar that still has speed control, and switch it between light and dark themes.

Six languages

English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Chinese text is detected automatically and read in that language.

4.8 on the Chrome Web Store · 28 ratings

What readers say about ArticleAudio

“Very useful for getting me through my Master's program! Update: I recently submitted feedback regarding an accessibility option to minimize the player window, and the team implemented the update instantly! Truly incredible responsiveness—kudos to the development team for prioritizing accessibility.”

Charlotte Maldonado Chrome Web Store review · Sep 2, 2026

“Best Text-2-Speech on the market! I have looked around extensively as I have issues reading longer forms of text and this is by far the best one on the market. Easy, works well on almost all webpages, automatically detects different languages and constant updates!”

Jim Deng · Oct 19, 2026

“This resource does really well: I love hearing a realistic and non-robotic voice, and the highlight as it reads feature works fine. It seems to be fairly well adaptable to any site.”

Isaac Smith · Oct 14, 2026

Read all reviews on the Chrome Web Store

Quizzes, exams, and accommodations

Check your course rules before using any assistive tool during a quiz or exam. Some instructors allow it and some don’t, especially for timed or proctored tests.

If you need text to speech as an accommodation, contact your school’s disability or accessibility services office. They can arrange it with your instructors so you can use it with confidence. For readings, discussions, and study, ArticleAudio is yours to use whenever it helps. See more ideas in our guide to text to speech for students.

Questions about listening to Canvas

Does Canvas have a built-in text-to-speech feature?

Some schools turn on Microsoft Immersive Reader in Canvas. Where it’s enabled, it can read Pages, the Syllabus, assignment instructions, and the course home page aloud. It generally isn’t available on discussions, announcements, quizzes, or content from external tools such as publisher eTextbooks. ArticleAudio reads the text on any Canvas page in your browser, and your school doesn’t need to enable anything.

How do I make Canvas read a page aloud?

Install the ArticleAudio extension in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox on your computer. Open the Canvas page, click the ArticleAudio icon in your toolbar, and choose “Listen to this page”. To hear only part of the page, select the text and press Shift+Tab, or right-click and choose “Listen with ArticleAudio”.

Can ArticleAudio read eTextbooks that open inside Canvas?

Yes, when the eTextbook shows its text inside the Canvas page. ArticleAudio looks inside embedded readers for the chapter, reads the pages you can see, and highlights words in the book as they’re spoken. It can’t read pages that are shown only as images, such as scanned books.

Does it work on Canvas discussions and announcements?

Yes. Use “Listen to this page” to hear a whole discussion, or select one post and press Shift+Tab to hear only that reply.

Can I listen to PDFs in Canvas?

Yes. Open the PDF in your browser, select the text, right-click, and choose “Listen with ArticleAudio”. The keyboard shortcut and full-page listening don’t work in PDFs because of browser limits. To turn a whole PDF into audio, use the free ArticleAudio PDF to audio tool.

Can I use text to speech on Canvas quizzes?

Check your course rules first. Some instructors don’t allow assistive tools during quizzes or exams. If you need text to speech as an accommodation, ask your school’s disability or accessibility services office to arrange it for your courses.

Does ArticleAudio work in the Canvas Student app?

No. ArticleAudio is a desktop browser extension for Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, so use Canvas in your browser on a computer. On a phone, your device’s built-in accessibility speech tools are the closest option.

Is ArticleAudio free for students?

ArticleAudio includes 1,000 free words with no credit card required, enough to try it on a few readings. After that, Premium Monthly costs $6/month, or you can pay $15 once for Lifetime. See the pricing page for current plans.

Is ArticleAudio affiliated with Canvas or Instructure?

No. ArticleAudio is an independent browser extension. Canvas is a product of Instructure, which doesn’t make or endorse ArticleAudio.

Try it on this week’s reading

Open a module, press play, and hear how it sounds. You get 1,000 words to try ArticleAudio for free.