Guide
How to read Obsidian notes aloud on Mac
Obsidian doesn't ship a read-aloud button, but your Mac can read any note, and Reading view keeps the Markdown symbols out of it.
Updated 13 November 2026.
Short answerTurn on Speak selection, switch the note to Reading view so you don't hear # and ** symbols, select the text and press Option-Esc. Obsidian has no built-in read aloud; community plugins (Text to Speech, Edge TTS, Apple TTS) add one. Aloud reads a selection in Obsidian, or any other app, with Control-Option-S, with a word highlight, speeds up to 2x and .m4a export.
The free built-in fix
- Turn on Speak selection. System Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak (called Spoken Content on macOS 14 and 15) → Speak selection.
- Switch to Reading view. In Obsidian, toggle the note to Reading view so headings, bold and links show as plain words instead of # and ** symbols.
- Select and speak. Select the text (Command-A selects the note) and press Option-Esc.
- Fallback. If Option-Esc does nothing, copy into TextEdit and use Edit → Speech → Start Speaking.
Community plugins
Obsidian's core plugins don't include text to speech, so the community fills the gap. Popular ones include Text to Speech (uses your system voices, reads a whole note or the selected text), Edge TTS (Microsoft online voices, can save an MP3) and Apple TTS (uses the macOS say command and strips Markdown, but can't pause). Plugins only work inside Obsidian, so you need something else for PDFs, web pages and email.
The better fix: Aloud
If you want one reader for Obsidian and everything else on your Mac, Aloud (ours, $19 once per Mac, macOS 14 or later) is made for this:
- Select text in Obsidian, or any app, and press Control-Option-S (or right-click → Services → Read with Aloud).
- A reading window with a word highlight and click-to-seek, so you can jump to any sentence.
- Speed from 0.75x to 2x, changed mid-sentence, and resume from the last sentence.
- Natural voices: Apple Premium voices, Kokoro on device, or your own ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo or v3) key.
- Also reads PDFs, screenshots and web pages in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Vivaldi and other Chromium browsers.
- .m4a export to listen to long notes away from your desk.
Buy Aloud, $19 once No subscription, no account.
Questions
Does Obsidian have text to speech built in?
No. Obsidian's core plugins don't include read aloud. Use macOS Speak Selection, a community plugin such as Text to Speech, Edge TTS or Apple TTS, or Aloud.
How do I stop it reading # and ** symbols?
Switch the note to Reading view first. Markdown formatting is rendered there, so you select and hear the words, not the symbols.
Can I listen to an Obsidian note as audio later?
Aloud exports any reading to .m4a. Some community plugins, such as Edge TTS, can also save an MP3.
Is Aloud free?
No, it's $19 once per Mac, no subscription, no account.
More Mac utilities from the developer: SnapState puts your Mac windows, apps and browser tabs back after sleep or a monitor reconnect. $9.99 one-time.