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How to change default voice in ElevenLabs: open any Text to Speech screen, click the voice selection menu, and pick a different voice — Default voices sit at the end of the menu. The old Default voices expire on 31 December 2026, so switch to a replacement voice now. Starter costs $6/mo (checked 5 Nov 2026).
Best for: ElevenLabs users whose projects still use an old Default voice, such as Roger or Sarah, and need a replacement before 31 December 2026.
Not for: Accounts created after March 2026, which never had Default voices, and anyone looking for one account-wide default setting — ElevenLabs does not have one.
Starting price: Starter $6/mo (checked 5 Nov 2026) — see the full plan comparison.
What “default voice” means in ElevenLabs
In ElevenLabs, “Default voices” are the built-in voices that ship with the account: Roger, Sarah, Laura, Charlie, George, Callum, River, Harry, Liam, Alice, Matilda, Will, Jessica, Eric, Chris, Brian, Daniel, Lily and Bill. They are the voices most people meet first, because they sit in the voice selection menu from the start. Only accounts created before March 2026 have them, and the official docs say all Default voices will expire on 31 December 2026 and will no longer be accessible after that date.
There is no single account-wide default voice setting to change. The voice is picked on each screen where you make audio: Text to Speech, Studio, a conversational AI agent, or a dubbing project. “Changing the default voice” therefore means two things: picking a different voice in the menu, and — for the old Default voices — moving to a replacement voice before the expiry date. The new voices are designed for realistic, stable performance for long-form and real-time use, with a broader range of accents and styles.
How to change the voice in Text to Speech
Step 1: Open Text to Speech (0 credits)
Open ElevenLabs and go to Text to Speech. You do not need a project for this — the main Text to Speech screen is enough. Changing a voice costs nothing; only generating audio spends credits.
Step 2: Click the voice selection menu (0 credits)
Click the voice name at the top of the screen to open the voice selection menu. The menu lists your voices, and the official docs say Default voices appear at the end of it. You can also search for a specific voice by name instead of scrolling through the list.
Step 3: Pick a replacement voice (0 credits)
Pick the voice you want to use from now on. To see only the old Default voices, go to Voices, then My Voices, and use the Type: Default filter — the docs name that filter as the way to view all Default voices. To find a new voice instead, browse the Voice Library, where you can preview community and premade voices before you add one to your account.
Step 4: Generate a short test (about 500 credits)
Paste a line of your own script — about 500 characters — and generate it with the new voice. Text to speech costs about 1 credit per character, so a 500-character test costs about 500 credits. Listen for tone, pace and accent across the whole line, not just the first words. If the voice fits, keep it; if it does not, repeat Step 3 with another candidate. Previewing and adding voices costs nothing, so only the test itself spends credits.
Switch to a replacement voice before 31 December 2026
The official docs publish a suggested replacement for every Default voice, and they recommend reviewing and testing replacement voices well in advance of 31 December 2026. The table below lists the most-used voices; the full list is on the docs page.
| Old Default voice | New replacement voice |
|---|---|
| Roger | Darian – Warm Grounded Storyteller |
| Sarah | Talia – Warm Soft Guide |
| Laura | Elara – Crisp Pro Narrator |
| Charlie | Baxter – Dry Calm Aussie |
| George | Eldrin – Crisp British Baritone |
| Callum | Callum – Husky Trickster |
| River | Elowen – Upbeat Modern Narrator |
| Harry | Kaelen – Amateur Warrior |
| Liam | Lawrence – Bright and Informative |
| Alice | Alicia – Polished Global Anchor |
The docs aim for similar voices in each replacement, but they are not the same voice, so test before you switch a whole series. If you use the API, the new voice IDs are published on the same docs page — for example, Darian is gOupLcAkjEnguROwi4oS. If you want more control, the docs also point to Voice Design, Voice Remixing, Instant Voice Clone with as little as 10 seconds of audio, and Professional Voice Clone with as little as 10 minutes of audio.
Change the voice in the other three places
Studio projects
Each Studio project has its own voice, so changing the voice on the Text to Speech screen does not change a project you already made. Open the project, pick a different voice for it, and regenerate the lines you want to replace. A project that used Roger will keep using Roger until you change it, and after 31 December 2026 that voice will no longer be accessible — so update old projects before the expiry date.
Conversational AI agents
Each agent has its own voice setting, and the voice is part of how callers hear the agent. Open the agent, change its voice to a replacement, and test a call before you publish the change. Agent minutes are billed separately from text to speech credits, so check the agent pricing for your plan before you run long tests.
Dubbing projects
Each dubbing project has its own voice, and a dubbed video keeps the voice you picked when you made it. Open the project and pick a replacement voice if it still uses a Default voice. If you no longer use a voice at all, our guide to deleting voices shows how to remove it from My Voices and free a voice slot.
What it costs
Changing a voice is free on every plan. Only generating audio spends credits, at about 1 credit per character. The plan prices below are from the official ElevenLabs pricing page, checked 5 Nov 2026.
| Plan | Price | Credits per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10,000 |
| Starter | $6/mo | 30,000 |
| Creator | $22/mo | 121,000 |
| Pro | $99/mo | 600,000 |
Free holds 10,000 credits per month, which covers about 10 minutes of audio. Starter holds 30,000 credits per month, which covers about 30 minutes, and costs $6/mo (checked 5 Nov 2026). The $1 Starter first-month offer was shown until Nov 8 when checked on 5 Nov 2026. Creator holds 121,000 credits per month and costs $22/mo (checked 5 Nov 2026), and Pro holds 600,000 credits per month and costs $99/mo (checked 5 Nov 2026). A 500-character test costs about 500 credits on any plan, so testing a replacement voice is cheap.
Pros and cons
Pros
• Changing a voice is free on every plan — only generating audio spends credits.
• The docs publish a suggested replacement for every Default voice, so you are not guessing.
• The new voices are built for long-form and real-time use, with more accents and styles.
• Previewing and adding voices costs nothing, so you can audition replacements for free.
• Each screen keeps its own voice, so a change in Text to Speech never breaks a project.
Cons
• There is no single account-wide default, so you must change the voice in four places.
• Replacement voices are similar, not identical, so a series can sound different after the switch.
• Default voices expire on 31 December 2026, so old projects need updating before that date.
• Accounts created after March 2026 never had Default voices, so the old names mean nothing to them.
• Every test generation costs about 1 credit per character, so long auditions add up on the free plan.
Who should NOT use it
Skip the switch if your account was created after March 2026, because you never had Default voices and have nothing to change. Skip it if your projects already use library or cloned voices, since those are not affected by the expiry. Skip it if you need one voice to change everywhere at once — ElevenLabs does not offer that, and you must update each screen, project and agent by hand. If you want a voice nobody else has, cloning your own is a better use of time than swapping one shared voice for another.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the default voice setting in ElevenLabs?
There is no single account-wide default voice setting. The voice is picked in the voice selection menu on each screen: Text to Speech, Studio, an agent, or a dubbing project. To change the voice, open the screen, click the voice name, and pick a different voice from the menu.
Why can’t I find the Default voices?
Default voices are only available for accounts created before March 2026, so a newer account will not see them at all. If your account is older, go to Voices, then My Voices, and use the Type: Default filter to view them. They also sit at the end of the voice selection menu.
What happens to Default voices on 31 December 2026?
All Default voices expire on 31 December 2026 and will no longer be accessible after that date. The docs recommend reviewing and testing replacement voices well in advance, so a series built on Roger or Sarah does not break at the end of the year.
Can I keep using Roger after the expiry date?
No. Roger is a Default voice, so it expires on 31 December 2026 like the others. The suggested replacement is Darian, described as a Warm Grounded Storyteller. Test Darian with your own script before you switch a series, because it is similar to Roger, not identical.
Does changing the voice cost credits?
Changing the voice itself is free on every plan. Only generating audio spends credits, at about 1 credit per character. A 500-character test costs about 500 credits, and previewing or adding a voice costs nothing, so auditioning replacements is cheap.
Can I change the default voice for an agent?
Yes. Each conversational AI agent has its own voice setting, so open the agent, change its voice to a replacement, and test a call before you publish the change. Agent minutes are billed separately from text to speech credits, so check the agent pricing for your plan first.
Sources checked
• ElevenLabs docs, What are Default voices?: https://elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center/product/voices/my-voices/what-are-default-voices — expiry date, replacements and account limit.
• ElevenLabs docs, How do I access ElevenLabs Default voices?: https://elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center/product/voices/my-voices/how-do-i-access-eleven-labs-default-voices — voice menu, Type: Default filter.
• ElevenLabs pricing page: https://elevenlabs.io/pricing — plan prices and credit amounts.
All sources checked 5 Nov 2026.
Last updated 5 Nov 2026. Prices checked on elevenlabs.io/pricing on that date; confirm at checkout.