SpeechBee

Guide

Turn text into an audio file on a Mac

Your Mac can save any text as a spoken audio file, free, with a command that has been built in for years. It takes one line in Terminal. Here's how, with options for voice and speed, and the apps to use if you'd rather not touch Terminal.

By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Tested on macOS on 13 October 2026

On this page
  1. Save text as audio with the say command
  2. Read a whole text file
  3. Choose a voice and speed
  4. Apps that export MP3
  5. Questions
  6. Keep reading
  7. Sources

Save text as audio with the say command

macOS includes a command called say that speaks text with your Mac's voices. With -o it saves the speech to a file instead of playing it.

  1. Open Terminal (in Applications, Utilities).
  2. Type a command like this and press Return:

say -o ~/Desktop/note.m4a "Remember to send the proposal on Friday."

The file extension decides the format. AIFF is the default; we tested .m4a, which plays in Music, QuickTime and most players. Apple's manual page lists AIFF, CAF, M4A and WAVE.

Read a whole text file

Save your text as a plain text file, then point say at it with -f:

say -f ~/Desktop/chapter.txt -o ~/Desktop/chapter.m4a

Choose a voice and speed

  • List voices: say -v '?'
  • Use a voice: say -v Samantha -o out.m4a "Hello" (use a name from your list)
  • Speed: -r 180 sets the rate in words per minute.

It uses the voices installed on your Mac, so download better ones first in System Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak, System voice. See natural voices on a Mac. Everything happens on your Mac, so the text isn't sent anywhere.

Apps that export MP3

If you'd rather not use Terminal:

SpeechBee, which we make, reads selected text aloud with natural voices on your Mac but doesn't export audio files.

Hear any text in a natural voice on your Mac. Free for 7 days.

Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.

Download for MacGet it for iPhone & iPad

Questions

Can a Mac convert text to MP3?

The built-in say command saves to AIFF, M4A, CAF or WAVE. M4A plays almost everywhere. For MP3 specifically, use an app such as NaturalReader.

Is the say command free?

Yes. It's part of macOS.

Does the say command need the internet?

No, once the voice you use is installed.

Keep reading

Sources

Checked on 13 October 2026.