Converting text into an MP3 audio file on your Mac is easier than most people think, and the best part is that you don't need any paid software, online service, or subscription to do it. macOS ships with a powerful built-in command-line tool called sayA macOS command-line utility that converts written text into spoken audio using the system's text-to-speech voices. that can read any text aloud using natural-sounding system voices, and when combined with the free ffmpegA free, open-source command-line tool used to record, convert and stream audio and video files. utility, it turns plain text files into standard MP3A widely supported compressed audio format, ideal for sharing, streaming and playback on virtually any device. audio in just a couple of steps. Whether you want to listen to long articles while commuting, create a homemade audiobookA voice recording of a book's content, designed to be listened to rather than read. from a novel, generate a quick voice-over for a video, or make study notes accessible on the go, this simple workflow gets the job done in minutes and works entirely offline. In this guide you'll learn exactly how to convert text to MP3 on Mac for free, step by step, with examples you can copy and paste into TerminalThe command-line application on macOS used to run text-based commands and scripts. right away.

What You Need to Convert Text to MP3 on Mac

You only need two things, both free:

  • macOS Terminal — pre-installed on every Mac (Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
  • ffmpeg — a free converter installed via HomebrewThe most popular package manager for macOS, used to install command-line tools from the Terminal..

The built-in say command exports only to AIFFAudio Interchange File Format: Apple's native uncompressed audio format, similar to WAV. Large files, not ideal for sharing., M4AMPEG-4 Audio: Apple's preferred compressed audio format, smaller than AIFF. or WAV — not directly to MP3. That's why we'll add one extra step with ffmpeg to get a standard, universally compatible MP3.

Step 1 — Install ffmpeg on Your Mac

If you don't already have Homebrew, install it by pasting this into Terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Then install ffmpeg:

brew install ffmpeg

Verify the installation:

ffmpeg -version

Step 2 — Convert a Text File to MP3 on Mac

Prepare a plain .txt file with the text you want to convert (let's call it mytext.txt) and place it on your Desktop. Then open Terminal and run:

cd ~/Desktop
say -o output.aiff -f mytext.txt
ffmpeg -i output.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 mytext.mp3

That's it. You now have mytext.mp3 on your Desktop, ready to play on any device, share via email or upload to your phone.

What Each Command Does

  • cd ~/Desktop — moves Terminal to the Desktop folder.
  • say -o output.aiff -f mytext.txt — reads mytext.txt aloud and saves it as an AIFF audio file.
  • ffmpeg -i output.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 mytext.mp3 — converts AIFF to MP3 at high quality.

One-Liner Version

If you prefer a single command that also deletes the temporary AIFF file:

say -o temp.aiff -f mytext.txt && ffmpeg -i temp.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 mytext.mp3 && rm temp.aiff

Convert Text to MP3 on Mac Without a Text File

If you just want to convert a short sentence without creating a file first, pass the text directly in quotes:

say -o hello.aiff "Hello, this is a text to MP3 test on Mac."
ffmpeg -i hello.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 hello.mp3

Choose a Voice and Language

macOS ships with dozens of voices in many languages. List them all with:

say -v ?

Then pick one with the -v flag:

say -v "Samantha" -o output.aiff -f mytext.txt

Common voices include Samantha (US English), Daniel (UK English), Alice (Italian), Thomas (French), Anna (German) and Monica (Spanish). To download higher-quality voices, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > System Voice > Manage Voices.

If you want the newer, more natural Siri voices specifically, see my companion guide on how to convert text into Siri's voice.

Change the Speech Rate

Use the -r flag to set words per minute (default ≈ 175):

say -v "Samantha" -r 200 -o output.aiff -f mytext.txt

Make a Free Audiobook from Text on Mac

The same workflow scales to entire books. If you have a long .txt file (a novel, a manual, lecture notes), just run the same two commands — the only difference is processing time.

For better audiobook quality:

  • Use a high-quality downloaded voice (e.g. Siri Voice 2 or Samantha (Enhanced)).
  • Slow down slightly with -r 160 for easier listening.
  • Add chapters by splitting the source text into multiple files and processing each one separately.

Example for a full book:

say -v "Samantha" -r 160 -o book.aiff -f book.txt
ffmpeg -i book.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 book.mp3

Batch Convert Multiple Text Files to MP3

If you have several .txt files in a folder and want to convert them all at once, use this shell loop:

cd ~/Desktop/my-texts
for f in *.txt; do
  say -o "${f%.txt}.aiff" -f "$f"
  ffmpeg -i "${f%.txt}.aiff" -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 "${f%.txt}.mp3"
  rm "${f%.txt}.aiff"
done

This reads every .txt file in the folder, converts it to MP3, and deletes the temporary AIFF. Perfect for processing a whole collection of articles, chapters or study notes overnight.

Convert RTF, PDF or Word Documents to MP3

The say command reads plain text and RTF files. For PDF or .docx files, convert them to .txt first:

  • PDF: use pdftotext (install with brew install poppler), then run: pdftotext mydoc.pdf mydoc.txt
  • Word (.docx): open the document, File > Export to > Plain Text, save as .txt.
  • Web pages: copy the text, paste into TextEdit, and save as plain text.

Then follow the standard text-to-MP3 workflow above.

Common Use Cases

  • Study and revision — listen to lecture notes while commuting.
  • Accessibility — create audio versions of documents for people with visual impairments or dyslexia.
  • Voice-overs — fast narration for YouTube videos, tutorials or podcasts.
  • Homemade audiobooks — convert public-domain books (Project Gutenberg, LibriVox) into personal audiobooks.
  • Proofreading — hearing your own text read aloud helps catch typos and awkward phrasing.

Troubleshooting

"say: command not found"

You're probably not on a Mac. The say command is a macOS built-in and isn't available on Windows or Linux.

"ffmpeg: command not found"

Install it with brew install ffmpeg. If Homebrew isn't installed, run the Homebrew installer from Step 1 first.

The MP3 only reads the filename

This happens when say receives the file path as text instead of reading the file. Make sure you're using the -f flag, not passing the filename as a plain argument.

Large files take too long

Processing is CPU-bound and runs at roughly real-time speed. A 10-hour audiobook takes a couple of hours to generate. Leave Terminal running and it will complete on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert text to MP3 on Mac for free?

Open Terminal and run say -o output.aiff -f yourfile.txt followed by ffmpeg -i output.aiff -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 yourfile.mp3. Both tools are free and the whole process runs offline.

Can I convert a text file to MP3 on Mac without installing anything?

The say command alone can export to AIFF or M4A out of the box, with no installation needed. To get MP3 specifically you need ffmpeg, which is a free one-time install.

How do I make an audiobook from a text file on Mac?

Save your book as a plain .txt file, then run say -v "Samantha" -r 160 -o book.aiff -f book.txt and convert to MP3 with ffmpeg. For chapters, split the text into separate files and process each one.

Does text to MP3 on Mac work offline?

Yes. Both the say command and ffmpeg work entirely offline after the initial voice and software installation.

What's the best voice for converting text to MP3 on Mac?

For American English, Samantha and Siri Voice 2 sound the most natural. Download enhanced or premium voices from System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Manage Voices.

Can I convert PDF to MP3 on Mac?

Yes, indirectly. First convert the PDF to plain text with pdftotext (from the Poppler package) or by copying the text manually, then follow the standard text-to-MP3 workflow.

Why does the say command not output MP3 directly?

The say command only supports AIFF, M4A, CAF and WAV natively. MP3 requires an external encoder like LAME, which is included in ffmpeg.

Conclusion

You don't need paid apps, online services or complicated software to convert text to MP3 on your Mac. With two free command-line tools and a couple of lines in Terminal, you can turn any text file — a study note, an article, an entire book — into a portable MP3 audio file in minutes.

If you want to specifically use Siri's voice for your audio files, check out my related guide on converting text into Siri's voice. And for more automation and productivity tips, browse the rest of my blog.