Read&Write for Mac

Read&Write is software with tools to help reading, writing, and studying.

Read&Write is installed on all Sites Macintosh computers. Due to networking issues with this version and the Mac operating system, you may be prompted for administrative passwords (click "cancel") or may not be able to use some features.

Installing Read&Write on a Personal Computer

Any current U-M student, faculty, or staff member may obtain a version of Read&Write for their personal Macintosh by doing the following:

• Go to the Read&Write website, scroll down and click the Try Read&Write button.
• Click on the Start Your Trial Today button.
• In the survey, click on the A Student radio button, and type X (or whatever you want) into the text box. Then click on the Start your Free Trial button.
• On the next screen, choose Mac. The installation file will download.
• Look for the downloaded file and open it. Follow the instructions to drag the icon into your Applications folder.
• From the Applications folder, choose the Read and Write icon.
• If you get a dialog box asking "Are you sure you want to open it?," choose Open.
• When prompted to accept the user terms, choose I accept the user terms.
• When prompted for a sign-in method, choose Google.
• You will get a "Read&Write wants access to control. " dialog box. Choose OK.
• Sign in as usual with your university user name and password.
• The Read and Write icon will appear in the top right corner of your screen. Choose it to open the Read&Write toolbar.

Documentation

Read&Write Overview

Read&Write works directly with applications such as Microsoft Word and Web browsers.

Most functions are located in the Read&Write toolbar, which appears on the screen when Read&Write starts. The default toolbar looks like the following (you may need to click and drag the toolbar to the right to see all the icons):

A Read&Write menu appears at the uppermost top left of the screen when Read&Write starts. When pulled down, the menu bar looks like this:

Short video tutorials for many Read&Write features are available on YouTube.

Default Toolbar Functions

This section describes the buttons that appear on the toolbar when Read&Write starts. If you change these defaults on public machines, note that your settings may not be saved.

You can find more information in TextHelp's Read&Write Quick Reference Card.

Check It. Runs both the Spell Checker and the Similar Word Checker (see "Additional Toolbar Options" below) on highlighted text. Press Play on the main toolbar to read the dictionary definition aloud.

Prediction. This feature puts up a list of words based on letters that have been typed (similar to the prediction used by cell phones).

Picture Dictionary. Allows you to type in a word and retrieve one or more associated pictures. Double click on the image to insert it into your document.

Verb Checker. When the user inputs a verb, the Checker asks the user to confirm the tense in which it is being used, then provides a conjugation in that tense for standard, perfect, continuous, and perfect continuous verb forms. Click Play to hear them read aloud and click the Replace button to add the selected verb into your document.

Play. Options include the ability to specify reading unit (word, sentence or paragraph), a Pronunciation Tutor for hearing (but not correcting) pronunciation of individual words, a Speech Options setting for choosing and adjusting the voice, and several other audio output and reading settings. To use, highlight a few words near the beginning of the text you want to have read, then click on the Play icon. This feature is for use with Microsoft Word, web pages, and similar documents.

Pause. Pause current reading. When Pause is clicked a second time, the audio continues from the stopping point.

Stop. Stops the current reading. If the user then presses Play, reading recommences from the beginning of the current reading unit.

Screenshot Reader. Allows user to capture text in any format and read it using Text Reader or from within Word. Useful for reading bitmapped (non-selectable) text or other text that cannot be accessed with the Play or PDF Reader functions.

To use Screenshot Reader:

1. Click on the Screenshot Reader icon, and draw a box around the text you would like to read. Screenshot Reader will take a few seconds to analyze this text and will then start reading it aloud.
2. You can use the standard Play, Pause, and Stop buttons to control this text.

Audio Maker. Converts highlighted text in Word docs and PDF files to an MP3, M4A, or AIFF audio file.

To use Audio Maker:

1. For best results, highlight 4 pages of text or fewer, then click on the Audio Maker icon. The first page of the resulting dialog box previews the text you have chosen.
2. Clicking on Next goes to a second screen allowing you to change and test settings for voice, speed, and volume. Then click on the “Create” button to generate the audio file.
3. You will be prompted for the location where you want to save the file and the file format you wish to use. Click “Save” when done.

Scan. Options include whether to scan text to a Word, PDF or HTML file and specifications about the type of scanner being used. Even if you don't have a scanner attached, the Scan function can be useful for converting PDFs that were scanned as images into a text format. To use this functionality:

1. Open Read&Write and click on the Scan button.
2. The resulting window will look like this:
   
3. Set up the window as follows:
   • Click on "Scan from file" (upper left corner). If there is no physical scanner attached, this option will be selected automatically.)
   • Click on "Multi-Page" (under Mode)
   • Click on "Word" (under Output options)*
   • Click off "Preserve Format" (under Output options)
4. Click on the Scan button (bottom right). You will be prompted for a Word file name and location to save the document. You will then be prompted to open the document you want to scan.
5. You may be asked to grant access to the Word file; it is fine to do so.

* If you are a U-M student and do not already own Microsoft Office, which includes Word, you may download it at no charge.

Research Folder. Select information you wish to store from a website. Then click the Fact Folder icon, click on "add fact," then click "close." The fact and website address are saved.

Translator. Select a word or phrase and click on this button to translate into the language of your choice. Note: You must be online to use this feature.