Stop your Mac reading things out loud on its own

Why it happens

Your Mac has several features that read things aloud, and they're easy to turn on by accident or forget about. Speak announcements reads alerts, Speak item under the pointer reads whatever you point at, and Speak typing feedback reads your typing. VoiceOver, the full screen reader, talks about everything on screen.

How to fix it

1. Click the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar and open Read & Speak.

   Accessibility›Read & Speak

2. Turn off Speak announcements, Speak selection, Speak item under the pointer and Speak typing feedback. On macOS 27, some of these open when you click their row, with the switch inside.

3. If a voice describes buttons and windows as you move around, and a dark box outlines what you've selected, that's VoiceOver. Press Command-F5 to turn it off (on some keyboards, hold fn as well). On a Mac with Touch ID, you can also hold Command and press Touch ID three times quickly.

4. You can also switch VoiceOver off in Accessibility > VoiceOver. Then wait a minute and listen to check the talking has stopped.

   Accessibility›VoiceOver

On macOS 26, the Speak options are switches on the Read & Speak page. On macOS 27, options such as Speak selection and Speak typing feedback open when you click their row, and the switch is inside.

Still not fixed?

1. If your Mac says the time every hour or so, the clock is set to announce it. Open Menu Bar settings, click Clock Options and turn off Announce the time.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls›Clock Options

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls›Clock Options…

2. If the voice comes from a web page, a video or an app, look for a speaker icon on a Safari tab or in the app, and pause or close it.

3. If the talking starts when you press a certain key, check Accessibility > Read & Speak again for a keyboard shortcut you might be pressing by mistake, such as Option-Esc for Speak selection.

4. If your Mac keeps speaking with every Speak option and VoiceOver turned off, restart it and install the latest update. If it still happens, contact Apple Support.