Skip to content
Home > Articles > Where is Immersive Reader?

Where is Immersive Reader?

Immersive Reader is an online technology tool built into Microsoft products that helps users read and comprehend text. Microsoft has made it available to the public for free (see the Free Microsoft Account page) and available for third party software companies to incorporate into applications, sites, and services (Immersive Reader partners).

Where is Immersive Reader in Word and OneNote?

To find Immersive Reader in Word and OneNote:

  1. Open a document in Word or OneNote.
  2. Select the View tab.
  3. Click Immersive Reader.

Microsoft Support articles: Use Immersive Reader for OneNote, Learning Tools in Word

Where is Immersive Reader in Outlook?

Find in Outlook:

  1. In Outlook, open an email message.
  2. Click More Actions (the three dots in the menu above the email message).
  3. Choose Show in Immersive Reader

Microsoft Support article: Open Immersive Reader for Outlook

Where is Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams?

How to find Immersive Reader in the Files, Posts, and Chat Messages in Microsoft Teams:

Files

  1. Click the File button in the menu on the left.
  2. Open a Word or OneNote document.
  3. Select the View tab.
  4. Press Immersive Reader.

Assignments (Microsoft for Education)

  1. Click the Assignment button in the menu on the left.
  2. Open an assignment.
  3. Click the Immersive Reader button in top right of the screen.

Posts

  1. Select the Teams button in the menu on the left.
  2. Press the Post tab next to the word General.
  3. Hover your mouse cursor over a message.
  4. Select More (three dots) next to the emojis.
  5. Choose Immersive Reader.

Chat

  1. Click the Chat button in the menu on the left.
  2. Hover your mouse cursor over a message in the Chat.
  3. Select More (three dots) next to the emojis.
  4. Choose Immersive Reader.

Microsoft Support article: Use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft’s employee Mike Tholfsen YouTube video: How to use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams – Assignments, Posts and Chat

Where is Immersive Reader in Edge?

Discover Immersive Reader in the Edge web browser.

  1. Open a web page in Edge (free for both Mac and Windows computers).
  2. In the web address bar, click the Immersive Reader icon (open book icon). Note: Immersive Reader is available on websites that are mostly text.
  3. Wait for Immersive Reader to load a simplified page, free from ads and distracting elements.

Microsoft Support article: Enter Reading view with Immersive Reader in Edge

Alternative: Read Aloud in Edge

Some web pages do not show the Immersive Reader icon in the web address bar. However, you still have access to the Read Aloud feature.

  1. Select a web page to read.
  2. Click More (the three dots next to your profile picture).
  3. Choose Read Aloud.
  4. Press the Play button in the bar at the top of the web page.
  5. Click Voice Options in the bar at the top of the web page to adjust the speech Speed and Choose a Voice.

Where is Immersive Reader in Microsoft Lens?

You can use the Microsoft Lens app to have text from a piece of paper read aloud to you.

  1. Open the Microsoft Lens app on a phone or tablet.
  2. Allow access to your device’s camera.
  3. In the camera view, swipe the bottom of the screen to select Document.
  4. Press the Circle button to take a photograph of a page of typed text.
  5. The photo may be auto-cropped or you may edit the photo. Select confirm.
  6. Press Done.
  7. You will be taken to an Export To window. Or you can select the photo and press the Export To button (box with an up arrow).
  8. For on-the-spot reading, click Immersive Reader. Optical character recognition (OCR) software will convert the photograph into a text based document. (You also have the option to export the document to another application. If sent to Word or OneNote, you can open the document in Immersive Reader in that application.)
  9. Press the Play button to hear the words read aloud.

Microsoft Support articles: Office Lens for Windows, Accessibility in Microsoft Lens for iPhone, Microsoft Lens for Android, What is Office Lens? OneNote for iOS

Digital Support Tools in Immersive Reader

Text-to-speech

To start text-to-speech, press the Play button at the bottom of the screen. (In Edge, click the Read Aloud button at the top of the screen and press Play.) Use the button to toggle between Play and Pause.

Change the Voice Speed or Voice Sound

For the voice speed or voice sound options, select the Voice Options button (gear icon) next to the Play button at the bottom of the screen. (In Edge, look in the top right of the screen.) Use the slider to adjust the voice speed. In Word and OneNote, select the Female or Male radio button. In Edge, use a drop down menu to select the voice.

Adjust Text Size, Font Type, Spacing, or Page Color

To adjust the text size, text spacing, or page color themes, click the Text Preferences button (AA icon) at the top right of the page. Use the slider to change the size of the text, a radio button to change the font type, the toggle button to enable increased spacing, or click on your preferred page color theme.

Syllables and Parts of Speech Feature

Use the syllables and parts of speech feature by pressing the Grammar Tools button (lines with a wand icon) in the top right of the screen. Enable or disable each feature using the toggle buttons.

Line Focus, Picture Dictionary, or Translation

To use the line focus tool, picture dictionary or translation tool, select the Reading Preference button (lines icon) in the top right of the screen.

Return to the Original Page View

To return to the original view of the document or web page, click the back arrow in the top left of the screen.

For an overview of how Immersive Reader works, watch Microsoft’s employee Mike Tholfsen YouTube video: How to use the Immersive Reader – making reading more accessible.