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Readwave

Settings

The Settings screen controls how Readwave behaves. Every setting is saved automatically and persists across restarts. Click Settings in the sidebar to open it.

Shortcut (rebind)

Sets the global hotkey that starts and stops reading.

  • Default: Ctrl+Alt+R.
  • To change it, choose the rebind control and press the key combination you want.
  • The same key both starts and stops reading.
  • Pick a combination no other app is using. If your hotkey stops working, another app may have claimed it — rebind to something else. See Troubleshooting → The hotkey doesn't work.

The hotkey works system-wide, whether or not the Readwave window is focused.

Output device

Chooses which speakers or headphones Readwave plays through.

  • Pick your device from the output device list.
  • If you hear nothing, this is the first thing to check — make sure the selected device is the one you're actually listening on. See Troubleshooting → No audio.
  • Switched headphones or docked your laptop? Come back here and reselect the right device.

What to read

Controls where Readwave gets the text when you press the hotkey. Three modes:

Mode Readwave reads… How to use it
Selection The text you've highlighted Select text, press the hotkey.
Clipboard Whatever you last copied Ctrl+C to copy, then press the hotkey.
Both Selection if there is one, otherwise the clipboard Works either way.

Selection is the default and matches the "highlight and press the hotkey" workflow most people expect. Choose Clipboard for apps where copying is more reliable than selecting, or Both for maximum flexibility.

Skip links & code

Two clean-up toggles for what Readwave speaks:

  • Skip links — when on, Readwave won't read out URLs or link text. Pages full of links become much easier to listen to.
  • Skip code — when on, Readwave won't read code blocks. Useful for technical articles and documentation where you want the prose, not the snippets.

Turn either off if you do want links or code read aloud.

Launch at startup

When on, Readwave starts automatically when you sign in to Windows, so the hotkey is ready the moment you log in. Turn it off if you'd rather start Readwave manually.

Check for updates

Checks whether a newer version of Readwave is available and helps you update. Run this from time to time to stay on the latest version.

Everything is saved automatically

You don't need a "save" button. Changes apply as you make them and are remembered across restarts.