How to Make Claude Read a PDF Out Loud (Full Document, MP3)
Claude + AnyToSpeech · works on Claude Free

How to Make Claude Read a PDF Out Loud

Claude is excellent with long documents. Now it can hand them back as audio: the full text narrated, or a smart spoken summary.

Start free See the steps
The problem

Claude understands your PDF. It just can't read it to you.

Claude can take in very long PDFs and answer questions about them, but it has no way to turn a document into an audio file. Claude's voice mode is for conversation, not for narrating a report word for word.

Connect AnyToSpeech and you get both: Claude decides what's worth hearing, and AnyToSpeech narrates it in a natural voice as an MP3.

Setup

Listen to a PDF with Claude

First time? Add the AnyToSpeech connector to Claude. It takes 2 minutes on any plan.

  1. Check the connector is on

    In a new chat, open the tools menu and make sure AnyToSpeech is enabled.

  2. Attach the PDF

    Drop the file into the chat, or paste a direct link. Links work best for very large files.

  3. Choose full text or a summary

    Ask for the whole document narrated, specific sections, or a spoken summary Claude writes first. This is where Claude shines: "skip the methods section and footnotes".

  4. Listen or download

    Claude returns the audio link when it's ready. Long documents are processed in the background.

Prompts

Prompts to try

“Read this PDF aloud in full and give me the MP3.”
“Narrate only the executive summary and recommendations.”
“Explain this contract in plain English, then read your explanation aloud.”
“Read this paper aloud but skip citations and figure captions.”
Listen

What you get back

Voice sample: Felix (British English)

A clear, steady premium narrator for reports and papers (paid plans; free accounts use the standard voices).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude read a PDF out loud without add-ons?

No. Claude can read and analyse PDFs, but it can't produce an audio file of one. The AnyToSpeech connector adds that.

Does it work on Claude Free?

Yes. Claude Free allows one custom connector. On a free AnyToSpeech account, the first 5,000 characters of a document are narrated (about 4 minutes); full documents need a paid AnyToSpeech plan.

What about scanned PDFs?

If the PDF is a scan, ask Claude to transcribe the pages first, or use image to speech, which reads text from images.

Can I choose the voice and speed?

Yes. Ask for any accent, gender, speaking style or speed. Say "list British voices" to see options.

Keep going

Related guides

Make a podcast from the PDF Two hosts discuss it instead.
Read a PDF aloud with ChatGPT The same thing in ChatGPT.
PDF to MP3 converter No Claude needed.

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