Modern screen technology in smartphones has made the experience of reading digital books and magazines quite rewarding.
This fact also contributes to the fact that the offer of this type of digital media is extensive, the PDF format being predominant due to the ease that exists to generate it.
Notwithstanding what was stated above, reading on a small screen can cause excessive eyestrain or some other type of discomfort in some people.
Creating an audiobook from a PDF
This is where converting a PDF to an audio file comes in, which is the equivalent of being able to create an audiobook that you can carry on your mobile device and listen to over and over again while driving or on a trip, It is also very useful for people with visual disabilities.
Programs to convert a PDF to an audio file
For this, there are quite a few free and paid desktop programs, but the ones we have selected for this tutorial are the Microsoft Edge web browser integrated into Windows (10 and 11) and Audacity, a high-quality audio recording program that will allow you to capture the audio emitted from Microsoft Edge with total clarity.
This is explained because Microsoft Edge is the default PDF reader in Windows 10 and Windows 11, and, in addition, it has an excellent PDF document viewer and editor that even offers the reading aloud of documents in this format.
That is, by default, any PDF document will open in a Microsoft Edge tab.
So, it’s all about configuring the Audacity program properly and starting an audio recording as soon as Microsoft Edge starts narrating the content of the selected PDF document. These are the steps to follow.
How to turn a PDF book into an audiobook
Download Audacity from its official download page and run the program.
In the Audio Server box located in the row with a microphone and speaker icon, change the default MME option to the WASAPI option.
In the Recording Device box located on the same row, select the option that corresponds to your PC’s speakers.
Now, open the PDF book that you want to turn into an audiobook. This will open in a Microsoft Edge tab.
Next, hit the Audacity record button (red icon) and immediately go to the Chrome tab that contains the open PDF document.
Click on the Read Aloud icon (a capital letter A). Wait for the reading to finish and end the recording from within Audacity using the Stop button.
To finish, go to the menu File > Export and select the audio format that suits you best. The list includes MP3, WAV AND OGG.
Once the audiobook is saved on your computer, you can listen to it using any multimedia player or transfer it to your mobile devices to take them wherever you go.