Why is my Excel talking to me?

It's not the speak to enter button, I've also done the windows key + Enter when speaking. It narrates everything written after I move to a new cell, this can be by pressing enter or pressing an arrow key. I've also pressed the stop speaking cells button when it's talking and it doesn't seem to change it.

It's been like it a few weeks, Using Windows 10 pro

This is worse than that annoying Tiktok voice overlay.

Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular spreadsheet applications you can find. You can use it to create, edit, and manage all kinds of sheets for personal, business, or commercial purposes.

You may already be familiar with popular Microsoft Excel keyboard shortcuts, functions, and formulas, but did you also know that Excel can speak? Oh yes, it can.

With Speak Cells, you can have Excel read out loud the data in a cell, row, or column. In this article, you'll learn how to set up and use Speak Cells to read out data in an Excel spreadsheet.

What You'll Need to Use Speak Cells in Excel

Firstly, you'll need to ensure that your computer audio is properly configured to play audio. Sound problems originating from your speaker output, cables, plugs, jacks, volume, speaker, headphone connections, audio drivers, or other sound settings can hamper Speak Cells.

Secondly, you'll need to manually enable Speak Cells in Excel. Speak Cells is one of several hidden features in Excel that you won't normally find on the Ribbon area or in the Quick Access Toolbar.

How to Enable Speak Cells in Microsoft Excel

To add Speak Cells to the Quick Access Toolbar in Excel:

  1. Open the Microsoft Excel desktop application and click on File.
  2. Scroll all the way down the left pane and click on Options.

    Enable Speak click File Options

  3. Click on Quick Access Toolbar, then click on the Choose commands from dropdown to change the selection from “Popular Commands.”

    Enable Speak change Popular Commands All Commands

  4. From the list, click on All Commands.
  5. The commands are listed alphabetically. So drag the scroll bar or scroll all the way down the commands list and click on Speak Cells, then click on Add.

    Enable Speak click to Add Speak Cells

  6. The Speak Cells command should now be visible under the Customize Quick Access Toolbar panel.
  7. Note that older versions of Excel may list different Speak Cells commands. Click and add them one by one.
  8. Click OK when done.
  9. If you can't find the Speak Cells tab, click on the Ribbon Display Options dropdown to the far right of the Ribbon.

    Enable Speak click Show Quick Access Toolbar

  10. From the Show Ribbon menu options, click on Show Quick Access Toolbar. The Speak Cells tab will appear in the Quick Access Toolbar at the opposite end of the Ribbon area.

The Speak Cells feature is available in Excel 365 and in earlier versions. Let's now go over how to use Speak Cells to read Microsoft Excel data.

How to Use Speak Cells in Microsoft Excel

  1. Launch the Microsoft Excel desktop application and open an existing sheet or create a new one.
  2. Select the cells, rows, and columns that you want Speak Cells to read out loud to your hearing.
  3. Click on Speak Cells and the narrator will start reading the content of your selection, much like your Google Assistant reader.

    Play Speak Cells

  4. You can also get Speak Cells to read out your data without selecting or specifying a range of cells. Simply click on any neighboring cell to a cell, row, or column with an entry, and it will start reading.
  5. Thanks to auto scroll, the data or text in the active cell (being read) will be highlighted and showcased inside the Formula Bar. This helps you to follow along and keep pace.

However, without playback controls, there's no way to pause, resume, or stop playback once Speak Cells starts reading. This is a serious drawback that needs to be fixed ASAP.

Speak Cells works with your Windows narrator settings. To change this, press Windows key > Control Panel > Speech Recognition > Text to Speech.

Click Text to Speech

From here, you can adjust your Voice selection and Voice speed.

Let Excel Do the Talking

The Speak Cells feature in Microsoft Excel can help you to cross-check large amounts of data faster and more accurately. Simply select the cells to be vetted and let Speak Cells do the rest.

Speak Cells is even more helpful for the visually impaired, as it can read aloud to their hearing, carrying them along and helping them to visualize the data in their minds.

With Speak Cells, you won't have to bother about prolonged sitting, eye strain, and reading fatigue from extended periods of reading. You can also find similar text-to-speech features in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Why is Excel telling me value?

#VALUE is Excel's way of saying, "There's something wrong with the way your formula is typed. Or, there's something wrong with the cells you are referencing." The error is very general, and it can be hard to find the exact cause of it.