Read Aloud Voices in WORD (they disappeared)

Anonymous
2021-11-30T00:39:13+00:00

After upgrading my laptop to Windows 11, I tried Read Aloud in Word. To my surprise there were several voice options that were not there when I was using Windows 10. Then, after a week of using it to proofread my manuscript, I rebooted my laptop (something I do regularly to ensure updates) and the Read Aloud was ****. I tried to change back to the good voice and there were only the standard three voices (David, Zira, Mark). I worked with Microsoft support, who reinstall my Office 19 twice before finally saying there were only the three voices and I had to live with it.

Was I in some weird twilight zone for a week and not in the real world? What happened to my good Read Aloud voice? and how can I get it back?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-06-11T02:32:53+00:00

    I received an email from Microsoft Customer Support this week (7 June 2022) saying Microsoft has "released the new natural sounding voices to all customers."

    This still did not work for me. The email asked that I let them know if I am not able to use them, I am not, and I indicated this to them. Haven't hear back yet.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-04-27T22:53:39+00:00

    I have 365 and the same thing has happened to my office concerning the voices. A real shame.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-03-26T23:50:52+00:00

    I just read something in the help files that said the new voices are only available on Word 365. Those of us who prefer to not have our work stored in the cloud are apparently left out. I paid a lot for Office 2019 professional only to have it be obsolete so soon.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-03-26T21:45:29+00:00

    Yes, mine came back too but only on my standalone. My laptop still has the crappy ones for some strange reason. I have installed all updated but to no avail.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-11-30T01:44:40+00:00

    Hi

    Thank you for your question in this community, according to your description of the problem,

    I know that you have put in a lot of effort into this issue, and I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you, let me try to help you solve this problem:

    The sound of this voice in Word may be related to the sound settings on your computer.

    The standard three voices (David, Zira, Mark) is the default US. As shown in the screenshot, other regions have different voices.

    Did you lose these voices? If so, you can try the following methods to add voice to your computer to try to solve this problem:

    If it is not correct, have you ever added a third-party plug-in on Word to get these sounds?

    And, can you provide your version information and your subscription information to help us better test this issue, because the settings of different versions may be different:

    You can provide a complete screenshot through file>accont to help us analyze, pay attention to hiding personal information!

    Once again, sorry for the inconvenience, your understanding and support are greatly appreciated!

    Best 　 Regards
    Ethan

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