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How to use Safari Reader on iPhone and Mac

4 minute read · updated October 28, 2026

8 sources: 1 peer-reviewed research, 7 product documentation

On iPhone, open the article in Safari, tap the Page Menu button and pick Show Reader. On a Mac, Show Reader is in the Page menu inside the Smart Search field. Reader appears only on pages with an article it can show.

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Safari Reader reformats a web article to show only the main text and images, without navigation menus and other distractions. Apple says longer pages also get a summary and a table of contents.[1] Reader is useful when a page is crowded with ads, when you want one steady column of text, or when you want to hear an article without the menus being read too.

Reader on iPhone

Show Reader in Safari on iPhone

  1. Open the Safari app and go to an article.
  2. Tap the Page Menu button in the address field, then tap Show Reader.[1]
  3. To go back to the full page, tap the Page Menu button again, then tap Hide Reader.

Use Reader automatically

  1. On a supported site, tap the Page Menu button, then tap Website Settings.[1]
  2. Turn on Use Reader Automatically, then tap Done.
  3. To do this for every site that supports Reader, go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Reader and turn on All Websites.[1]

Apple's iPhone Reader page does not describe font or spacing controls. For those, open the article in Accessibility Reader instead, which has text size, font, and line, word and character spacing settings; see changing text size and spacing on iPhone.[3]

Have Safari on iPhone read the page

Listen to a webpage

  1. Open the page in Safari.
  2. Tap the Page Menu button, then tap Listen to Page.[4]
  3. To pause, tap the Page Menu button, then the Pause button. Tap Play in the same place to carry on.[4]

Apple says this works on supported webpages.[4] For voice and speed choices, use the system Read & Speak settings described in text to speech on iPhone.

Reader on Mac

Show Reader in Safari on Mac

  1. Open Safari and go to an article.
  2. Click the Page menu button in the Smart Search field, then choose Show Reader.[5]
  3. To change how it looks, click the Reader button at the left end of the Smart Search field, then choose a background theme, a font and a zoom level.
  4. To leave Reader, click the Reader button and click Hide Reader, or press Esc.[5]

Apple notes that Reader always shows the last background theme, font and size you chose, so you only need to set them once.[5] To hear a Reader page on a Mac, select the text and press Option-Esc after turning on Speak selection, as explained in making your Mac read text aloud.[6]

Troubleshooting

  • Show Reader is missing. On a Mac, Apple says the option appears only if the page has an article Reader can show.[5]
  • Reader opens on a site where you do not want it. Turn off Use Reader Automatically in that site's Website Settings on iPhone.[1]
  • You see a Summarize option. That is a separate Apple Intelligence feature, which Apple says depends on your language and region and on the website.[5]
  • Listen to Page is not offered. Apple describes it for supported webpages, so some pages will not have it.[4] Speak Screen, a two-finger swipe down from the top of the screen, is another option.[7]

When a page will not open in Reader at all, pasting its text into our focus reader gives a bare view with audio and a moving line highlight.

Quick answers

How do I turn on Reader for every website on iPhone?

Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Reader and turn on All Websites.[1]

Can I change the font in Safari Reader?

On a Mac, yes: click the Reader button in the Smart Search field to choose a background theme, font and zoom level.[5] On iPhone, Accessibility Reader offers font and spacing settings.[3]

Can Safari read a web page out loud?

On iPhone, tap the Page Menu button, then Listen to Page.[4] On a Mac, turn on Speak selection, select the text and press Option-Esc.[6]

Review status

Source-checked, not expert-reviewed

Drafted with AI assistance. Each factual claim was checked against the source it links to on 2026-10-28. No clinician, psychologist or dyslexia specialist has reviewed this page. See the claims register.

Sources

  1. [1]Hide distractions when reading articles in Safari on iPhone. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  2. [2]Hide distractions when reading articles in Safari on iPhone (iOS 18 version). Apple, 2024. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  3. [3]Read or listen to text in apps with Accessibility Reader on iPhone. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  4. [4]Listen to a webpage in Safari on iPhone. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  5. [5]Hide distractions when reading articles in Safari on Mac. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  6. [6]Have your Mac speak text that is on the screen (macOS User Guide). Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  7. [7]Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text, and typing feedback (iPhone User Guide). Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  8. [8]Does use of text-to-speech and related read-aloud tools improve reading comprehension for students with reading disabilities? A meta-analysis. Wood SG, Moxley JH, Tighe EL, Wagner RK. Journal of Learning Disabilities 51(1):73-84. doi:10.1177/0022219416688170, 2018. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research

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