This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
My son's curriculum has a text to speech option using windows narrator in Windows 7. Microsoft Anna cuts too many words short and mispronounces many words and does not take appropriate pauses while reading. I have tried to download many additional voices to be able to select them within the program but they never show up in the control panel not in the curriculum's "select voice" drop down box. I do not have the option to extract the voices in the directory that MS Anna is said to be saved in. Has this issue been solved. Is there a way for me to get additional voices in Window 7??? Installing a third party program is not an option unless it allows the voices to be used in Narrator as this is what the program uses.
***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
<Removed>!!! THAT DOESN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!
how to GET new voice options for Narrator!!
how to install more voices... instead of having Anna or Sam all the TIME!!
I can't bluddy CHANGE the voice of the Narrator... BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE OPTIONS.....
the poor lad didn't ASK how to OPEN narrator, or WHAT IT'S NAME IS..... he asked how to DOWNLOAD MORE VOICES!!!
Some Microsoft Idiot trying to answer this particular question with something UNRELEVANT to the QUESTION....
Here is a solution I found, that worked....
!!!WARNING!!!
This involves manual edits to your registry. If you mess it up, don't blame me. Do at your own risk.
Step 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Install the Speech Platform v11
a) go here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27225
b) click "Download"
c) select the "x64_SpeechPlatformRuntime\SpeechPlatformRuntime.msi"
d) run the installer (duh :P)
Step 2: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get the alternate voices
a) go here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27224
b) click "Download"
c) select the voice files you want. They are the ones that have "TTS" in the file name.
There are 6 English (all female). I have not listened to the other languages, so I dont know how they sound. GB_Hazel and US_ZiraPro are IMO the better sounding voices.
MSSpeech_TTS_en-CA_Heather
MSSpeech_TTS_en-GB_Hazel
MSSpeech_TTS_en-IN_Heera
MSSpeech_TTS_en-US_Helen
MSSpeech_TTS_en-US_ZiraPro
MSSpeech_TTS_en-AU_Hayley
d) run the installers for each (duh :P)
Step 3: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extract the registry tokens
a) Open Regedit
b) Under - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech Server\v11.0\Voices - right click the "Tokens" folder and export. Save this file to your desktop as voices1.reg so it will be easy to find later.
b) Under - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Speech Server\v11.0\Voices - right click "Tokens" and again export it, again to the desktop. Call it voices2.reg.
Step 4: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edit the voices1/2 files
a) open Voices1.reg in Notepad.
b) press "cntrl + H"
c) enter \Speech Server\v11.0\ into the "Find What" field
d) enter \Speech\ into the "Replace With" field
e) click "Replace All"
f) Save File
g) Repeat a-f with the Voices2.reg file
Step 5: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Merge the new Registry files into your registry
a) double click to "run" both Voices1.reg and Voices2.reg
b) Click "Yes" when it prompts
You should now have access to the new voices in Voice Attack, and in the Windows TTS options menu.
This process may also work with other voice packs.
<Removed>!!! THAT DOESN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!
how to GET new voice options for Narrator!!
how to install more voices... instead of having Anna or Sam all the TIME!!
I can't bluddy CHANGE the voice of the Narrator... BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE OPTIONS.....
the poor lad didn't ASK how to OPEN narrator, or WHAT IT'S NAME IS..... he asked how to DOWNLOAD MORE VOICES!!!
Some Microsoft Idiot trying to answer this particular question with something UNRELEVANT to the QUESTION....
Agree with your assessment. Microsoft CONSTANTLY gives blatantly WRONG ANSWERS to a valid, simple question that needs nothing more than a simple answer. Yet, it's always some hype about buying THIRD PARTY software that THEY #1. DON'T SUPPORT and #2. DON'T RECOMMEND, So why bother with THOSE answers in the first place?
I want MORE voices for MICROSOFT NARRATOR, NOT some dadburn 3rd party software, why does Microsoft MAKE SUCH LIMITATIONS as to ONE VOICE file for their Narrator? I have many voice files in another software package, but they ARE NOT IMPORTABLE into Narrator, and THAT IS WHAT I WANT, ADDITIONAL VOICES for Narrator, if Microsoft IS NOT going to make them, then give us the tools and software FOR FREE to build our own voice files that could be imported into Narrator.
I loathe the nickel and diming us to death{more like taking us to the cleaners} with OVER-PRICED Microsoft software to do something as simple as trying to create a nice voice file that we want and can share with others. And that should be something that WAS BUILT INTO Windows 7 in the first place! Anyone agree with that?
I don't need the textbook sales pitch for navigator. I need to know if I can change the voice used. The navigator program has a drop down box to choose the voice to use but I can't seem to get any of my downloaded voices to show up there. Please give me a real answer and not a prefab reply that does not answer my question!
Thank for your reply, but you didn't answer the question that was asked. I too am trying to replace Anna's voice in narrator, please consider revising your answer.
Thank you!
