Voice Quick Start-up Guide: How to talk with your browser

The Opera Voice feature allows the user to control the interface by talking and to have documents read aloud. Voice is currently offered in English and works on Windows 2000 and XP. A headset with a microphone is required to use Voice.

Quick Start-up

  1. Download Opera 9
  2. Enable the Voice option by selecting "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Advanced" > "Voice" and then enable Voice.
  3. After enabling the option, you will be asked to confirm that you want to install the voice libraries. Select confirm. Voice is now available.
  4. To initiate a voice command, click the "Voice" button on the View toolbar, or press the Scroll Lock key. Then say the command, for example, "Opera reload". After issuing the command, let go of the button.
  5. A useful command to start with is "speak", which will make Opera read any selected text to you. Try it out by highlighting the text below, holding the Voice button, and saying "Opera speak".

    Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life.

    (Excerpt from H.C. Andersen's The Little Mermaid)

  6. For a list of voice commands, click on the voice button and say "Opera voice commands".

Quick Voice tips

  • Rest your eyes and just listen. Now you can use voice commands to have an e-mail or other document read to you, even while working in a different application.
  • Uncertain about how a word is pronounced? Highlight it and command Opera to "speak".
  • Impress your audience by using voice commands to switch slides during Opera Show presentations.