"Start Speaking" command and Voice Over always uses Alex voice

I'd like to set up my Mac so it can read aloud text on news websites, but I don't like the default system voice called "Alex". I prefer the "Siri" voices that you can download and enable in System Preferences.


However, no matter which voice I enable in System Preferences > Accessibility > Spoken Content, my Mac always uses the Alex voice for everything, even though I have (ostensibly) disabled or "deleted" the Alex voice, along with the other voices that come enables by default.


I would like to use the command Speech > Start Speaking and Stop Speaking commands in Safari to read text on websites that I view using Reader mode.


Thanks for your help.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 11.5

Posted on Sep 3, 2021 1:42 AM

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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 3, 2021 2:20 AM

Reset NVRAM.

Restart in Safe Mode, then restart normally again.

Select a voice in System Preferences. Does it work?


If the problem persists, Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here. Use the "additional text" button and paste the report into the text box.


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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Sep 3, 2021 2:20 AM in response to snowdrift42

Reset NVRAM.

Restart in Safe Mode, then restart normally again.

Select a voice in System Preferences. Does it work?


If the problem persists, Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here. Use the "additional text" button and paste the report into the text box.


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"Start Speaking" command and Voice Over always uses Alex voice

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