Reading your PDFs
Listen to your PDFs
Have SwiftRead read reports, papers and chapters aloud. You can also read along in SwiftRead, with words highlighted as they’re spoken.
Table of Contents
Follow an original sample PDF, “A Morning in the Garden,” from Open → Local Files → PDF into the Library. Then open it, choose Flow, and enable narration to listen with highlighted words. Other Library items are blurred for privacy.
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1. Open your PDF
A file on your phone or computer
- On a computer, open the SwiftRead web app at app.swiftread.com. On your phone, open the SwiftRead app.
- Go to Open. Under Local Files, choose PDF and select your file.
- Wait for the import, then open the document from your Library.
Files can be up to 25 MB. If you need the app for your device, see the iOS and Android options.
A PDF already open in Chrome or Edge
With the SwiftRead extension installed, open the PDF in a browser tab, click the SwiftRead extension icon, and follow the prompts. SwiftRead opens the document when it is ready. This is a separate path from importing a saved file into your Library.
If a scanned PDF needs processing, check Open → Import History. Other extension uploads do not appear there. If one stops before the reader opens, use the retry option on the upload page.
More detail: import a saved file · open PDFs with the extension.
2. Turn on narration
- Pause the reader if it is playing.
- Select the audio icon to open Narration settings, then turn on Enable Narration.
- Close the settings and press Play to listen.
If you’d like to read along, pause and select the speedometer icon. Choose Flow in Speed Reading, close the settings, and press Play. The full text stays on screen, with words highlighted as they’re read aloud.
Choose a voice in Narration settings and adjust Reading Speed in the speedometer controls to suit the document. See the help guide for voice and narration speed controls.
Pause whenever you want to reread a passage, then press Play to continue.
Compare Flow, Focus, and Spotlight.
3. Check plans and PDF limits
All features included free. A few have daily allowances.
- Free accounts: include a daily narration allowance and a daily premium-page allowance.
- PRO: includes unlimited narration and unlimited premium pages.
- PDF processing: PDFs that need extra processing use premium pages, including files imported to your Library. PDFs the extension can read directly in the browser do not. A PDF opened from a browser tab may still need extra processing. Narration has its own allowance.
- Scanned or complex documents: text recognition can take longer, and unclear scans or complex files can fail. Clear, readable scans give text recognition a better starting point. For saved-file imports, check Open → Import History to see whether processing is still underway.
Check the imported text before you settle in, especially when the document has columns, tables, formulas, or scanned pages. Keep the original PDF nearby when its layout or figures matter to your reading.
See narration allowances and what PRO includes.
Try it with your PDF
Open SwiftRead, choose your PDF, then turn on narration. Choose Flow if you’d like to read along. A free account includes daily narration and premium-page allowances.