How to use TTS in Discord
Discord's built-in /tts is robotic and never touches
voice channels. Here's how to get natural-sounding speech in your VC in about two
minutes.
The 2-minute setup
Add a TTS bot
Add Mimiq to your server (you'll need the Manage Server permission — or send this page to an admin who has it). No configuration needed; it works out of the box.
Join a voice channel
Hop into the VC where you want to be heard. The bot joins your channel automatically when you use TTS.
Type /tts and your message
Mimiq joins, says your message in a natural AI voice, and posts the audio in the text channel too. That's the whole tutorial.
Optional: make it yours
Pick a different voice right in the command, set a personal default with /setvoice, translate into 25 languages with translate_to, clone a custom voice with /clone — or enable auto-read so everything
typed in VC chat is spoken hands-free.
Built-in Discord TTS vs a TTS bot
Discord's native /tts reads a message in one robotic
voice, only to people currently viewing that text channel with TTS allowed in their
client settings — people in the voice channel hear nothing. A TTS bot actually joins the
voice channel and speaks to everyone in it, with real voices, server-wide permissions,
moderation, and per-user defaults. If you want VC speech, you want a bot.
Questions
Does Discord have built-in TTS?
Yes — type /tts before a message and Discord reads it robotically. But it only plays for people who have that text channel open with TTS enabled in their settings, it never speaks in voice channels, and there's one voice. A TTS bot like Mimiq speaks in the voice channel itself, to everyone, in natural AI voices.
Why is TTS not working in my server?
The usual suspects, in order: you're not in a voice channel (join one first), the bot lacks permission to join or speak in that channel, TTS was disabled in the server's dashboard, or a channel/role rule excludes you. The bot's reply tells you which gate stopped it.
Is Mimiq free?
Yes — all of it, unlimited. TTS, auto-read, voice cloning, live captions, and translation. No premium tier.
Can it read every message automatically instead of using a command?
Yes. Enable auto-read in the dashboard and every message typed in a voice channel's text chat is spoken while the bot is connected. Perfect for hands-free use or members who can't speak.
What voices can I use?
Servers start with a library of natural default voices. You can add custom ones by cloning a voice from a 10–90 second clip with /clone, and everyone can set a personal default with /setvoice.