You can select a Narrator voice for a language and adjust its speaking speed in Windows 11. Microsoft’s instructions do not confirm that Narrator saves a separate speed for each voice or language, however, so check whether your Windows build retains the rate after you switch voices.
Adjust Narrator’s speed for a language
- Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings.
- Under Narrator’s voice, select the voice for the language you want to tune. The available choices depend on which voices are installed.
- Expand Show all settings beneath the selected voice.
- Adjust Speed, then listen to a short sample in that language and refine the setting as needed.
Microsoft describes the control as: “Speed: Control the speed at which Narrator speaks.” Its instructions explain how to choose a voice and change the speed, but do not say whether the setting is saved independently for each voice or language. If separate saved rates matter to you, switch to another installed voice and back, then check whether the first rate remains set as you left it.
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Install a voice for another language
Narrator can choose a text-to-speech voice for text in another language when a matching voice is installed. To add an available legacy voice:
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- Select Add legacy voices to open Speech settings.
- Choose Manage voices > Add voices, select the language, and add the voice.
- When the download finishes, return to Narrator settings and select the voice under Narrator’s voice.
Voice downloads can take a few minutes, depending on your internet connection. The voices listed on Microsoft’s supported-languages page are not a guarantee that every voice is available on every Windows version; check the choices on your own PC.
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What Narrator does when text changes language
Microsoft says that if a matching text-to-speech voice is installed, Narrator automatically selects it for text in that language. If no matching voice is installed, Narrator announces the language name and reads the text using the default voice. Install the languages you expect to encounter and confirm the selected voice before judging its speaking speed.
How fast can Narrator speak?
Microsoft’s customization guide gives approximate rates: Narrator voices average a maximum of about 400 words per minute, while Microsoft David, Microsoft Zira, and Microsoft Mark are listed at about 800 words per minute. These are vendor-published approximations, not guarantees for an individual voice or recommended settings. Voice availability also varies with Windows version and installed voices.
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For app developers: speech speed is a separate setting
Narrator’s voice settings are different from speech generation inside an app. The Windows SpeechSynthesizer API uses installed, Microsoft-signed voices associated with languages and supports speech generation from text or SSML. Developers can use SSML to modulate speaking rate for generated speech; that does not create a per-language speed profile for Narrator in Windows Settings.
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Microsoft documentation
- Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator — voice settings, speed controls, and approximate rates.
- Appendix A: Supported languages and voices — adding voices and language information.
- Chapter 4: Reading text — language-based voice selection and fallback behavior.
- Microsoft Narrator Training Transcript — a voice-configuration example.
