Share via

Text to Speech control in Windows 11 for Word 365 ( "Speech is gone from Control Panel", Microsoft David, changes in Settings dont' link to Word 365)

Thomas Mon 5 Reputation points
2025-09-29T14:58:55.1233333+00:00

Basically: How can I change Microsoft David to Zira and go faster in Word 365 please on Windows 11?

Hi,

I use Old Legacy microsoft "Speech to Text" to use the Speak function in Word, to proof read Doc files.

"Read Aloud" in Windows Word don't work as you can't make corrections on the go. Word still supports "Speak".

To change the speed of Microsoft David or Microsoft Zira, the path USED to be:

----NOT usually "Settings"

but:

----Control Panel/Speech Recognition/Text to Speech,

would work. Changes made there would apply to older versions of Word.

But in Windows 11, "Speech" is gone from the legacy Control Panel.

There is some access to it in :

----Settings/Time&Language/Speech

But adjustments I've done here don't apply to the Microsoft David in Word 365, even with Machine restarts?

Is there anything I can do please?

With thanks

Windows for business | Windows 365 Business
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Brian Huynh 2,965 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-31T00:53:57.4166667+00:00

    Hello,

    You are correct that the legacy "Speak" function in Word is essential for proofreading while making active corrections, unlike the modern "Read Aloud" feature.

    The issue you are facing is that Microsoft has hidden the traditional SAPI 5 Text-to-Speech configuration item from the standard Windows 11 Control Panel interface.

    Here is the exact method to access this hidden setting to change the voice to Zira and adjust the speed for Word 365:

    You need to access the original Speech Properties panel, which manages the SAPI 5 voices that the Word "Speak" function uses.

    1. Open the Control Panel:
      • Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
      • Type control panel and press Enter.
    2. Search within Control Panel:
      • In the Control Panel window, use the search bar in the top-right corner.
      • Type: speech
    3. Open the Settings:
      • Click on the link that appears: "Change text to speech settings."

    When the Text to Speech dialog box opens:

    1. Select Voice: In the Voice Selection dropdown, choose Microsoft Zira Desktop.
    2. Adjust Speed: Move the Voice speed (or Rate) slider to the right to increase the reading pace.
    3. Apply: Click Apply and then OK.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Thomas Mon 5 Reputation points
    2025-09-29T16:04:02.34+00:00

    OK 1.5 hrs later I think I have it.....

    Reproducibility is tricky.

    Cold Restart the PC.

    As the very first process in the search bar, type cmd.exe

    This will open the command prompt

    The TYPE, don't copy and paste:

    control /name Microsoft.TextToSpeech

    press return

    It should give you an old Fashioned SPeech Properties box that once altered, should work in Word 365!!!!

    Solution pathway.

    I fed the question that I had written in my own version of this problem into chatgpt. This was because Microsoft’s own AI on this site (probably copilot) did not provide much of an answer.

    ChatGpt gave me a very useful summary of why this issue arises (fascinating if you’re into that).

    Then it provided 2 command prompt solutions.

    I could not get either the first or  the second one to work even when I realised that ChatGPT was making a classic mistake of calling DLL files D11 files. The first solution did not seem to work at all for me, but I tried it in a number of different ways and eventually on one occasion the old fashioned “speech properties window” started up from the control panel.

    Then I got into a panic because I could not replicate the solution.

    I restarted the machine, ran cmd.exe, and typed in the line and the solution was reproducible

    Word 365 does proper speech now using SPEAK

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.