How to Stop Chromebook from Talking

ByJim Miller

Chrome OS offers a range of accessibility features that can be incredibly helpful, such as ChromeVox, On-Screen keyboard, and high contrast mode. However, these features can sometimes become annoying if you are unaware of how to control them. If you find your Chromebook talking randomly, it's likely due to an accessibility feature. In this article, we will explore various ways to turn off the voice on Chromebook.

How to Turn off ChromeVox on Chromebook

ChromeVox is an accessibility feature that acts as a screen reader for blind users. It verbally prompts users to navigate the interface and reads aloud everything on the screen to assist them in using Chrome OS. If your Chromebook is reading out every detail on the screen, you need to disable ChromeVox. Here's how:

  1. Open Settings on your Chromebook.
  2. Click on Advanced in the left panel and select Accessibility. Then, click on Manage accessibility features in the right panel.
  3. Turn off Enable ChromeVox (spoken feedback) under Text-to-Speech.

Tip: You can also use the Ctrl + Alt + Z keyboard shortcut to disable ChromeVox.

How to Turn off Text to Speech on Chromebook

Chromebook also offers a feature called Select to speak, which reads selected text on the screen. Unlike ChromeVox, this feature is not always active and needs to be manually activated when you want to read specific text. To turn off Select to speak on Chromebook, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings on your Chrome OS.
  2. Go to Advanced > Accessibility > Manage accessibility features.
  3. Turn off the toggle next to Enable Select to Speak.

How to Turn off Voice Assistant on Chromebook

If you're not satisfied with the native voice assistant, Google Assistant, on your Chromebook, you can easily disable it. Here's how:

  1. Open Settings on your Chromebook.
  2. Click on Search and Assistant from the left sidebar, followed by Google Assistant on the right side.
  3. Turn off the toggle next to On to completely disable Google Assistant. Alternatively, if you only want to turn off the Hey Google voice command, select Off under the Hey Google drop-down box.

How to Turn off Speak to Type on Chromebook

If you dislike the native voice typing feature on Chromebook, you can turn it off completely. Here's how:

  1. Launch Settings on Chromebook.
  2. Open Advanced > Accessibility > Manage accessibility.
  3. Scroll down to the Keyboard and text input section and turn off the toggle next to Enable dictation.

Bonus: Turn off Extensions

If your Chromebook is still talking even after disabling the voice control features mentioned above, it could be due to a third-party Chrome extension. To address this, open the Chrome browser and go to chrome://extensions. From there, turn off any voice control extensions.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily turn off the voice on your Chromebook and enjoy a more seamless user experience. Remember to explore other useful features and tips to enhance your Chromebook usage, such as the best games and note-taking apps for Chromebook, as well as how to make your Chromebook faster.