NaturalReader makes it easy to start listening to content from a wide range of sources. You can upload documents, type or paste in your own text, scan image-based files, or add a webpage by URL. This article covers each of these options for both the web version and mobile app.
Upload a Document
To upload a document from your device:
On web
Drag and drop the file directly into the reader area, or
Click Document from the left sidebar, then select Upload Files.
On mobile
Tap the Home button to return to the Library if needed.
Tap Add in the bottom toolbar, then choose Upload Files.
You can upload one or multiple files at once. Each file will be added as a separate document in your library.
Supported formats include:
.doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .epub, .pptx, and .odt
Type or Paste Text
To create a new document with your own text:
On web
Click Text from the left sidebar.
On mobile
Tap the Home button to return to the Library if needed.
Tap Add > Text.
You can type or paste content directly into the editor.
To save your work:
Tap or click the menu (three dots) in the top right corner, then select Save Text to save the content as a PDF file in your library. This step is the same on both web and mobile.
This option is helpful for shorter passages, notes, or copied content from elsewhere.
Listen to Scanned PDFs and Images (OCR)
If you upload a scanned PDF or an image file (such as a .jpg or .png), NaturalReader will automatically detect that it contains non-selectable text and offer to convert it using OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This process turns the visual text into readable, selectable content so it can be read aloud.
Upload a Scanned PDF
Scanned PDFs are often saved as .pdf files, even if they contain only images. To upload one:
On web:
Drag and drop the file directly into the reader area, or
Click Document > Document in the sidebar, then upload the file.
On mobile:
Tap the Home button to return to the Library if needed.
Tap Add > Document, then select your scanned PDF.
After uploading:
Click or tap Play on the document.
If the file contains non-selectable text, NaturalReader will prompt you to use OCR.
Select the page range you want to convert (up to 50 pages at a time).
(Optional) Choose Set Margins to manually adjust the area to be converted.
Tap Cancel to exit margin mode or the checkmark to confirm.
Tap or click Convert Now to begin conversion.
After it's done converting, click or tap Play to listen
If the file has more than 20 pages, repeat the process for additional batches. You do not need to split the file manually—just select a new page range when prompted.
Upload an Image or Photo
You can also use OCR on image files such as .jpg or .png.
On web:
Drag and drop the image(s) into the reader, or
Go to Document > Image.
On mobile:
Tap the Home button to return to the Library if needed.
Tap Add > Photo Library to upload existing images, or
Tap Add > Camera Scanner to take a new photo.
After it's done converting, click or tap Play to listen
You can upload up to 20 images at once. When you upload multiple images, they will be combined into a single document, which can then be processed and read as one file.
Tips for Best Results
Use high-resolution, high-contrast scans or images
Printed or neatly written text gives the best accuracy
Handwritten text can work, but very messy handwriting may reduce accuracy
If the original page has handwritten notes, highlights, or underlining, OCR may attempt to convert those markings too
Clean, legible notes may be included in playback
Heavily layered, messy, or scrawled markings may interfere with accurate conversion or prevent the text from being converted at all
Blurry or low-light images can impact recognition
Scan to Text
Use this option to manually extract text from a scanned PDF or image file using OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This creates an fully accessible version of the document so it can be read aloud by NaturalReader.
Scan to Text is especially useful if:
The file contains a mix of selectable and non-selectable content, which may prevent the automatic OCR prompt from appearing
You want to re-convert a document to resolve reading issues, such as:
Text being read out of order (e.g. columns)
Ligatures or joined letters not being read correctly
To use Scan to Text:
On web and mobile:
Open the scanned document.
Click the menu (three dots) in the top right corner.
Select Scan to Text, then click Next.
Select the page range to convert (up to 50 pages at a time).
Click Convert Now.
Press Play to begin listening.
Add a Webpage by URL
To extract and listen to content from a webpage:
On web:
Click Document > Webpage URL.
On mobile:
Tap the Home button to return to the Library if needed.
Tap Add > Webpage URL.
Paste the full URL (including https://), and NaturalReader will extract the readable text and add it to your library as a new document.
Note: This works best with straightforward article-style pages. Dynamic, interactive, or login-restricted content may not load properly.