Download Speakybara for Windows
Speakybara is a free Windows app that turns any part of your screen into text you can copy or listen to: press a hotkey, drag a frame, done.
Free. No account, no email address, no trial that ends.
This is a test version
Getting started takes three steps
About two minutes. Nothing gets installed, and the second step surprises people, so read it before you start.
Unzip the whole folder
Right-click the zip and choose Extract All; starting the app from inside the zip does not work. Nothing is installed: your settings, history and voices stay in that folder, so deleting the folder removes everything.
Expect the blue Windows warning
Double-click Speakybara.exe. The app does not carry a code-signing certificate yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a blue screen naming an unknown publisher. Choose More info, then Run anyway. If you would rather check first, compare the SHA-256 below with the file you downloaded.
Drag your first frame
Speakybara opens its window and puts an icon next to the clock. Press Ctrl+Alt+S anywhere and drag a frame over some text: it is read aloud. Ctrl+Alt+E puts the text on your clipboard instead.
Speakybara for Mac
A native Mac app that does what the Windows version does. It is a test version too, and Apple has not signed it yet, so the first start takes one extra step.
macOS 14 or newer · Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) · 14 MB
Unzip it and move it to Applications
Double-click the zip in your Downloads folder, then drag Speakybara into the Applications folder.
Allow it once in System Settings
The first time, macOS says it cannot check the app for malware, because Apple has not signed it yet. Click Done, open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.
Turn on Screen Recording and drag a frame
Speakybara needs Screen Recording to see the text in your frame, and asks for it. Then press Control+Option+S anywhere and drag a frame over some text: it is read aloud. Control+Option+E puts the text on your clipboard instead.
Good to know
The hotkeys, what it needs and how to check the file. Open what you need.
Default hotkeysThey work in every app, also when Speakybara has no window open. Change any of them in settings.
| What it does | Keys |
|---|---|
| Drag a frame over part of your screen; the text lands on your clipboard | CtrlAltE |
| Drag a frame over part of your screen; the text is read aloud | CtrlAltS |
| Drag a frame over part of your screen; AI explains or summarises it (set which in Settings) and reads the result aloud | CtrlAltU |
| Read whatever is on the clipboard right now | CtrlAltC |
| Pause, or continue where it stopped | CtrlAltP |
| Stop reading and close the read-along window | CtrlAltX |
| Read the last text again, without dragging a new frame | CtrlAltR |
Tray icon, settings, shortcuts: click a field, press the keys you want, done. Speakybara reports a conflict if another program already uses them.
What it needsThe facts in a list, so you can check them before you install.
- Operating system
- Windows 10 (build 19041) or newer, Windows 11 recommended
- Architecture
- 64-bit (x64)
- RAM
- 4 GB
- Memory in use
- About 55 MB while reading, 0 MB video memory
- Disk space
- 120 MB (plus ~60 MB per optional local voice)
- GPU
- Not used
- Internet
- Only for online voices; local voices work offline
- Languages
- Dutch and English, detected per selection, per sentence and per word
- Playback speed
- 0.8x to 1.75x
- Text recognition
- Windows' built-in OCR engine, on your own PC, 50-150 ms; the image is discarded afterwards
Verify the downloadBecause the app is not signed yet, the checksum is how you confirm that the file you have is the file we published.
- File
Speakybara-0.2.0-windows.zip- SHA-256
0c52708e7e3d764ddf85c10077faf80d84ffa44e100f84687a3a1eb161b091d2
Open PowerShell in your downloads folder and run:
Get-FileHash .\Speakybara-0.2.0-windows.zip -Algorithm SHA256Next
Bought Speakybara Managed?
Start the app first, then paste your key: tray icon, settings, voice, Managed. It takes about a minute.
- ChangelogWhat changed in this version, and in every version before it.
- Install guideThe same three steps with a screenshot for each one.
Last updated September 24, 2026