New Microsoft Edge's best feature: Immersive Reader

[kestrell]

For all the things I don't like about the new Edge browser, the Immersive Reader function balances all that out.

What it does: strips out all the web page ads, bells, and whistles, and reformats the article you want to read to look like a page in an ebook reader.

How to get it: It's already built into the Edge browser: once you are on the page of the article you want to read, just press F9, and the page is converted to the Immersive Reader view.
You can also have the article read aloud by a high quality computer voice: just click on the button labelled "Listen to this article"

How to customize Immersive Reader: Read the article
How to use Immersive Reader on Microsoft Edge browser
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-immersive-reader-microsoft-edge-chromium

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Yes! I was very impressed when I reluctantly downloaded Edge.

I lurk on the AHEAD listserv, which helped me witness how much the disability-service providers in higher ed *adore* the features Edge provides. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's a big PR win for Microsoft.

...and the Microsoft "natural voices" are pretty damn awesome.

[kestrell]

Yes, I really like the voices. Also, the one button, and right on the functioin keys, to activate Edge's immersive reader is a big plus. I know other browsers have similar features, but I don't think any are that simple.

Now that I have Office 365 and am taking the WebAim course, I am seeing how much information Microsoft has on making everything accessible, and it is all presented really celarly, in multiple formats (usually the online doc broken down into steps, a video, and a "read aloud" button).

[duskpeterson]

Firefox has a reader view too; it's also reachable by pressing F9. In fact, I rather suspect that Microsoft stole the idea from other browsers, since that's the sort of thing Microsoft does. :)

However, Firefox doesn't have built-in text-to-speech. That's a neat feature.

[kestrell]

Agreed on MS lifting the idea of the immersive browser from Firefox but, once Microsoft has stolen something, it becomes the standard. Also, since I've begun posting during Covid-19, I've found Microsoft to have amazing amounts of online, easy to locate, , easy to understand help pages on not only how to use accessibility features, but how to create accessible documents. I have to admit, I'm impressed.

[duskpeterson]

That's good to hear!