📚 Reading apps and reading coaches · 🔊 Reading aloud and accessibility · 🧩 Learning differences
Microsoft Immersive Reader
By Microsoft. Visit Microsoft Immersive Reader
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Immersive Reader is a free reading view built into Microsoft Edge, Word, OneNote, Outlook, Teams, Forms, Minecraft Education and other Microsoft apps. It can read text aloud, enlarge text and widen spacing, change page colors, focus on one, three or five lines at a time, show a picture for a clicked word, and translate a word or a whole page. It was first built for readers with dyslexia, but any child can use it on web pages and school documents.
Our take: A useful free helper for any child who struggles with print, especially with dyslexia; it supports reading but does not teach it.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads; this is a Microsoft Education marketing page with a sales chat service (LivePerson) and links to Minecraft. |
|---|---|
| Data: 3 out of 5 | Microsoft Clarity session analytics and Adobe's audience and analytics services (demdex, omtrdc) loaded, with 37 cookies; no ad networks. |
| Ease: 2 out of 5 | This page markets Microsoft's school tools to institutions; a child would not find the reader itself here. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | Immersive Reader is free inside Microsoft tools; the page promotes buying Microsoft 365 and downloading apps. |
What we found
- Contacted 15 outside sites; 3 known trackers (clarity.ms, demdex.net, omtrdc.net).
- Set 37 cookies, with third-party cookies from Bing, Clarity, demdex, live.com and microsoftonline.com.
- A Microsoft sign-in check ran in a hidden frame on load.
- The first screen is about AI training for educators; Immersive Reader is the second slide of a carousel.
From the test: This page sells Microsoft's school tools to adults; the reader itself lives inside Word, Edge and Teams and needs a hands-on check there.
| Ages it suits | all ages (helpful from early readers up) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Not stated separately. It works inside other Microsoft products, so their terms apply; a Microsoft account for a minor needs a parent to accept the terms, and under 13 needs parent consent. In Edge it can be used with no sign-in. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free in Edge and as part of Microsoft 365 apps (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | Uses Microsoft speech and translation services to read text aloud and translate it; there is no chatbot. |
What's good
- Free and already on many school computers
- Read-aloud on almost any web page
- Helps kids with dyslexia or low vision
- Translation helps multilingual families
Watch for
- A support tool, not a reading course
- Features differ a bit between apps
- No separate privacy notice
- Some features need an internet connection
Data and privacy
No separate privacy notice for Immersive Reader; it falls under the Microsoft Privacy Statement, which says children under 13 need parental consent for an account and accounts under 18 get no personalized ads. Whether the text read aloud is processed in the cloud is not stated. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only: Microsoft says it uses proven reading techniques and was designed with dyslexia research in mind. No independent study of the tool itself found.
In the Big Index
- On the list Top 10 setups for a child who wants an AI to answer their questions
- On the list 10 AI reading apps and reading coaches for kids
- On the list 14 AI tools that help kids with learning differences
- The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers
- Microsoft Learning Tools and Immersive Reader
- Study and Learn: AI built for your student
- Microsoft Family Safety
- The maker in the who's who: Microsoft
Alternatives to Microsoft Immersive Reader
Desk researchFree
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes · ages 18+ only
Useful for blind or low-vision adults, including parents; children should not use it, by the maker's own terms.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Bloom Library
SIL Global · ages mostly early readers; some books for adults (health, farming)
A standout for families reading in a home or heritage language; parents should filter by topic, since religious and adult titles mix with children's books.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Bookshare
Benetech (nonprofit) · ages all ages (PreK-12 students through adults)
A free, practical library for US students with a documented print disability; families without that need should use a public library app instead.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
C-Pen Reader
C-Pen (sold in the US by Scanning Pens) · ages school-age readers and adults
Worth a look for a child with dyslexia who reads paper books and worksheets; ask the school first, since many lend them.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Cboard
Cboard (Comunicacion Aumentativa Chile SpA) · ages all ages (children and adults who need AAC)
A low-cost way for families and therapists to try AAC on existing devices; families who need a fully supported, ad-free system funded through insurance may prefer a dedicated AAC product.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Kami
Kami (Kami Limited, also maker of Book Creator) · ages grades K-12 (about 5-18), plus adults
A practical school tool for marking up and turning in work, especially for kids who need read-aloud or translation; parents rarely need it at home.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/learning-tools
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/learning-center/read-with-immersive-reader
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/articles/immersive-reader-creates-more-inclusive-classrooms/
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.