Read Aloud intermittently working for users on Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2511 (Build 19426.20260)

Question

Read Aloud intermittently working for users on Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2511 (Build 19426.20260)

AndyLee_551 0

I've found that users on the Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2511 (Build 19426.20260) using the Read Aloud feature are having it stop in between sentences intermittently in O365 apps.

It's now super buggy and either works but then stops or just doesn't work at all.

It works seamlessly in Edge and on users in our business who are on the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2508 (Build 19127.20484).

Is anyone else having the same issue?

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @AndyLee_551,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Thank you for reporting this behavior. I understand how disruptive it can be when Read Aloud stops unexpectedly in Outlook. At this time, I have tried my best to research and found that Microsoft has not published an official knowledge base article or release note for this behavior. However, I also saw that many users reported it. So, the current recommended mitigation is to use a stable update channel (such as Semi‑Annual Enterprise Channel) or use Read Aloud in Edge until a future update may resolve the issue.

In the meantime, to help isolate and potentially resolve the issue, could you please try the following steps in order:

1.Update Microsoft 365 apps:

Open Classic Outlook, go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now, and allow all available updates to install.

2.Restart the applications:

After updating, fully close Outlook and reopen them before testing Read Aloud again.

3.Test in Safe Mode:

Open the affected app in Safe Mode (hold Ctrl while launching the app). Reference: Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC
If Read Aloud works correctly in Safe Mode, please disable any add-ins under File > Options > Add‑ins > COM Add‑ins, then restart the app normally.

4.Run an Office Repair:

Please go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, selecting Microsoft Office, choosing Change, and then opting for either Quick Repair or Online Repair. This may reinstall core components and generally may restore Read Aloud functionality. Reference: Repair an Office application

I hope this information can help you and please feel free to update to me in comment section.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

TiNo-T 10,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-12T00:25:54.3066667+00:00

Dear @AndyLee_551,

It’s been a while, so I just wanted to check in and see how things are progressing with this issue.

Have you had a chance to review the responses provided?

Any updates you can share would be greatly appreciated.

And if you found my answer helpful in any way, I kindly invite you to mark it as the Accepted Answer or leave an Upvote. Once marked, it will automatically be pinned to the top. Since many other users also search for information in this community, your valuable contribution will help them easily find the right channel and useful insights more quickly.

Thank you very much, and I wish you a great day.
AndyLee_551 0 Reputation points

2026-02-12T05:12:09.7433333+00:00

Hi Tino,

Unfortunately, none of the steps provided helped. Has anyone else reported a similar issue?

The user installed the office 16 click-to-run extensibility component 16.0.19426.20170 on the 19th Jan and he reported the issue on that same day.

I can only imagine this update broke it somehow.

Answer 2

It appears that users on the Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2511 (Build 19426.20260) are experiencing issues with the Read Aloud feature in O365 apps, where it intermittently stops mid-sentence or fails to function properly. This issue has been noted by multiple users, and it seems to be more stable in the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel Version 2508 (Build 19127.20484) and in the Edge browser.

If you are facing this problem, it may be beneficial to report the issue through the feedback mechanisms available in Microsoft products, as this can help bring attention to the bug and potentially lead to a fix in future updates.

References:

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Read Aloud intermittently working for users on Monthly Enterprise Channel Version 2511 (Build 19426.20260)

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