Get Started with ElevenLabs API

Convert text to natural-sounding speech with a few lines of Python code.

• Python 3.7+
• An ElevenLabs account (free or paid)
• A text editor

Go to the ElevenLabs API Keys dashboard and create a new key.

Store it in a .env file in your project folder:

ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

pip install elevenlabs python-dotenv

To hear audio play automatically, you may need to install MPV and ffmpeg (the package will prompt you if needed).

Create example.py:

from dotenv import load_dotenv
from elevenlabs.client import ElevenLabs
from elevenlabs.play import play
import os

load_dotenv()

elevenlabs = ElevenLabs(api_key=os.getenv("ELEVENLABS_API_KEY"))

audio = elevenlabs.text_to_speech.convert(
    text="The first move is what sets everything in motion.",
    voice_id="JBFqnCBsd6RMkjVDRZzb",
    model_id="eleven_multilingual_v2",
    output_format="mp3_44100_128",
)

play(audio)

Parameters:

• text: What to convert to speech
• voice_id: Which voice to use (find in your dashboard)
• model_id: The AI model (use eleven_multilingual_v2)
• output_format: Audio quality (mp3_44100_128 is standard)

python example.py

You should hear the audio play through your speakers.