Reading long documents can cause significant eye strain. Balabolka is a powerful, free Text-to-Speech (TTS) program designed to convert written text into natural-sounding audio using all computer voices installed on your Microsoft Windows system. This utility is essential for students, writers, and individuals with visual impairments, offering an alternative method for consuming digital content.
The application supports a vast array of document formats, including PDF, DOCX, EPUB, and HTML, allowing users to import nearly any text source. Furthermore, it provides extensive control over the speech parameters, letting you adjust the voice’s rate and pitch for a personalized listening experience.
Saving the spoken text as an audio file is simple. You can create portable audiobooks in formats like WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA, perfect for listening on the go.
In This Post
Balabolka Pro Tips
Configuring Synchronized Subtitle Files
- Open the main menu and select Options.
- Navigate to the Audio Files submenu.
- Click on the LRC, SRT tab.
- Define your preferred settings for subtitle file generation, which will create synchronized text files (like FILE.SRT) alongside your audio output (FILE.MP3).
Why: This is crucial for creating audiobooks or video content where the text must be displayed synchronously with the spoken audio, a feature supported by many modern media players .
Setting Up Global Hotkeys for Reading Control
- Access the main menu and select Options.
- Click on Settings to open the configuration window.
- Select the Hotkeys tab (ensure you do not select the Shortcuts tab).
- Check the box for Use global hotkeys and assign key combinations for actions like Skip to next paragraph or Pause/Resume.
Why: Global hotkeys allow you to control the reading process—pausing, resuming, or skipping—even when the Balabolka window is minimized or another application is active, significantly improving workflow efficiency .
Batch Splitting Text Files by Paragraph
- Go to the File menu in the main application window.
- Select Split and Convert to Audio Files.
- In the new window, choose the split method by two empty lines in succession.
- Click the Split and Convert button to process a large text file into multiple, smaller audio files based on paragraph breaks.
Why: Splitting large documents is necessary because the temporary WAV file used for processing has a 4GB size limitation . This method creates manageable audio files, ideal for podcasting or chapter-based audiobook distribution .
Software Specifications
| Software Name | Balabolka |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.15.0.912 |
| License | Freeware (for non-commercial use) |
| File Size | 24.9 MB |
| OS Support | Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11 |
| Language | Multi-language (Interface files for 18 languages) |
| Developer | Ilya Morozov |
| Homepage | http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm |
| Changelogurl | http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm |
| Last Updated | January 2026 |
Notable Features
- Extensive Document Format Support: The program can read text directly from numerous file types, including AZW, CHM, DjVu, DOCX, EPUB, FB2, HTML, MOBI, ODT, PDF, and RTF. This broad compatibility eliminates the need for external text conversion tools before use.
- Audiobook Creation and Synchronization: Users can save the spoken text as an audio file in popular formats like WAV, MP3, OGG, MP4, or WMA. Crucially, the software can save synchronized text in external LRC files or within MP3 tags, enabling synchronous text display on compatible media players.
- Advanced Pronunciation Correction: A special substitution list can be applied to improve the quality of the voice’s articulation. These pronunciation correction rules utilize the syntax of regular expressions, offering power users precise control over how specific words or phrases are spoken.
- Clipboard and Global Hotkey Control: Reading the clipboard content is a core feature, allowing instant text-to-speech conversion from any application. Furthermore, reading can be controlled from the system tray or by configuring global hotkeys, which streamlines the workflow for continuous use.
- Text Extraction and Command Line Utilities: Separate utilities are provided for advanced tasks, such as a command-line application for reading text aloud or saving audio files without a graphical interface. Another utility is dedicated to extracting text from various file types, combining or splitting the output as needed.
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