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Installing Ferna TTS on Windows

Everything you need to download Ferna TTS, get past the Windows security prompts, and hear your first sentence read aloud. It takes about five minutes.

Version 1.1.1Windows 10 / 11 · 64-bitFreeWorks offline
Download installer (.exe) Read the User Manual

1Before you start

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit.
  • Speakers or headphones. Wired, USB and Bluetooth devices all work.
  • At least one Windows voice. Windows already includes English voices such as Microsoft David, Zira or Mark, so most people don't need to add anything.
  • No administrator password and no internet connection are needed once Ferna TTS is installed. Everything is read on your own computer.
Check your voices: open Settings → Time & language → Speech. Under Manage voices you can add more voices or languages. Ferna TTS can use any voice listed there.

2Download the installer

  1. Click Download installer (.exe) at the top of this page, or on the Ferna TTS card on the Ferna Software Solutions website. The file is FernaTTS-Setup-1.1.1.exe.
  2. Your browser saves it to your Downloads folder.

If your browser warns you about the download

New apps that haven't been downloaded by many people yet often trigger a browser warning. This is normal for a small independent developer.

  • Microsoft Edge may say "isn't commonly downloaded". Hover over the download, click ⋯ (More actions) → Keep. If asked again, choose Show more → Keep anyway.
  • Google Chrome may show "Suspicious download blocked". Open the downloads list (Ctrl + J) and choose Download suspicious file or Keep.
  • Firefox may ask you to confirm; choose Allow download.

3Get past the Windows security prompts

Ferna TTS isn't yet signed with a paid code-signing certificate, so Windows doesn't recognise the publisher. Depending on your security settings you'll see one of two messages.

"Windows protected your PC" (Microsoft Defender SmartScreen)

This is the most common message. You can safely continue:

  1. Click More info.
  2. Check that the app name shows FernaTTS-Setup-1.1.1.exe.
  3. Click Run anyway. Windows remembers your choice, so you won't see this again for this file.

"Smart App Control blocked an app that may be unsafe"

Some Windows 11 PCs have Smart App Control switched on. It blocks every unsigned app and has no Run anyway button.

Think before switching Smart App Control off. The only way past this block is to turn the feature off in Windows Security → App & browser control → Smart App Control settings → Off. On some versions of Windows it can't be turned back on without resetting Windows. If you're not sure, leave it on and use Ferna TTS on another PC for now. A Microsoft-signed version is planned so this step won't be needed in future.

4Run the installer

  1. Double-click FernaTTS-Setup-1.1.1.exe in your Downloads folder (or click it in the browser's download list).
  2. If Windows asks "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?", click Yes.
  3. Follow the setup wizard. Keep the suggested install folder unless you have a reason to change it, and tick Create a desktop shortcut if you'd like one.
  4. Click Install, then Finish. Leave Launch Ferna TTS ticked to start it straight away.
Ferna TTS is added to the Start menu. To open it later, press the Windows key, type Ferna TTS and press Enter.

5First run: hear your first sentence

Ferna TTS runs quietly in the system tray, the row of small icons beside the clock. It doesn't open a big window.

  1. Find the Ferna TTS icon in the tray. If you can't see it, click the small ^ arrow to show hidden icons. You can drag the icon onto the taskbar to keep it visible.
  2. Open any document, web page or email and select a sentence with your mouse.
  3. Press Ctrl + Shift + S, or click the small speak bubble that appears beside your mouse pointer.
  4. Ferna TTS starts reading, and a small control bar appears so you can pause, skip or stop.
Next: see the User Manual for the control bar, the keyboard shortcuts, choosing a voice and speed, Sinhala reading and pronunciation rules.

6Sinhala voices සිංහල

Ferna TTS reads Sinhala and mixed Sinhala–English text in two ways, which you choose in the Control Panel:

  • Singlish transliteration turns Sinhala script into Latin letters and reads it with your normal Windows voice. Nothing extra is needed.
  • eSpeak NG Sinhala voice uses a native Sinhala voice. If Ferna TTS reports that eSpeak NG can't be found, install the free eSpeak NG for Windows (the .msi file from the official eSpeak NG releases page on GitHub), then restart Ferna TTS.

7Update or uninstall

Updating to a new version

  1. Right-click the tray icon and choose Exit to close Ferna TTS.
  2. Download the new installer from the website and run it, as in steps 2–4. It installs over the old version.
  3. Your settings and pronunciation rules are kept.

Uninstalling

  1. Exit Ferna TTS from the tray icon.
  2. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (Windows 10: Settings → Apps → Apps & features).
  3. Find Ferna TTS, click ⋯ → Uninstall, and confirm.

Your personal settings stay in %APPDATA%\FernaTTS in case you reinstall. To remove them too, paste that address into File Explorer's address bar and delete the folder.

8Troubleshooting

ProblemWhat to do
Nothing happens when I press Ctrl+Shift+SCheck that Ferna TTS is running (tray icon). Make sure text is actually selected. Another app may use the same shortcut: change it on the Hotkeys tab of the Control Panel.
Ctrl+Shift+S also opens "Save As" in my appOn the Hotkeys tab, tick Block hotkeys from reaching the active app.
No soundOn the Audio tab, choose the correct output device. Check the Windows volume mixer and that the device isn't muted.
The first word is cut off (Bluetooth headphones)Bluetooth devices take a moment to wake. On the Audio tab, increase the lead-in (default 400 ms) or the time the device is kept awake between readings (default 30 s).
A word or abbreviation is read wronglyAdd a rule on the Pronunciation tab. See the User Manual.
Windows blocks the installerSee step 3.

Still stuck? Email tgi.fernando@gmail.com with your Windows version and a short description, or a screenshot.