"Speak selection" stops speaking midway through (Macbook Air M1)

I have a Macbook Air M1 2020. Software is updated to Ventura 13.4


I frequently use the "speak selection" (cmd + esc) feature to have the computer read aloud sections of text.


But recently it has started failing intermittently on longer texts, like more than a few paragraphs in length. I will highlight an article (usually in Chrome) and press cmd+esc. The voice will start reading and the little controls will appear.



However then after a seemingly random amount of time, the voice will stop before the selection is finished reading. Usually this control window will still be visible even though no voice is playing.


This is very frustrating because I rely on the feature often to help me digest long sections of text.


How to fix this?


Posted on Jun 8, 2023 04:11 AM

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Posted on Feb 12, 2024 04:19 PM

I have a Apple Mac Pro M1 max, and I'm having the same issue. I use speech selection to aid my vision. I really hope apple have fix the bug.

5 replies

Jun 12, 2023 01:25 PM in response to wardwill

Hi wardwill,


Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! To help isolate the issue with the Spoken Content feature, let's test if this occurs in another user on your Mac. Being able to see if the issue occurs in another user account will help to identify if it is something that is affecting your entire system or just one particular user account. To do this, you'll want to set up a Test User account and then try to replicate the issue in that account by following the steps below.


1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Users & Groups in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)


2. Click the Add Account button below the list of users on the right (you may be asked to enter your password.)


3. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user. We would suggest an administrator.

• Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings.


4. Enter a full name for the new user. An account name is generated automatically. To use a different account name, enter it now—you can’t change it later.


5. Enter a password for the user, then enter it again to verify. Enter a password hint to help the user remember their password.


6. Click Create User.


Go back up to the Apple menu in the upper left of the computer and select "Log Out". At the login screen, choose the "Test User" just made.


Once inside the Test Account, try to replicate the issue to determine if it just occurs in one account or on the whole computer.


Thank you.

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"Speak selection" stops speaking midway through (Macbook Air M1)

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