Complete guide to Narrator

Narrator is a screen-reading application that's built into Windows 11, so there's nothing you need to
download or install. This guide describes how to use Narrator with Windows so that you can start using
apps, browsing the web, and more.

Below in the table of contents, there’s a section about what's new in Narrator.

Note: This guide is available as a Word doc and a PDF (in English only). To obtain additional languages or
formats, contact the Disability Answer Desk.

You want to learn how to use Narrator to do things in Office apps, like Outlook and Word? Check out the
articles on this page: Use a screen reader with Office apps.

Follow these links to learn how to use a screen reader to do things in Windows 11:

§ Use a screen reader to explore and navigate the Start menu in Windows

§ Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Settings in Windows

§ Use a screen reader to explore and navigate File Explorer in Windows

§ Keyboarding in Microsoft Teams 2.0 for Windows 11

§ Use a screen reader with the flyout window in Microsoft Teams 2.0 for Windows 11

Table of contents
Chapter What's in it

Chapter 1: Introducing An overview of Narrator including how to start and stop it.
Narrator

Chapter 2: Narrator basics How to get around the screen, find and open apps, change what
Narrator reads, and adjust speech rate and volume.

Chapter 3: Using scan mode How to use scan mode to navigate apps, email, and the web.

Chapter 4: Reading text How to read and get info about text, such as font, text color, and
punctuation.

Chapter 5: Navigation How to get more info on the app or page you're exploring using
Narrator views.

Chapter 6: Using Narrator How to use Narrator with touch, including basic gestures.
with touch

Chapter 7: Customizing How to change how the Narrator starts, determine how much
Narrator feedback you hear when typing, change Narrator commands, and use
third-party text-to-speech (TTS) software.
 Chapter 8: Using Narrator How to use Narrator with a refreshable braille display.
with braille

Appendix A: Supported A list of supported languages for legacy and natural voices in Narrator.
languages and voices

Appendix B: Narrator A list of Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

keyboard commands and
touch gestures

Appendix C: Supported A list of braille displays supported by Narrator.

braille displays

Appendix D: Narrator sounds A list of the sounds the Narrator uses and what those sounds mean.

Appendix E: Narrator with How to use Narrator with Outlook

Outlook
Appendix F: Narrator with How to use Narrator with Excel
Excel
Appendix G: Troubleshooting How to Troubleshoot the Narrator Natural Voices setup issues.
Narrator Natural Voices
setup issues
Appendix H: List of Issues A list of issues and bugs fixed in this release.
and Bugs fixed
Appendix I: History of A list of narrator update history.
Narrator Updates

What's new in Narrator.

Version released in Feb 2024.

This release is about enhancing the reading experience for images with Narrator, early steps in
supporting dictation with voice access and Narrator, ability to preview all natural voices and a bunch of
bug fixes across Narrator. To give feedback, press Narrator + Alt + F while Narrator is running.

Tip: The Narrator key is a modifier key in the Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock key and the Insert
key serve as your Narrator key by default. For more info on the Narrator key, go to Chapter 2: Narrator
basics or Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Enhanced image consumption experience in Narrator

With Narrator, we have enhanced image consumption experience. There are two significant
modifications:

• A new keyboard command has been added to allow you to switch between the graphics/images
on a page or screen. Now, in Scan mode (Narrator key + spacebar), you can move forward or
backward between graphics/images by pressing the keys "G" or "Shift + G."
 • Text recognition in images is enhanced, including handwriting recognition, and overall image
descriptions are better. To experience the improved experience, navigate to any image and,
while the image is in focus, execute the keyboard combination "Narrator key + CTRL + d “.
An active internet connection is necessary for this feature, and Narrator settings must have the
option to obtain Image Descriptions activated. For more information, refer to image
descriptions in Chapter 2: Narrator basics.

Dictate text with voice access

Voice access in Windows 11 enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control
their PC and author text using their voice. For example, you can open and switch between apps, browse
the web, and read and author emails using your voice. Voice access uses modern, on-device speech
recognition to accurately recognize speech and works even without the internet. For more information,
refer to Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice.

Narrator users can start using voice access to dictate text with voice and hear what is dictated. In
addition, you can also use voice access to give Narrator commands. For example, “Turn on Narrator,”
“speak faster,” “read selection,” “read next line,” etc.

To know the entire list of Narrator commands supported with voice access click help icon (?) on voice
access bar, select “View all commands” and choose “Narrator commands.”

Note that, all voice access features do not work with Narrator. Please refer to the section below for
more details. You can start voice access by searching in the Windows Search bar or pinning it to the task
bar once it is open.

What will work:

• Start and setup voice access which includes downloading a speech model.
• Read a list of voice access commands and Narrator commands from voice access help menu.
• Changing voice access microphone state.
• Dictating text with voice and hearing back what was dictated.

What will not work:

§ Using voice access guide with a screen reader.
§ Core voice access features: Using different voice access commands to get different tasks done:
• Using “Click” commands or number overlays to interact with specific items on the screen.
• Using grid overlays to control the mouse pointer.
• Using text editing features such as corrections and spellings in voice access.

Tips:

§ You can press Alt+Tab to cycle through all open applications to move the focus to the voice
access UI.
§ If you don’t use headphones for listening to the screen reader, the audio output from the screen
reader may get picked up by voice access microphone, leading to unwanted behavior.
Preview natural voices in Narrator ,
We launched natural voices in 10 new locales as part of Windows September 2023 update . Those
natural voices include Chinese, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico), Japanese, English (UK), French,
Portuguese, English (India), German and Korean. With this Windows update, users will be able to
preview and listen to the natural voice before downloading a voice model.

Once downloaded, Natural Narrator voices support text-to-speech on-device and do not require an
internet connection. For more information, refer to natural voices section in Appendix A: Supported
languages and voices.

Notes:

• There are more improvements and bugs fixed in this release. For more information, refer
toAppendix G: Troubleshooting Narrator Natural Voices setup issues
• Narrator Natural Voice feature is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. For more
information on the new features in Windows 11, version 22H2, and how to get the update,
see What's new in recent Windows updates. Not sure which version of Windows you have?
See: Find Windows version.
• Do you get the following error message when trying to set up Narrator Natural Voices: "Please
check your internet connection and try again.” or “Something went wrong and we can't install
the new natural voice right now. Please try again later.”
This can mean that there is no access to the Microsoft Store app catalog in the cloud during
setup. If you get this error message, follow these instructions:

Check connectivity:

Verify that you are connected to the internet on the device where you are seeing this error.

If internet connectivity is not an issue, check whether you can access the Microsoft Store app and are
able to download apps.

If you can download apps via the Microsoft Store app, submit feedback using the Feedback Hub app so
we can investigate the problem.

Note: If you are not able to download apps via the Microsoft Store app and work in an
enterprise environment, it’s possible that your network administrator has disabled access to the
Microsoft Store app.

1. Do one of the following to install the Store package:

• If you are an enterprise with IT administrator support, contact your IT administrator and ask
them to download and deploy the appropriate Store package to your device.
• Download and install the appropriate Store package yourself and then follow the
instructions in Install the Store package.
Store packages

Language System type Store package

English (United States) AMD x64 Voice.en-US.cab

Install the Store package

1. Download the Store package from the table above that matches your language requirements.

• To determine your system type, go to Start > All apps > Settings > System > About. Your
system type is listed in the Device specification section, under System type.

2. In the Downloads folder, double-click the Cabinet (CAB) file to open it.

3. Double-click the ZIP file contained in the CAB file, and then choose where to extract the file.

4. Navigate to the folder where you extracted the file and double-click the compressed folder.

5. Inside the extracted folder, directories named after the voices they contain will be available.

6. Double click the required voices folder.

7. Double-click the MSIX file to launch the installer.

Note: If you now get an error of "No such interface supported" or Windows asks you to select
an
 app to open the MSIX file, you are missing a required app to install the package. To resolve this,
extract the ZIP file to a folder, use the Windows PowerShell app to navigate to the unzipped
folder, and run the Add-AppxPackage cmdlet, where the MSIX file name must match what's in
the folder. For example: Add-AppPackage -path 287f9bba5faf4ee4a3a91bb389cc3b7b.msix.

8. In the installer window, select Install to start the installation.

9. When the installation is complete, select Close.

You are now ready to use the feature (Narrator).

Note: If the installation wasn’t successful or the feature doesn’t work after installation, submit
feedback using the Feedback Hub app so we can investigate the problem.

Next: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/appendix-g-troubleshooting-narrator-natural-voices-
setup-issues-2acb7291-5b41-4ed2-b415-c7d9a3a044e9 Appendix H: List of Issues and Bugs fixed

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix H: List of Issues and Bugs fixed

Chapter 1: Introducing Narrator

Narrator lets you use your PC without a mouse to complete common tasks if you’re blind or have low
vision. It reads and interacts with things on the screen, like text and buttons. Use Narrator to read and
write email, browse the internet, and work with documents.

Specific commands let you navigate Windows, the web, and apps. Navigation is available using headings,
links, landmarks, and more. You can read text (including punctuation) by page, paragraph, line,
sentence, word, and character, as well as determine characteristics like font and text color. Efficiently
review tables with row and column navigation.

Narrator also has a navigation and reading mode, which you’ll learn more about in Chapter 3: Using scan
mode. Use it to get around Windows 11 using just the up and down arrows on your keyboard. You can
also use a braille display to navigate your PC and read text, which you’ll learn more about in Chapter 8:
Using Narrator with braille.

You can also customize the speaking rate, pitch, and volume of the voice that Narrator uses, and install
other text-to-speech voices.

Two ways to start and stop Narrator.

§ To launch Narrator, press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter. To stop the narrator, press these
keys once more. The Windows logo key is typically found on the keyboard’s bottom row of keys,
either to the left or right of the Alt key.

§ To access Narrator settings, use the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N. Then, switch the toggle next
to Use Narrator.
Note: The Accessibility icon will show up in the bottom right corner of the screen when you log in or
access specific menus. By choosing the Accessibility icon, a menu containing a toggle switch for the
narrator's on/off status is displayed. The narrator will stop once you log out or leave the screen.

Narrator Home
Every time you turn on Narrator you’ll go to Narrator Home, which gives you one place where you can
open everything you need, whether you want to change your Narrator settings or learn basics with
QuickStart. The links at Narrator Home include QuickStart, Narrator guide (which takes you to this online
user guide), What’s New, Settings, and Feedback. You can also control whether Narrator Home opens
when Narrator starts in Narrator settings or by using the checkbox on Narrator home.

Learn Narrator with QuickStart

The QuickStart lesson will walk you through the basics of using Narrator. There is also a sample webpage
to get you used to using Narrator online. It shows, among other things, how to use headers and
landmarks. When Narrator is turned on, Narrator Home launches and is where you can access
QuickStart at any time.

Start Narrator automatically before or after you sign in to your PC.

1. Press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings.

2. Expand the Show all settings buttons next to the Narrator toggle switch to show additional
options.

3. To start Narrator automatically after you sign in, select the checkbox next to Start Narrator after
sign-in.

4. To start Narrator automatically before sign-in for all users, select the checkbox next to Start
Narrator before sign-in.

Next: Chapter 2: Narrator basics

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 2: Narrator basics

This chapter explains Narrator keyboard navigation. This includes how to get around the screen, find
and open apps, and change what Narrator reads. It also explains the basic details of adjusting Narrator
speech rate, volume, and how to stop speech.

Scan mode gives you even more navigation options. We’ll cover that in Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Tab, arrow, and Enter keys.

In Windows, use the Tab or arrow keys to move around apps and webpages. When you get to something
you want to use, like a link, press Enter. You can also use the Tab, arrow, and Enter keys to move
between and interact with things like checkboxes and buttons.

Narrator key
You can choose what modifier key you want to use in Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock and Insert
keys serve as your Narrator key by default. You can use either of these keys in any command that uses
the Narrator key. The Narrator key is referred to as simply “Narrator” in commands. You can change
your Narrator key in Narrator settings.

Note: If you’re using a Japanese 106 keyboard, Insert and NonConvert are your default Narrator keys.

Explore your keyboard with Input Learning

Input learning tells you what keys you’re pressing on your keyboard, and the Narrator command
associated with them. Turn input learning on or off by pressing Narrator + 1 (the number 1 key).

Common Narrator Commands

Stop Narrator from reading.
Press the Ctrl key to stop Narrator from reading at any time.

Make Narrator speak louder or faster.

To change Narrator volume
§ Press Narrator + Ctrl + the Plus sign (+) or Narrator + Ctrl + Add (numeric keypad) to increase
volume.

§ Press Narrator + Ctrl + the Minus sign (-) or Narrator + Ctrl + Subtract (numeric keypad) to
decrease volume.

To change the rate at which Narrator speaks

§ Press Narrator + the Plus sign (+) or Narrator + the Minus sign (-).

Note: The commands that include the plus sign (+) and the minus sign (-) refer to the physical key and
don’t require Shift as a modifier. Unless explicitly called out, it isn’t necessary to include Shift before the
equal key to make it the plus sign as you would when typing the plus sign. Using the Narrator volume
command above as an example, Narrator + Ctrl + equal (=) is the literal command, not Narrator + Ctrl +
Shift + equal (=).

Switch the Narrator voice.

You can quickly switch between the installed Narrator voices by using the following shortcuts:

§ Press Narrator + Alt + the Plus sign (+) to switch to the next Narrator voice.

§ Press Narrator + Alt + the Minus sign (-) to switch to the previous Narrator voice.

Find out the time, day of the week, and date.

Press Narrator + F12 to find out the time, day of the week, and date at any time.

Windows keyboard shortcuts

Windows and Windows apps have keyboard shortcuts that you can use alongside Narrator commands.
For example, press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu, or, to open quick settings, press
the Windows logo key + A.

For a list of the keyboard shortcuts you can use in Windows, refer to Keyboard shortcuts in Windows.
For a list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows apps, refer to Keyboard shortcuts in apps. For a list of
keyboard shortcuts in other Windows assistive technologies, refer to Windows keyboard shortcuts for
accessibility.
Get around apps and webpages.
Find and open apps.
To quickly find an app in Windows 11, press the Windows logo key on your keyboard to open the Start
menu and place focus in the search box. Then, type the name of the app that you’re looking for, use the
arrow keys to select it in the list of search results, and press the Enter key to open it.

Switch between apps

To switch between open apps on your PC, hold down the Alt key and then press the Tab key. The
narrator will speak the name of open apps as you cycle through them. When you find the app that you
want to use, release both keys.

Anytime you want to know which app or window has focus, press Narrator + T to read the title of the
window that has focus. To read the title and contents of the window that has focus,
press Narrator + W.

Let Narrator grab info from the web.

When connected to the internet, Narrator can give you more context for images, links, and webpages by
sending them to Microsoft.

Note: To turn off these services, go to Manage data and services in Narrator settings.

Hyperlinks
If you would like to know where a hyperlink will take you, press Narrator + Ctrl + D and Narrator can tell
you the page title where the link will take you to. This works well on web and mail applications.

Image descriptions
If you come across an image you’d like described, press Narrator + Ctrl + D. Narrator will send the image
to Microsoft, and then read a description of the image.

Webpage summary
Press Narrator + S to hear a webpage summary that includes the number of links, landmarks, and
headings.

Popular links and full webpage summary

Press Narrator + S twice quickly to pull up a dialog box on the screen with the following info: the
number of links, landmarks, and headings on a page, and a list of popular links for a page (popular links
are the links on the page that get the most clicks).

Microsoft Privacy Statement

Next: Chapter 3: Using scan mode

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

This chapter describes a navigation and reading mode called scan mode. Scan mode lets you navigate
apps, email, and webpages using the arrow keys. You’ll also be able to use common keyboard shortcuts
to read text and jump directly to headings, links, tables, and landmarks.
Scan mode basics
To turn scan mode on and off, press Narrator + Spacebar.

Tip: The Narrator key is a modifier key in the Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock key and the Insert
key serve as your Narrator key by default. For more info on the Narrator key, go to Chapter 2: Narrator
basics or Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

When scan mode is turned on, use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate apps and webpages. Press
Enter or Spacebar to activate an item that you want to use, such as a button in an app, a link in a
webpage, or a text box.

Scan mode turns on automatically when you use Mail, Outlook, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and
Firefox. It also turns on automatically when you open any Windows app where you turned it on before.

If you turn scan mode off for an app, it will remain off for that app until you turn it on again. Scan mode
automatically turns off in edit fields so you can enter text. Press the Up or Down arrow key again to
leave the edit field and resume scan mode.

Scan mode commands

When scan mode is turned on, use the following keys to navigate apps and webpages.

Note: If you are hearing silent stops in scan mode, this may be because Narrator is stopping at a
punctuation mark. To have Narrator tell you about that punctuation, increase your punctuation
verbosity by pressing Narrator + Alt + Left bracket ([) or Narrator + Alt + Right bracket (]).

Press these keys To do this

Narrator + Spacebar Toggle scan mode on or off

Enter Primary action

Spacebar

Shift + Enter Secondary action

Shift + Spacebar

Home Move to and read the first character of a line

End Move to and read the last character of a line

P Read next paragraph

Shift + P Read previous paragraph

Ctrl + Down arrow Read next line

Ctrl + Up arrow Read previous line

Ctrl + Right arrow Read next word

Ctrl + Left arrow Read previous word

Right arrow Read next character

Left arrow Read previous character

Ctrl + Home Move to and read the first line of text

Ctrl + End Move to and read the last line of text

Down arrow Jump to the next text or item

Up arrow Jump to previous text or item

1 Jump to the next heading at level 1

Shift + 1 Jump to previous heading at level 1

2 Jump to the next heading at level 2

Shift + 2 Jump to previous heading at level 2

3 Jump to the next heading at level 3

Shift + 3 Jump to previous heading at level 3

4 Jump to the next heading at level 4

Shift + 4 Jump to previous heading at level 4

5 Jump to the next heading at level 5

Shift + 5 Jump to previous heading at level 5

6 Jump to next heading at level 6

Shift + 6 Jump to previous heading at level 6

7 Jump to next heading at level 7

Shift + 7 Jump to previous heading at level 7

8 Jump to the next heading at level 8

Shift + 8 Jump to previous heading at level 8

9 Jump to the next heading at level 9

Shift + 9 Jump to previous heading at level 9

B Jump to next button

Shift + B Jump to previous button

C Jump to the next combo box

Shift + C Jump to the previous combo box

D Jump to next landmark

 Shift + D Jump to previous landmark

E Jump to the next edit box

Shift + E Jump to previous edit box

F Jump to the next form field

Shift + F Jump to previous form field

G Jump to next graphic or image

Shift + G Jump to previous graphic or image
H Jump to next heading

Shift + H Jump to previous heading

I Jump to next item

Shift + I Jump to previous item

K Jump to next link

Shift + K Jump to previous link

R Jump to the next radio button

Shift + R Jump to the previous radio button

T Jump to next table

Shift + T Jump to previous table

X Jump to next checkbox

Shift + X Jump to previous checkbox

Selecting text in scan mode

Use these commands when you’re copying text from content areas like websites or email.

Press these keys To do this

Shift + Right arrow Select current character

Shift + Left arrow Select previous character

Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow Select current word

Ctrl + Shift + Left arrow Select previous word

Shift + Down arrow Select current line

Shift + Up arrow Select previous line

 Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow Select current paragraph

Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow Select previous paragraph

Shift + Home Select to beginning of line

Shift + End Select to end of line

Ctrl + Shift + Home Select to beginning of document

Ctrl + Shift + End Select to end of document

Shift + Page down Select current page

Shift + Page up Select previous page

F9 Mark the beginning or end of a block of text

F10 Select all text between a mark and the current point

Ctrl + C Copy selection

Ctrl + X Cut selection

Ctrl + V Paste selection

Ctrl + A Select all

Narrator + Shift + Down arrow Read selection

Narrator + Shift + Down arrow twice quickly Spell selection

Next: Chapter 4: Reading text

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 4: Reading text.

This chapter explains a few ways you can start reading text with Narrator. You can also get details on the
formatting of the text you’re reading.

The first and simplest way to read with Narrator is to use the arrow keys to navigate text if you’re
interacting with a document in a word processor, such as Microsoft Word.

You can also use scan mode to read text. To turn on scan mode, press Narrator + Spacebar. Then use
the Up and Down arrow keys to read by paragraph and the Left and Right arrow keys to read by
character. To learn more about scan mode, go to Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Tip: The Narrator key is a modifier key in the Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock key and the Insert
key serve as your Narrator key by default. For more info on the Narrator key, go to Chapter 2: Narrator
basics or Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.
When you want more control over what text you read, the Narrator provides a series of text-reading
commands to help navigate and read text. Below are some basics to getting you started. To view all
reading commands, go to Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

§ To stop reading, press Ctrl.

§ To read the window title, press Narrator + T.

§ To read a window, press Narrator + W.

Tip: When reading a web page or an email, Narrator commands will apply to the content of the page or
email and not to the browser or application. To navigate out of the content, just press the Tab key or
use an application shortcut.

Read certain amounts of text.

Narrator provides ways to read text by page, paragraph, line, sentence, word, and character.

Read text from the current location.

§ To read the current item, press Narrator + Tab.

§ To read from where focus or your cursor is, press Narrator + R.

§ To start reading a document from the beginning, press Narrator + Ctrl + R or Narrator + Down
arrow key.

§ To read text from the beginning to where your cursor is,

press Narrator + Shift + J or Narrator + Alt + Home.

Read text line by line.

§ To read the current line, press Narrator + I or Narrator + Up arrow key.

§ To read the next line, Narrator + O.

§ To read the previous line, Narrator + U.

Read text by sentence.

§ To read the next sentence, press Narrator + Ctrl + Period (.).

§ To read the current sentence, press Narrator + Ctrl + Comma (,).

§ To read the previous sentence, press Narrator + Ctrl + M.

Read text by word.

§ To read the current word, press Narrator + K or Narrator + Ctrl + 5 (numeric keypad). When you
press either command twice in a row, the Narrator will spell the word.

§ To read the next word, press Narrator + L or Narrator + Ctrl + Right arrow key.

§ To read the previous word, press Narrator + J or Narrator + Ctrl + Left arrow key.

Read text by character.

§ To read the current character, press Narrator + Comma (,). When you press the command twice
in a row, Narrator will read the character phonetically.
 § To read the next character, press Narrator + Period (.).

§ To read the previous character, press Narrator + M.

Read text by page.

§ To read the current page, press Narrator + Ctrl + I.

§ To read the next page, press Narrator + Ctrl + O.

§ To read the previous page, press Narrator + Ctrl + U.

Read text by paragraph.

§ To read the current paragraph, press Narrator + Ctrl + K.

§ To read the next paragraph, press Narrator + Ctrl + L.

§ To read the previous paragraph, press Narrator + Ctrl + J.

Get more details about the text.

Narrator provides different levels of detail about controls and the characteristics of text, known as
verbosity. To change the level of verbosity, press Narrator + V or Narrator + Shift + V until you hear the
level of detail that you want.

§ Verbosity level 1: Text only

This level lets you read quickly without hearing details about text that you don’t need to know.
For example, Narrator doesn’t announce links, doesn’t describe text formatting, and lets you
work very quickly with an application that you know well. This level provides an ideal experience
as you read text-heavy articles, books, and web sites.

§ Verbosity level 2: Some control details

This level provides more information than level 1 does as you interact with an application. It’s
best if you’re familiar with an application and only need guidance with some controls.

§ Verbosity level 3: All control details

This is the default level for Narrator. It provides a full reading experience along with all details
about an application’s controls as you interact with them.

§ Verbosity level 4: Some text details

This level provides most attributes and information about text. It’s best in situations when
you’re writing text, such as when you create a document.

§ Verbosity level 5: All text details

This level gives you complete details about text, such as heading level, font type, size,
formatting, bullet shape, list type, and more. It’s especially useful when you proofread or edit a
document.

Get details on formatting.

Narrator provides details about formatting, such as font name, font size, and text alignment. To hear
formatting attributes, press Narrator + F. To hear the next group of formatting attributes,
press Narrator + F again. To hear the previous group of formatting attributes, press Narrator + Shift + F.
Formatting information is separated into the following groups:

§ Font information. Font name, weight, size, italic, underline, underline color, strikethrough,
background color, foreground color.

§ Advanced font information. Hyperlink, style, bullet style, subscript, superscript, capitalization
style, outline style, overline color, language.

§ Object color and outline information. Fill type (none, color, gradient, picture, or pattern), fill
color, outline color, outline thickness.

§ Paragraph spacing Information. Line spacing, before paragraph spacing, after paragraph
spacing.

§ Page margin information. Top margin, bottom margin, leading margin, trailing margin.

§ Alignment information. Horizontal text alignment, text flow direction, indentation first line,
indentation leading, indentation trailing.

§ Visual effects information. Animation style, visual effects (reflection, glow, soft edges, and
bevel).

§ Object layout information. Center point, size, rotation.

§ Annotation information. Annotations such as spelling and grammar suggestions and comments.

Hear punctuation.
Narrator gives you control over how much punctuation you hear when reading text. To change how
punctuation is read out, press:

§ Narrator + Alt + Left bracket ([)

§ Narrator + Alt + Right bracket (])

You can select from the following levels of description:

§ Default. Hear little to no punctuation. Natural pauses will indicate items such as commas and
periods.

§ Math. Hear most mathematical symbols.

§ Some. Hear most conversational punctuation, such as commas and periods.

§ Most. Hear additional symbols, such as parentheses.

§ All. Hear all punctuation, including all special symbols.

Hear capital letters and words.

By default, Narrator reads capital letters the same as lowercase ones. This means "Word," "WORD," and
"word" all sound the same (even though different letters are capitalized in each).

If you’d like to hear when a letter is capitalized, the Narrator can say "cap" before it, or read the word or
letter in a higher pitch (unless a natural voice is used). To change how Narrator handles capitalization, in
Narrator settings, go to section Verbosity and modify the Change how capitalized text is
read setting. Press Narrator + 4 to cycle between the capitalization reading mode options.

Read text in other languages.

When reading text in a different language, Narrator will automatically select the text-to-speech (TTS)
voice for that language if it's installed. To learn more about installing additional TTS voices, go
to Appendix A: Supported languages and voices.

If the TTS voice for a language isn’t installed, Narrator will state the name of the language and read the
text using the default TTS voice.

Next: Chapter 5: Navigation

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 5: Navigation
Narrator’s views
The different views in Narrator include items, characters, words, sentences, lines, paragraphs, headings,
links, form fields, tables, landmarks, and suggestions. To change views, you can use the following
commands:

§ Narrator + Page up and Narrator + Page down

§ Narrator + Ctrl + Up arrow key and Narrator + Ctrl + Down arrow key

To navigate by the view that you’ve selected, press Narrator + Left arrow key or Narrator + Right arrow
key.

Tip: The Narrator key is a modifier key in the Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock key and the Insert
key serve as your Narrator key by default. For more info on the Narrator key, go to Chapter 2: Narrator
basics or Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Tip: Views are especially useful when you’re navigating by touch. Learn more about using touch with
Narrator in Chapter 6: Using Narrator with touch.

Navigate landmarks.
Landmarks group similar elements on your screen so you easily navigate them. Some webpages and
apps, like Microsoft Store in Windows 11, have landmarks. Some Windows features like the Start menu
also have landmarks.

To move to the main landmark, press Narrator + N. To get a list of landmarks for a page or app,
press Narrator + F5. For more ways to work with landmarks, go to Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Navigate suggestions.
Suggestions are available when you enter information in a text box in some apps and parts of Windows
11. For example, when you enter text in the search box after pressing the Windows logo key,
suggestions are provided as you type.
When a suggestion is available, the Narrator indicates it by playing a sound and voice message. A
Narrator view is available to navigate suggestions, but generally, you’ll also be able to press
the Up and Down arrow keys to move through suggestions and Enter to select one.

Use Narrator Find

Use Narrator Find what you need on the web, in applications, and in documents. To open Narrator Find
and search for a word or phrase, press Narrator + Ctrl + F. Then, to go to the first result (starting from
your cursor position), select Find next or press Enter. The narrator will focus on the result and not on
the search dialog. Then press Narrator + F3 to go to the next result or Narrator + Shift + F3 to go to the
previous result.

Note: Turn on the alternate command key (Fn or F Lock) before you press the function keys (F6 or F7) in
the following sections. To find out more about the alternate command keys, read How do I use the Fn
key/F Lock key/Alternate command keys?

Navigate links on a page.

If you'd like to explore a list of all the links on a page, press Narrator + F7. To navigate the list, press
the Up or Down arrow key, and press Enter to go to that link's location on the page. When you already
know part of the link you want, you can type some text to filter this list. Then, to follow the link,
press Enter.

Navigate headings on a page.

If you’d like to explore a list of all the headings on a page, press Narrator + F6. To navigate the list, press
the Up or Down arrow key, and press Enter to go to that heading’s location on the page.

Navigate landmarks on a page.

If you’d like to explore a list of all the landmarks on a page, press Narrator + F5. To navigate the list,
press the Up or Down arrow key, and press Enter to go to that landmark’s location on the page.

Web reading improvements.

No more unhelpful hyperlinks
The narrator will give you the title of the webpage for a link. Press Narrator + Ctrl + D, and Narrator will
take the URL of the hyperlink you are on and send it to an online service that will provide the page title
to Narrator. If you would like to disable all online services used by Narrator, you can turn this off in
Narrator settings.

Get a quick summary of a webpage.

Hear a webpage summary that includes the number of links, landmarks, and headings by
pressing Narrator + S.

Popular links and full webpage summary

Press Narrator + S twice quickly to pull up a dialog box on the screen with the following info: the
number of links, landmarks, and headings on a page, and a list of popular links for a page (popular links
are the links on the page that get the most clicks). If a page has popular links, you can press the Tab key
to navigate through them, and press Enter to go to the linked webpage.
Webpages are read automatically.
The narrator automatically starts reading webpages starting from the top.

Next: Chapter 6: Using Narrator with touch

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 6: Using Narrator with touch.

This chapter provides details about how to use Narrator with touch on supported desktop Windows PCs
and describes some basic Windows touch gestures.

Touch gestures
You can use gestures to interact with Narrator and your device.

To explore and hear items on a screen, drag one finger around the screen. When you hear an item that
you want to use, double tap the screen with one finger to activate it. To move through items on the
screen, flick left and right with one finger.

If you want to move by characters, words, lines, or links, flick up or down to change the Narrator view.
For example, to hear an item spelled out, flick up until you hear Narrator say "characters." Then flick left
and right to move through that item a letter at a time.

The following are important gestures to help you get started:

§ To dismiss context menus (imitating the Escape key), triple tap with 2 fingers.

§ To change Narrator views, flick up and down with one finger.

§ To scroll, flick up, down, left or right with two fingers.

§ To show context menus, double tap with two fingers.

§ To change verbosity, tap once with three fingers.

§ To read continuously from the current position, swipe down with three fingers.

§ To tab forward or backward, flick left or right with three fingers.

§ To show the Narrator command list, triple tap with four fingers.

§ To open the Action Center, swipe in from the right side of the screen.

§ To open Task View to switch between apps and multiple desktops, swipe in from the left side of
the screen.

For a complete list of touch gestures, refer to Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch
gestures.
Typing by touch
When in an editing area, such as a text box, a touch keyboard will appear in the lower part of the screen
and the Narrator will play a sound to indicate that a keyboard has appeared. To enter text, double tap
the characters you want to enter.

To enter text more quickly, select the Start button, then select Settings, select Accessibility, and then
select Narrator. Then, select the check box next to On touch keyboards, activate keys when I lift my
finger to enter characters as soon as you lift your finger off the character.

Next: Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator

This chapter outlines how to customize Narrator, so it works best for you. This includes changing what
voice and characteristics of the voice you prefer. Narrator also provides natural sounding voices that can
be installed for use with Narrator. To learn more about the languages that Narrator supports for our
voices, go to Appendix A: Supported languages and voices. In addition, you can adjust how Narrator
starts, how much feedback you hear when typing, whether the audio from other apps is decreased
when Narrator is running and changing Narrator commands to keyboard shortcuts of your choice. This
chapter also provides details about how to use third-party text-to-speech (TTS) software to add more
voices to Narrator.

You can find most of these options in your Narrator settings by pressing Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.

Use Narrator settings.

§ Narrator: Turn this On to activate Narrator. You can modify additional settings that control
Narrator startup by expanding the Show all settings button (drop-down arrow) next to
the Narrator on/off switch. Press the Tab key to go to this button and then press Spacebar, or
click the button with the mouse, and then modify the following:

§ Start Narrator before sign-in: Narrator will run on your PC before anyone signs in.

§ Start Narrator after sign-in: Narrator will start automatically when you sign into your
PC.

§ Keyboard shortcut for Narrator: Turn this On to start and stop Narrator using the Windows
logo key + Ctrl + Enter on a keyboard, or the Windows button + Volume up button on a touch
device.

§ Narrator Home: Narrator Home resides in your system tray and offers useful shortcuts to
Narrator features. Expand the Show all settings button to show the following additional
settings:

§ Open Narrator Home: Narrator Home resides in your system tray and offers useful
shortcuts to Narrator features.

§ Show Narrator Home when Narrator starts: Controls whether Narrator Home starts
after Narrator is launched. If you do not select this, Narrator Home does not
 launch when Narrator has started. You can open Narrator Home with the Open Narrator
Home button in settings.

§ Complete guide to Narrator: Links to an online version of this guide.

Narrator's voice settings

§ Choose a voice: Choose from different available Narrator voices in your language. The narrator
voices average a maximum of approximately 400 words per minute. However, the English voices
Microsoft David, Microsoft Zira, and Microsoft Mark offer a rate of approximately 800 words per
minute.

§ With Narrator, you can control many characteristics for the voice you have selected. After you
have selected a voice, expand the Show all settings button to change the following settings:

§ Speed: Control the speed at which Narrator speaks.

§ Pitch: Adjust the pitch of Narrator’s voice.

§ Volume: Adjust the volume at which Narrator speaks.

§ Add natural voices: Narrator provides three US English natural sounding voices: two female
voices, Jenny and Aria, and one male voice, Guy. To install a natural voice, select
the Add button, select the voice you want to install, and then click Preview to hear a preview of
the voice or Install to start downloading.

§ Add legacy voices: Takes you to Time & language > Speech so you can install voices in different
languages. Narrator can be used with SAPI 5-based speech synthesizers. Once installed, voices
will appear in the list of voices for you to choose. Third-party providers include Harpo
Software, CereProc, NextUp, Eloquence, and Vocalizer Expressive. Learn more about adding
voices in Appendix A: Supported languages and voices.

Note: The options above are provided for informational purposes only. Microsoft does not endorse
any third-party software, nor can it offer any support for their installation and use. For help with any of
these products, please contact the original manufacturer.

§ Lower the volume of other apps when Narrator is speaking: The audio volume from other apps
is lowered so you can hear Narrator better.

§ Narrator audio output device: Narrator lets you choose your default audio output device. If you
have multiple sound cards, you can select the device that Narrator’s voices will be diverted to.
You can use this in situations where you wish to present to an audience and don’t want the
Narrator’s speech to be heard from your computer.

Verbosity settings
§ Verbosity level: Select how descriptive Narrator is about what it is reading. Options include: 1 -
Text only, 2 - Some control details, 3 - All control details, 4 - Some text details, and 5 - All text
details. Expand the Show all settings button to show additional verbosity options:

§ Emphasize formatted text: Narrator’s voice will put more emphasis on formatted text.
This feature is not available when using a natural voice.
 § Read phonetically when reading by character: For example, Narrator will read the
letter A as “alpha.”

§ Pause slightly when reading punctuation (This feature is not available when using a
natural voice.)

§ Read advanced details, like help with text, on buttons and other controls.

§ Change how capitalized text is read: Options include: Don’t announce, increase pitch,
and Say cap. The Increase pitch option is not supported when using a natural voice.

§ Context level for buttons and controls: Options include: No context, Immediate
context, Immediate context name and type, Full context of new control, and Full context of
old and new controls. Expand the Show all settings button to show additional options:

§ Read hints on how to interact with buttons and other controls.

§ Tell me why actions can’t be performed.

§ Play sounds instead of announcements for common actions: Common actions include
actions like turning scan mode on and off or landing on a link.

§ Tell me details about buttons and other controls. Options include After-
controls or Before controls.

§ Have Narrator announce when I type: Expand the Show all settings button to select which items
you want Narrator to announce:

§ Letters, numbers, and punctuation

§ Words

§ Function keys

§ Arrow, Tab, and other navigation keys

§ Toggle keys, like Caps lock and Num lock

§ Shift, Alt, and other modifier keys

Mouse and keyboard settings

§ Narrator key: You can choose if you want to use Caps lock, Insert, or both keys in Narrator
commands. Both the Caps lock and Insert keys serve as your Narrator key by default. You can
use either of these keys in any command that uses the Narrator key. Expand the Show all
settings button to set:

§ Lock the Narrator key so I don’t have to press it for each command. When you press
one of the keys, it will remain in a “pressed” state until you press it again to turn it off.
You can also lock the Narrator key by pressing Narrator + Z. This functionality can be
disorientating if you aren’t used to it, so use caution if you choose to use it.
 § On touch keyboards, activate keys when I lift my finger: Characters are entered as soon as you
lift your finger off the touch keyboard.

§ Read and interact with the screen using the mouse: When this is turned on, Narrator reads
what is under the mouse cursor. Use the numeric keypad to move the mouse.

§ Keyboard layout: Narrator’s Standard layout is more like the keyboard layouts you may have
experienced in other screen readers. If you want to use Narrator’s original keyboard layout,
choose the Legacy keyboard. Learn the commands for each keyboard in Appendix B: Narrator
keyboard layouts and touch gestures. Expand the Show all settings button for more options:

§ More about Narrator keyboard layouts: Provides more information about Narrator
keyboard commands.

§ Create a custom keyboard layout: Opens a dialogue where you can assign custom
commands for Narrator functions. Here’s how to use this:

i. Choose the command to customize.

ii. Select Change command keyboard shortcut.

iii. In the keyboard shortcut window, type the keyboard shortcut you want to use
on your keyboard. Use any combination of modifier keys (Control, Shift, Alt,
Caps lock, or the Windows logo key) together with a non-modifier key. Use
function and numeric keypad keys without any modifiers.

iv. Select Restore all defaults to return all commands back to their default settings.
To find this setting, press Alt + Tab after Narrator launches, select the Narrator
Settings window, and choose Commands.

Narrator cursor settings

§ Show the Narrator cursor: When this is turned On, the Narrator cursor is highlighted with a blue
focus box.

§ Move my text cursor with the Narrator cursor as Narrator reads text: When this is turned On,
Narrator will move the text insertion point when navigating by views such as characters and
words.

§ Sync the Narrator cursor and system focus: When this is turned On, the Narrator cursor and the
system cursor will be synchronized when possible.

§ Navigation mode: Two modes are available: Normal and Advanced. Normal mode is
recommended and allows Narrator to move between various items such as links, tables, and
other elements. Advanced mode lets you use the four arrow keys to move the Narrator cursor
through a programmatic representation of an application.

Braille settings
To use a braille display, select the "More" button next to Use a braille display with Narrator, and then
select the Download and install braille button. For more information, go to Chapter 8: Using Narrator
with Braille, and for a full list of supported displays, go to Appendix C: Supported braille displays.
Extensions
Narrator now supports the use of extensions to improve the productivity and efficiency of Narrator with
applications. Outlook and Excel are the current extensions that are supported.

Enabling and Disabling Extensions

To activate or disable all extensions, use the activate Narrator extensions option. Extensions are by
default enabled. If you disable Narrator extensions, no extensions will run when Narrator or application
is launched. In addition, when Narrator starts up, we won't check for extensions if extensions are
disabled.

Downloading Extensions on Narrator Startup

To enable or disable Narrator's ability to download extensions when it starts, use Find and download
new extensions on Narrator starting checkbox. This function is turned on by default. For this feature to
function as intended, narrator extensions must also be enabled.

Checking Extension Download Status

You can find out when Narrator attempted to download an extension by visiting the Microsoft store.
Read the text that is below the checkbox while Scan Mode is active. Its label, Last Updated, displays the
time and date of the most recent successful extension store download.

Manage data and services settings.

§ Sync my Narrator settings on this device: Select the Sync settings button if you want anyone
who uses your PC to use your Narrator settings. This is recommended if you use a serial braille
display.

§ Get image descriptions, page titles, and popular links. For more information about this service,
go to "Let Narrator grab info from the web” in Chapter 2.

§ Automatically send diagnostic and performance data: Turn this On to send diagnostic and
performance data as you use Narrator. To give feedback on Narrator, press Narrator + Alt + F.

§ Privacy Statement: Understand how Microsoft uses your Narrator data and for what purposes.

Next: Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille

Go back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.

This chapter provides information about how to use a braille display with Narrator. It includes info about
how to install braille on your PC, navigate your PC, and read text.

The narrator supports braille displays from several manufacturers. To learn more about which braille
displays are supported, including specific key commands for each display, refer to Appendix C:
Supported braille displays.

Note: As part of the Windows 11, version 22H2 release, we have added support for more braille displays
and additional support for the use of your braille display with Narrator and with third-party screen
readers. If you do not find these newly supported braille displays after upgrading the braille support,
refer to February 28, 2023—KB5022913 (OS Build 22621.1343) Preview, which explains the delivery
mechanism for these features.

Install braille for Narrator.

Narrator works with braille displays that use a USB or serial port. Bluetooth support is not available
when using your braille display with Narrator. Review the braille installation sections below fully before
proceeding.

Prerequisites: Upgrade Narrator’s braille support

If braille has been installed for use with Narrator in the past on your device, follow these steps to
remove the older braille support.

1. To open Settings, press Windows logo key + I.

2. Select Apps, and then go to Optional features > Installed features.

3. Search for Accessibility – Braille support.

4. Expand Accessibility – Braille support, and then uninstall the feature.

Install Narrator’s braille support.

1. To open Narrator settings, press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.

2. Select the Use a braille display with Narrator button to open Narrator’s braille page.

3. Select the Download and install the Braille button to proceed with the installation. It might take
some time to download braille.

4. When the download is complete, you will be prompted to restart your system. Restart, log back
into your device, and then return to Narrator settings.

Note: This is a requirement for braille to function on your device.

5. In the Braille section of Narrator settings, turn on the Turn on braille switch.

6. Add your braille display. Select Add a braille display and then choose your braille display
manufacturer and connection type (USB or serial port).

7. If you are not using a third-party screen reader, the installation of Narrator’s braille support is
now complete. If you are using a third-party screen reader with your braille display, such
as JAWS for Windows or NVDA, proceed to the next section to finalize your installation of braille
with Narrator.

Using your braille display with other screen readers

Note: If you have JAWS for Windows version 2022, check which 2022 build you have. If you have the
April Update (JAWS 2022.2204.20) or later, including JAWS 2023, you can skip this procedure.

If you already use your braille display with another screen reader, you might need to change the driver
Windows uses to communicate with your display.

1. Go to Narrator settings, select the Use a braille display with Narrator button, and then select an
option under Braille display driver.
 2. Select the braille display driver used by your third-party screen reader so that you can
seamlessly switch between Narrator and your third-party screen reader with your braille display.

Note: You only need to change your driver if a different driver is installed for your braille display. If
you’re not sure, contact your braille display manufacturer.

Uninstalling braille
To remove Narrator braille from your PC:

1. To open Settings, press Windows logo key + I.

2. Select Apps, and then go to Optional features > Installed features.

3. Search for Accessibility – Braille support.

4. Expand Accessibility – Braille support, and then uninstall the feature.

5. After braille support is removed, restart the device.

Change braille settings.

Manage your braille preferences in Narrator settings.

1. In the Braille section of Narrator settings, select the Use a braille display with Narrator button
to open the braille settings.

2. To turn on braille support, select the Turn on braille switch.

3. Choose from the following options to configure your braille display:

§ Use the "Show all settings" button on the right side of the Add a braille display button
to check what braille displays and drivers are in use on your system.

§ Language for input and output

§ Table type for input and output (grade 1, grade 2, or 8 dot computer braille)

§ Notification timeout

§ How the cursor is displayed and if you want the cursor to blink on your braille display

Using braille at the login screen

If you want to use a serial braille display before you log in, to ensure that the Narrator is aware of your
braille display, do the following:

1. To open Narrator settings, press Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.

2. Go to the Manage data and services section of Narrator settings and select the Sync
Settings button.

This will promote Narrator settings for speech and braille so that these settings can be used before
logging into your system.
Core Narrator commands
Most braille displays can perform 12 Narrator commands to navigate and interact with apps. And
supported displays with a braille keyboard can be used for entering text or performing familiar single-
letter scan mode commands. These 12 core commands are listed in the table below.

Note: To quickly dismiss a flash message or notification using a braille display, pan the length of the
message. And if you’d like to change the amount of time a notification or flash message is displayed, you
can do that in Settings.

Tip: The Narrator key is a modifier key in the Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock key and the Insert
key serve as your Narrator key by default. For more info on the Narrator key, go to Chapter 2: Narrator
basics or Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Narrator Keyboard Description

command equivalent

Primary Narrator + Enter Often described as “click.”

action

Secondary Shift + Enter in Often “select” or “expand” depending on the control.

action scan mode

Display Shift + F10 or the Shows a menu of additional actions.

context menu Windows Menu
key

Pan braille N/A Displays the next set of characters from the current line. At
right end, performs Braille next.

Pan braille N/A Displays the previous set of characters from the current line. At
left beginning, performs Braille previous.

Braille Next* Narrator + Right Displays the next item in the current navigation mode.

Braille Narrator + Left Displays the previous item in the current navigation mode.
Previous*

Braille home* Home in scan Go to beginning of line.

mode

Braille end* End in scan mode Go to the end of line.

Braille first* Ctrl + Home in scan Go to first line.

mode

Braille last* Ctrl + End in scan Go to the last line.

mode
 Select Narrator + Page Perform this command, then use braille next/previous to
navigation Up/Page Down choose a new navigation mode and perform primary action to
mode select the new mode.

Note that braille next, previous, home, end, first, and last all change with the current navigation mode.
For example, with a navigation mode of paragraph:

§ Next/previous will navigate to the next/previous paragraph.

§ Home/end will navigate to the beginning/end of the current paragraph.

§ First/last will navigate to the first/last paragraph.

You can find the mapping for a specific braille display in Appendix C: Supported braille displays.

Braille keyboard commands

If your braille display has a braille keyboard, you can use it to enter text or do the following commands.
The command to toggle the keyboard is Space + Dots 1-3.

Use the following commands for keyboard input.

Braille dots Narrator command

1-2-3-4 or 1-2-3-4-7 Go to the next or previous paragraph

1-2-5 or 1-2-5-7 Go to the next or previous heading

2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-7 Go to the next or previous table

1-3 or 1-3-7 Go to the next or previous link

2-4 or 2-4-7 Go to the next or previous item

1-4-5 or 1-4-5-7 Go to the next or previous landmark

1-2-4 or 1-2-4-7 Go to the next or previous form field

1-2 or 1-2-7 Go to the next or previous button

1-4 or 1-4-7 Go to the next or previous combo box

1-5 or 1-5-7 Go to the next or previous edit field

1-2-3-5 or 1-2-3-5-7 Go to the next or previous radio button

1-3-4-6 or 1-3-4-6-7 Go to the next or previous checkbox

1-6 or 1-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 1

1-2-6 or 1-2-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 2

1-4-6 or 1-4-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 3

1-4-5-6 or 1-4-5-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 4

 1-5-6 or 1-5-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 5

1-2-4-6 or 1-2-4-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 6

1-2-4-5-6 or 1-2-4-5-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 7

1-2-5-6 or 1-2-5-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 8

2-4-6 or 2-4-6-7 Go to the next or previous heading level 9

Space + 1-2-3 Turn on input learning, press twice to turn off

2-3-4 or 2-3-4-7 Read by sentence

Use the following commands for keyboard input.

Braille dots Keyboard input

Space + 4-5 Tab key

Space + 1-2 Shift + Tab key

Space + 2-3-4-5 Alt + Tab key

Space + 2-4-5-6 Windows logo key

Space + 1-2-3-5 Windows logo key + Tab key

Space + Routing Key 1 through 12 F1 through F12 keys

7 Backspace key

8 Enter key

Space + 2-6 Escape key

Space + 3 Cursor left key

Space + 6 Cursor right key

Space + 1 Cursor up key

Space + 4 Cursor down key

Space + 2-3 Page up key

Space + 5-6 Page down key

Space + 2 Home key

Space + 5 End key

Space + 3-5 Insert key

 Space + 2-5-6 Delete key

The following commands allow you to enter and hold a modifier key followed by another letter or key.

Braille dots Keyboard input

Space + 1-8 Hold Windows logo key

Space + 2-8 Hold Alt key

Space + 3-8 Hold Ctrl key

Space + 4-8 Hold Shift key

Space + 5-8 Hold AltGr key

Space + 6-8 Hold Narrator key

Space + 7-8 Release all modifier keys

Using touch cursors on your braille display

If your braille display has touch cursors, you can use them to do certain actions.

Working with interactive elements

When the displayed content is an interactive element, tap any touch cursor above that content to do its
primary action. Tap two adjacent touch cursors above the content to do its secondary action if one is
available.

When the displayed content isn’t text, tap two nonadjacent touch cursors above the content to display a
context menu if one is available.

Editing text
Use the following touch cursor commands when editing text:

§ To move the text insertion, point to a specific character, tap the touch cursor above the
corresponding cell. You can also tap the touch cursor above a cell representing a character or its
preceding modifier (such as a capital or a number). The caret representation will be on the cell
after the modifier.

§ To move the text insertion, point to the last character on the display, tap the touch cursor above
a blank cell at the end of the display.

§ To do a secondary action, tap on two adjacent touch cursors on a corresponding character.

§ To show a context menu, tap two nonadjacent touch cursors above the character closest to the
center of the two nonadjacent touch cursors.
Note: Some displays don’t support simultaneous pressing of two touch cursors. Therefore, there are
additional commands for each display. To learn more about specific key commands for each display,
refer to Appendix C: Supported braille displays.

Next: Appendix A: Supported languages and voices

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix A: Supported languages and voices

The following table explains what languages and text-to-speech (TTS) voices are available in the latest
version of Windows.

Note: Narrator provides male and female natural voices for few commonly spoken languages and
accents, refer to section Natural voices.

Language, country, or region Male TTS voice Female TTS voice

Arabic Not applicable Hoda

Arabic (Saudi Arabia) Naayf Not applicable

Bulgarian Ivan Not applicable

Catalan Not applicable Herena

Chinese (Simplified) Kangkang Huihui, Yaoyao

Cantonese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR) Danny Tracy

Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) Zhiwei Yating, Hanhan

Croatian Matej Not applicable

Czech (Czech Republic) Jakub Not applicable

Danish Not applicable Helle

Dutch Frank Not applicable

English (Australia) James Catherine

English (Canada) Richard Linda

English (Great Britain) George Hazel, Susan

English (India) Ravi Heera

English (Ireland) Sean Not applicable

English (United States) David, Mark Zira

Finnish Not applicable Heidi

Flemish (Belgian Dutch) Bart Not applicable

French (Canada) Claude Caroline

French (France) Paul Hortence, Julie

French (Switzerland) Guillaume Not applicable

German (Austria) Michael Not applicable

German (Germany) Stefan Hedda, Katja

German (Switzerland) Karsten Not applicable

Greek Stefanos Not applicable

Hebrew Asaf Not applicable

Hindi (India) Hemant Kalpana

Hungarian (Hungary) Szabolcs Not applicable

Indonesian (Indonesia) Andika Not applicable

Italian Cosimo Elsa

Japanese Ichiro Ayumi, Haruka

Malay Rizwan Not applicable

Norwegian Jon Not applicable

Polish (Poland) Adam Paulina

Portuguese (Brazil) Daniel Maria

Portuguese (Portugal) Not applicable Helia

Romanian (Romania) Andrei Not applicable

Russian (Russia) Pavel Irina

Slovak (Slovakia) Filip Not applicable

Slovenian Lado Not applicable

Korean Not applicable Heami

Spanish (Spain) Pablo Helena, Laura

Spanish (Mexico) Raul Sabina

Swedish Bengt Not applicable

 Tamil Valluvar Not applicable

Thai (Thailand) Pattara Not applicable

Turkish Tolga Not applicable

Vietnamese An Not applicable

Add a TTS voice to your PC.

To use one of these voices, add it to your PC:

1. Open Narrator settings by pressing the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.

2. Under Narrator’s voice, select Add legacy voices. This will take you to the Speech settings page.

3. Under Manage voices, select Add voices.

4. Select the language you would like to install voices for and select Add. The new voices will be
downloaded and ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your internet download speed.

5. Once the voices for the new languages are downloaded, go to Narrator settings, and select your
preferred voice from the dropdown menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Natural voices
Narrator now supports natural male and female voices for few commonly spoken languages and
accents. The following table lists the available languages/accents along with the names of male and
female TTS voices.

Language, country, or region Male TTS voice Female TTS voice

English (United States) Guy Jenny, Aria
Chinese Yunxi Xiaoxiao
Spanish (Spain) Alvaro Elvira
Spanish (Mexico) Jorge Dalia
Japanese Keita Nanami
English (United Kingdom) Ryan Sonia
French Henri Denise
Portuguese Antonio Francisca
English (India) Prabhat Neerja
German Conrad Katja
Korean Injoon SunHi
Install Natural Voices
The narrator will announce that more natural voices are available when you open Narrator. To add the
new voice:

1. Select Install now on the announcement window to go to Narrator Settings.

Note: If you have dismissed the dialog, use the hotkey CTRL + Windows + N to access the
Narrator settings. Next, you should proceed to the Choose a Voice combo box and then click the
 button that says "Show All Settings" just below the combo box. The Add button, which is
displayed after the speed, pitch, and volume options for the presently selected voice, can be
activated from here. If you have started the installation from the Narrator starting window, this
button will be highlighted.

2. Select the Add button under the Add natural voices section.

3. Select the voice you want to install. All voices can be installed, but they must each be installed
independently. You will automatically see the voices for your current display language.

4. Select the Choose a language link and click it if you want to discover what other languages are
supported. At this point, you can choose whatever language you like from a selection that is
displayed on the screen. After choosing a language, click the Next button to view the voices that
are compatible with that language.

5. The preview will play automatically once you navigate through the list.

Note: The previews for natural voices of 10 new locales can be previewed.

6. Select Install to begin downloading the chosen voice. Depending on your internet connection
speed, the new voice will be downloaded and be available for use in a few minutes.

7. After downloading the new voice, navigate to Narrator settings and select your preferred voice
from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.

Note: If you encounter into any issues during the Narrator Natural Voices setup process, see
Appendix G: Troubleshooting Narrator Natural Voices setup issues.

Next: Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures

This appendix lists the keyboard commands and touch gestures available in the latest version of
Windows.

To view a list of all other keyboard shortcuts in Windows, see Keyboard shortcuts in Windows. To view a
list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows apps, see Keyboard shortcuts in apps.

Narrator key
You can choose what modifier key you want to use in Narrator commands. Both the Caps lock and Insert
keys serve as your Narrator key by default. You can use either of these keys in any command that uses
the Narrator key. The Narrator key is referred to as simply “Narrator” in commands. You can change
your Narrator key in Narrator settings.

Note: If you’re using a Japanese 106 keyboard, Insert and NonConvert are your default Narrator keys.
Narrator keyboard commands
Narrator has two possible keyboard layouts: Standard and Legacy. Commands for each are listed
below. For the scan mode commands, go to Chapter 3: Using scan mode.

Note: The commands that include the plus sign (+) and the minus sign (-) refer to the physical key and
don’t require Shift as a modifier. Unless explicitly called out, it isn’t necessary to include Shift before the
equal key to make it the plus sign as you would when typing the plus sign. Using the Narrator volume
command above as an example, Narrator + Ctrl + equal (=) is the literal command, not Narrator + Ctrl +
Shift + equal (=).

Standard keyboard layout

General commands
Press these keys To do this

Windows logo key + Ctrl + Start or stop Narrator

Enter

Narrator + Esc Exit Narrator

Narrator + 1 Toggle input learning

Narrator + Right arrow Move to next item

Narrator + Left arrow Move to previous item

Narrator + Page up Change view

Ctrl + Narrator + Up arrow
Narrator + Page down
Ctrl + Narrator + Down arrow

Narrator + F1 Show commands list

Narrator + F2 Show commands for current item

Narrator + Enter Do primary action

Narrator + Ctrl + Enter Toggle search mode

Narrator + F12 Read current time and date

Narrator + Ctrl + D Describe image using an online service or get the webpage source of
a link

Narrator + S Get a webpage summary

Narrator + S twice quickly Get webpage summary and popular links dialog box

Narrator + Alt + F Provide Narrator feedback

 Narrator + Z Lock Narrator key

Narrator + Ctrl + F12 Toggle developer mode

Narrator + 3 Pass keys to application

Narrator + 4 Change capitalization reading mode

Narrator + Alt + M Toggle mouse mode

Narrator + H Turn on or off Outlook column header reading

Adjust speech.
Press these keys To do this

Ctrl + Narrator + the Plus sign (+) Increase voice volume

Ctrl + Narrator + Add (numeric keypad)

Ctrl + Narrator + the Minus sign (-) Decrease voice volume

Ctrl + Narrator + Subtract (numeric keypad)

Narrator + the Plus sign (+) Increase voice speed

Narrator + the Minus sign (-) Decrease voice speed

Narrator + Alt + the Plus sign (+) Move to the next voice
Narrator + Alt + Add (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Alt + the Minus sign (-) Move to the previous voice
Narrator + Alt + Subtract (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Alt + Left bracket ([) Change to the prior punctuation reading mode

Narrator + Alt + Right bracket (]) Change to the next punctuation reading mode

Narrator + V Increase verbosity mode

Shift + Narrator + V Decrease verbosity mode

Narrator + 2 Toggle character reading

Narrator + Forward slash (/) Read context

Narrator + Alt + Forward slash (/) Set read context verbosity

Narrator + Ctrl + Forward slash (/) Change reading context order

Read and work with text.

Press these keys To do this

Ctrl Stop reading

Narrator + Tab Read item
Narrator + 5 (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Tab twice quickly Read item spelled out

Narrator + 5 twice quickly (numeric keypad)
Narrator + K twice quickly
Narrator + Ctrl + 5 twice quickly (numeric keypad)

Narrator + 0 Read item advanced

Narrator + T Read window title

Narrator + W Read window

Narrator + X Repeat phrase

Narrator + R Read from cursor

Ctrl + Narrator + R Start reading document

Narrator + Down arrow

Narrator + C Read document

Shift + Narrator + J Read text from start to cursor

Narrator + Alt + Home

Ctrl + Narrator + U Read previous page

Ctrl + Narrator + I Read current page

Ctrl + Narrator + O Read next page

Ctrl + Narrator + J Read previous paragraph

Ctrl + Narrator + K Read current paragraph

Ctrl + Narrator + L Read next paragraph

Narrator + Ctrl + M Read previous sentence

Narrator + Ctrl + comma (,) Read current sentence

Narrator + Ctrl + period (.) Read next sentence

Narrator + U Read previous line

Narrator + I Read current line

Narrator + Up arrow

Narrator + O Read next line

Narrator + J Read previous word

Ctrl + Narrator + Left arrow
 Narrator + K Read current word
Ctrl + Narrator + 5 (numeric keypad)

Narrator + L Read next word

Ctrl + Narrator + Right arrow

Narrator + M Read previous character

Narrator + Comma (,) Read current character

5 (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Period (.) Read next character

Narrator + F Read the next group of formatting information

Shift + Narrator + F Read previous group of formatting information

Narrator + B Move to beginning of text

Ctrl + Narrator + Home

Narrator + E Move to the end of text

Ctrl + Narrator + End

Narrator + Shift + Down arrow Read selection

Narrator + Shift + Down arrow twice quickly Spell selection

Navigate tables.
Press these keys To do this

Ctrl + Alt + Home Jump to the first cell in table

Ctrl + Alt + End Jump to the last cell in table

Ctrl + Alt + Right arrow Jump to next cell in row

Ctrl + Alt + Left arrow Jump to the previous cell in row

Ctrl + Alt + Down arrow Jump to the next cell in column

Ctrl + Alt + Up arrow Jump to previous cell in column

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Left arrow Read current row header

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Up arrow Read current column header

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Right arrow Read current row

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Down arrow Read current column

 Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Forward slash (/) Read which row and column Narrator is in
Ctrl + Shift + Alt + 5 (numeric keypad)

Ctrl + Alt + Page up Jump to table cell

Ctrl + Alt + Page down Jump to cell contents

Narrators focus commands.

Press these keys To do this

Narrator + Home Move to first item in window

Narrator + End Move to the last item in window

Narrator + Backspace Go back one item

Narrator + N Move to main landmark

Narrator + Left bracket ([) Move Narrator cursor to system cursor

Narrator + Subtract (numeric
keypad)

Narrator + Single quote (') Set focus to item

Narrator + Add (numeric keypad)

Narrator + A Jump to linked item

Shift + Narrator + A Jump to annotated content

Alt + Narrator + Up arrow Navigate to parents (when structural navigation is provided)

Alt + Narrator + Right arrow Navigate to next sibling (when structural navigation is provided)

Alt + Narrator + Left arrow Navigate to previous siblings (when structural navigation is
provided)

Alt + Narrator + Down arrow Navigate to first child (when structural navigation is provided)

Narrator + F7 List of links

Narrator + F5 List of landmarks

Narrator + F6 List of headings

Narrator + Ctrl + F Narrator Find

Narrator + F3 Continue Find forward

Narrator + Shift + F3 Continue Find backward

Numeric keypad commands
Press these keys To do this

Narrator + Home Move to first item in window

Narrator + End Move to the last item in window

Narrator + Alt + Home Read text from start to cursor

Ctrl + Narrator + Home Move to the beginning of text

Ctrl + Narrator + End Move to the end of text

Narrator + Left arrow Move to previous item

Narrator + Right arrow Move to next item

Narrator + 5 (numeric keypad) Read item

Narrator + 5 twice quickly (numeric keypad) Read item spelled out

Narrator + Ctrl + 5 twice quickly (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Up arrow Read current line

Narrator + Down arrow Start reading document

Ctrl + Narrator + Left arrow Read previous word

Ctrl + Narrator + 5 (numeric keypad) Read current word

Ctrl + Narrator + Right arrow Read next word

5 (numeric keypad) Read current character

Narrator + Page up Change view

Ctrl + Narrator + Up arrow

Narrator + Subtract (numeric keypad) Move Narrator cursor to system cursor

Narrator + Add (numeric keypad) Set focus to item

Ctrl + Narrator + Add (numeric keypad) Increase voice volume

Ctrl + Narrator + Subtract (numeric keypad) Decrease voice volume

Narrator + Alt + Add (numeric keypad) Move to the next voice

Narrator + Alt + Subtract (numeric keypad) Move to the previous voice

Narrator + Enter Do primary action

Narrator + Ctrl + Enter Toggle search mode

Legacy keyboard layout
General commands
Press these keys To do this

Windows logo key + Ctrl + N Open Narrator settings

Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter Start or stop Narrator

Narrator + Esc Stop Narrator

Narrator + 1 Toggle input learning

Narrator + Right arrow Move to next item

Narrator + Left arrow Move to previous item

Narrator + Up or Down arrow Change view

Narrator + F1 Show commands list

Narrator + F2 Show commands for current item

Narrator + Enter Do primary action

Narrator + Shift + Enter Toggle search mode

Narrator + C Read current time and date

Narrator + Shift + D Describe images using an online service

Narrator + E Provide Narrator feedback

Narrator + Alt + F

Narrator + Z Lock Narrator key

Narrator + Shift + F12 Toggle developer mode

Narrator + X Pass keys to application

Narrator + Num lock Turn mouse mode on or off

Press Caps lock twice in quick succession Turn Caps lock on or off

Adjust speech.
Press these keys To do this

Narrator + Page Up Increase voice volume

Narrator + Page Down Decrease voice volume

 Narrator + the Plus sign (+) Increase voice speed
Narrator + Add (numeric keypad)

Narrator + the Minus sign (-) Decrease voice speed

Narrator + Subtract (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Alt + the Plus sign (+) Move to the next voice
Narrator + Alt + Add (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Alt + the Minus sign (-) Move to the previous voice
Narrator + Alt + Subtract (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Alt + Left bracket ([) Change to the prior punctuation reading mode

Narrator + Alt + Right bracket (]) Change to the next punctuation reading mode

Narrator + A Increase verbosity mode

Narrator + Ctrl + the Plus sign (+)
Narrator + Ctrl + Add (numeric keypad)

Narrator + Ctrl + the Minus sign (-) Decrease verbosity mode

Narrator + Ctrl + Subtract (numeric keypad)

Narrator + F12 Toggle character reading

Narrator + Forward slash (/) Read context

Alt + Narrator + Forward slash (/) Change how much context is read (verbosity)

Narrator + Ctrl + Forward slash (/) Change reading context order

Read and work with text.

Press these keys To do this

Ctrl Stop reading

Narrator + D Read item

Narrator + S Read item spelled out

Narrator + 0 (zero) Read item advanced

Narrator + T Read window title

Narrator + W Read window

Narrator + V Repeat phrase

Narrator + R Read from cursor

Narrator + M Start reading document

Narrator + H Read document

Narrator + Close square bracket (]) Read text from start to cursor

Narrator + Shift + U Read previous page

Narrator + Ctrl + U Read current page

Narrator + U Read next page

Narrator + Shift + I Read previous paragraph

Narrator + Ctrl + I Read current paragraph

Narrator + I Read next paragraph

Narrator + Ctrl + M Read previous sentence

Narrator + Ctrl + comma (,) Read current sentence

Narrator + Ctrl + period (.) Read next sentence

Narrator + Shift + O Read previous line

Narrator + Ctrl + O Read current line

Narrator + O Read next line

Narrator + Shift + P Read previous word

Narrator + Ctrl + P Read current word

Narrator + P Read next word

Narrator + Shift + Open square bracket ([) Read previous character

Narrator + Ctrl + Open square bracket ([) Read current character

Narrator + Open square bracket ([) Read next character

Narrator + F Read the next group of formatting information

Shift + Narrator + F Read previous group of formatting information

Narrator + Y Move to the beginning of text

Narrator + B Move to the end of text

Narrator + J Read previous word

H (with scan mode on) Jump to next heading

Shift + H (with scan mode on) Jump to previous heading

Narrator + L Jump to next link

 Narrator + Shift + L Jump to previous link

Narrator + Shift + Down Arrow Read current selection

Navigate tables.
Press these keys To do this

Narrator + F3 Jump to next cell in row

Narrator + Shift + F3 Jump to the previous cell in row

Narrator + F4 Jump to the next cell in column

Narrator + Shift + F4 Jump to previous cell in column

Narrator + F10 Read current row header

Narrator + F9 Read current column header

Narrator + F8 Read current row

Narrator + F7 Read current column

Narrator + F5 Read which row and column Narrator is in

Narrator + F6 Jump to table cell

Narrator + Shift + F6 Jump to cell contents

Narrator + K Jump to next table

Narrator + Shift + K Jump to previous table

Narrators focus commands.

Press these keys To do this

Narrator + Home Move to first item in window

Narrator + End Move to the last item in window

Narrator + Backspace Go back one item

Narrator + N Move to main landmark

Narrator + G Move Narrator cursor to system cursor

Narrator + tilde (~) Set focus to item

Narrator + Insert Jump to linked item

 Narrator + Shift + Insert Jump to annotated content

Ctrl + Narrator + Up arrow Navigate to parents (when structural navigation is provided)

Ctrl + Narrator + Right arrow Navigate to next sibling (when structural navigation is provided)

Ctrl + Narrator + Left arrow Navigate to previous siblings (when structural navigation is provided)

Ctrl + Narrator + Down arrow Navigate to first child (when structural navigation is provided)

Narrator + Q Move to last item in containing area

Narrator touch gestures

Use this gesture To do this

Touch or drag a single finger Read what’s under your finger

Double-tap or hold with one finger and then tap anywhere on the Activate primary action
screen with a second finger

Triple-tap or hold with one finger and then double-tap anywhere Activate secondary action
on the screen with a second finger

Hold with one finger and then tap anywhere on the screen with Start dragging or extra key
two fingers options

Flick left or right with one finger Move to the next or previous
item

Flick up or down with one finger Change view

Tap once with two fingers Stop Narrator from reading

Tap once with three fingers Change verbosity mode

Tap once with four fingers Show Narrator commands for the
current item

Double tap with two fingers Show context menu

Triple-tap with two fingers Dismiss context menus (imitating

the Escape key)

Double tap with three fingers Read text attributes

Double tap with four fingers Open search mode

Tap three times with four fingers Show all Narrator commands
 Swipe left, right, up, or down with two fingers Scroll

Swipe left or right with three fingers Tab forward or backward

Swiped up with three fingers Read current window

Swipe down with three fingers Start reading explorable text

Swipe up or down with four fingers Turn semantic zoom on or off

were supported

Swipe left or right with four fingers Move Narrator cursor to

beginning or end of unit

Next: Appendix C: Supported braille displays

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix C: Supported braille displays.

The narrator supports the following braille displays. To learn more about braille support in Narrator,
refer to Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille.

Choose a link in the table below to check the supported commands for supported displays.

Manufacturer Supported displays

Albatross § All models

Alva § ABT [3nn] and Delphi [4nn] (large)

§ ABT [3nn] and Delphi [4nn] (small)

§ BC624

§ BC640

§ BC680

§ Optelec Easylink 12 Touch

§ Satellite [5nn] (large)

§ Satellite [5nn] (small)

§ Voyager Protocol Converter

B2G § All models

Baum § All models (default)

§ All models (with Vario keys)

§ NBP B2G
 § VarioConnect, HWG BrailleConnect, Conny, PocketVario, Pronto!,
VarioUltra

§ DM 80 Plus

§ Inka

§ NLS eReader Zoomax

§ Orbit Reader

§ Vario Pro

§ APH Refreshabraille

§ SuperVario, HWG Brailliant, Vario 40

§ Vario 80

BrailleLite § Braille Lite 18

§ Braille Lite 40, M20, and M40

BrailleMemo § BrailleMemo Pocket

§ BrailleMemo Smart

BrailleNote § All models

Braudi § All models

Canute § All models

Cebra § All models

CombiBraille § All models

EcoBraille § EcoBraille (English)

EuroBraille § AzerBraille, Clio, NoteBraille, PupiBraille, Scriba

§ Esys 80

§ Esys 40, 64

§ Esys 12, 24

§ Esytime

§ Iris

Frank AudioData § All models

Freedom § Focus 1
Scientific
 § Focus 14

§ Focus 40

§ Focus 80

§ PAC Mate

HandyTech § Active Braille

§ Active Braille S

§ Activator

§ Actilino

§ Active Star 40

§ Basic Braille

§ Bookworm

§ Braillino, Braille Star 40, Connect Braille 40, Basic Braille Plus

§ Braille Star 80

§ Easy Braille

§ Modular Connect 88

§ Modular

§ Modular Evolution 64

§ Modular Evolution 88

§ Braille Wave

Hedo § MobiLine

§ ProfiLine

HIMS § Smart Beetle, Braille Sense (with two scroll keys)

§ Braille Edge

§ Braille Sense (with QWERTY keyboard)

§ Braille Sense (with four scroll keys)

§ SyncBraille

HumanWare § Brailliant B 80

§ Brailliant BI 14
 § Brailliant BI 20X, APH Chameleon 20, NLS eReader, BrailleOne, BrailleNote
Touch

§ Brailliant BI 32, Brailliant BI 40, Brailliant BI 40X

§ APH Mantis Q40

Iris § With braille keyboard

§ With PC keyboard

MDV § Unrecognized Model (all keys defined)

§ Models with function keys

§ Models with function keys and status cells

§ Models with keyboard

Metec § BD I with 3 keys

§ BD I with 3 keys and status cells

§ BD I with 6 keys

§ BD I with 6 keys and status cells

MiniBraille § All models

MultiBraille § All models

NinePoint § All models

Papenmeier § BrailleX 2D Lite

§ BrailleX 2D Screen Soft

§ BrailleX Compact 486

§ BrailleX Compact/Tiny

§ BrailleX EL2D-40

§ BrailleX EL2D-66

§ BrailleX EL2D-80

§ BrailleX EL2D-80s

§ BrailleX EL40c

§ BrailleX EL40P

§ BrailleX EL40s
 § BrailleX EL60c

§ BrailleX EL66s

§ BrailleX EL70s

§ BrailleX EL80c

§ BrailleX EL80-II

§ BrailleX EL80

§ BrailleX EL80s

§ BrailleX Elba 20

§ BrailleX Elba 32

§ BrailleX Elba (Trio 20)

§ BrailleX Elba (Trio 32)

§ BrailleX IB 80 CR Soft

§ BrailleX Live

§ BrailleX Trio

Pegasus § All models

Seika § Braille Displays

§ Note Takers

TechniBraille § All models

TSI § Navigator 20, Navigator 40

§ Navigator 80

§ Power Braille 40

§ Power Braille 65, Power Braille 80

VideoBraille § All models

Voyager § All models

§ Braille Pen 2

Next: Appendix E: Narrator sounds

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix D: Narrator sounds
To reduce how often you hear Narrator make common announcements, like when you've made a typo
or turned off scan mode, some announcements can be replaced with only a sound. The table below lists
the names of the sounds, a description of when you'd hear them, and an option to play the sound.
When you select Play sound, a new tab will open, and the sound will play.

The common announcements that can be replaced with only sound are when something is
autocorrected, when you land on a link, when scan mode is turned on or off, when there is a spelling
error, and when suggestions are available.

To replace those announcements with only the sounds:

1. Go to Narrator settings by pressing the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.

2. Go to the Verbosity section and expand the Show all settings button next to Context level for
buttons and controls.

3. Select the checkbox next to Play sounds instead of announcements for common actions.

Note: In Windows 11, dark and light mode have different soundscapes; try them both to see which you
prefer.

Narrator sounds
Sound Description Play sound

Caps lock on When you press Shift while Caps lock is on Play caps lock on
sound

Autocorrected (controlled by § When a list is automatically created Play autocorrected

setting) sound
§ When a misspelling is autocorrected

§ When capitalization is
autocorrected

Confirmation of action § When a control is collapsed, Play confirmation of

(touch only) expanded, invoked, or toggled. action sound

§ When an element is selected

Element (touch only) § When you do item navigation with Play element sound
touch

§ When you touch an element

Error message When an error occurs Play error message

sound

Gesture 3 finger When you have a 3-finger gesture Play gesture 3 finger
sound
 Grammar error When a grammar error is made Play grammar error
sound

Input method editor opens When the input method editor menu opens Play IME opens sound

Keyboard closed When the software keyboard closes Play keyboard closed
sound

Keyboard opened When the software keyboard opens Play keyboard opened
sound

Link (controlled by setting) When you land on a link Play link sound

Scan mode off (controlled by When scan mode turns off Play scan mode off
setting) sound

Scan mode on (controlled by When scan mode turns on Play scan mode on
setting) sound

Screen edge (touch only) When you touch the edge of the screen Play screen edge
sound

Scroll command (touch only) When you scroll with two fingers Play scroll command
sound

Spelling error (controlled by When a word is misspelled Play spelling error

setting) sound

Suggestions available When the suggestion box opens Play suggestions

(controlled by setting) available sound

Suggestions closed When the suggestion box closes Play suggestions

closed sound

White space (touch only) When you touch something that is not an Play white space
element sound

Zoom (touch only) When you pinch and expand to zoom Play zoom sound

Next: Appendix E: Narrator with Outlook

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix E: Narrator with Outlook

Narrator Outlook Extension Installation
Follow these steps to install Narrator with Outlook extension:

1. Start Narrator with CTRL + Windows + Enter key.

 2. Narrator will automatically download Narrator with Outlook extension along with other
extensions that may be available from Microsoft store. You will be notified that the extension
has been successfully installed.

3. Open Outlook and begin navigating your inbox to hear the updated Narrator announcements.

Get the important information, skip the noise in Outlook.

In Outlook, Narrator will read an email’s status (unread, forwarded, etc.), who sent it, the subject line,
and any other characteristics of the email that are important or unique.

For example, Narrator will read if an email is flagged, but it won’t read if an email is unflagged.

Narrator won’t read any unnecessary table info, like if there are 5 empty columns, and Column headers
won’t be read by default.

Turn column header reading in Outlook on or off by pressing Narrator + H.

Automatic Reading of Messages

Narrator automatically starts reading email messages starting from the top. Refer to Chapter 3: Using scan
mode for more information about how Narrator works with email messages in Windows Mail and
Outlook.

Next: Appendix F: Narrator with Excel

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix F: Narrator with Excel

Narrator provides more succinct and efficient reading experience while in Excel. Announcements are
prioritized based on the information you need to skim a workbook and are customizable using convenient
keyboard shortcuts.

Narrator Excel Extension Installation

Follow these steps to install Narrator with Excel extension:

§ Start Narrator using CTRL + Windows + Enter key.

§ Narrator will automatically download Narrator with Excel extension along with other
extensions that may be available from the Microsoft store. You will be notified that the
extension has been successfully installed.
§ Open Excel and begin navigating to hear the updated Narrator announcements.

Customizing Narrator Announcements for Excel

The following table shows you a set of new keyboard commands that are now available. Continue to
subsequent sections to learn more about each shortcut.

Announcement Categories

Announcements are grouped into four categories:

 § Value, the information written in the cell. E.g., “test data” or “blank.”
§ Name, the cell reference. E.g., “A 1.”
§ Context, the information. E.g., “entering table” or announcing the header of a column you
just entered.
§ Properties, the descriptive information about the contents of the cell. E.g., “formula” or
“filtered.”

Scenario Shortcut Notes

Toggle On and Off optimized announcements Narrator +
Alt + O
Move context announcement (toggle first or Narrator + Value > Name > Context > Properties
third) Alt + C (default)

v/s

Context > Value > Name > Properties

Swap name and value announcements Narrator + Value > Name > Context > Properties
Alt + N (default)

v/s

Name > Value > Context > Properties

Also applies to range selection

announcements.
Read current context (repeat context Narrator + Examples:
announcement and add all known context Shift + C
information) § In a table, say size, where you are, and
table name.
§ In the page layout view, say page grid.
§ In split panes, say the pane name.

Read Item Status information Narrator + Read the information that is defined in the
Shift + S ItemStatus property in the last focused cell.
Read selection Narrator + Read the current cell or range of cells that
Shift + E have been selected.

Toggle on and off optimized announcements

By default, if you have Narrator Excel extension installed then optimized messaging will be enabled. If
you would like to disable the setting, press Narrator + Alt + O.
Note: The state of this command is not saved, which means that if Narrator is restarted then optimized
messaging will default to on again.

Move the context announcement.

Narrator announces ‘Value > Name > Context > Properties’, by default. For example, if you are entering
a table called Table 1 with a Fruits column where A2 has a cell value of Apple, you would hear: “Apple,
A2, entering Table 1, Fruits, filter dropdown.”

If you prefer to hear the context first, press Narrator + Alt + C. This switches the announcement order to
> Value > Name > Properties’.

For example, if you are entering a table called Table 1 with a Fruits column where A2 has a cell value of
Apple, you would hear: “Entering Table 1, Fruits, apple, A2, filter dropdown.”

Press Narrator + Alt + C again to toggle back to the original order of ‘Value > Name > Context >
Properties’.

Swap the name and value announcements.

Narrator announces ‘Value > Name > Context > Properties’, by default. For example: “First name, A1.”

Press Narrator + Alt + N key, if you would prefer to hear the cell reference first, so ‘Name > Value >
Context > Properties’. In this situation, you would hear: “A1, First name.”

This setting also applies to a range of selection announcements.

Read current context.

Press Narrator + Shift + C key to repeat the current context of where you are within Excel.

Read ItemStatus information.

ItemStatus is a cell property that contains a larger collection of attributes like formatting. To hear the
ItemStatus property on demand, press Narrator + Shift + S.

Read selection.

To read the currently selected cell or range of cells, press Narrator + Shift + E.
Examples of changed announcements.

Here are some examples of the changes you can expect to hear,

§ More succinct reading when navigating in the grid and selecting cells, both within tables
and in spreadsheets that do not use tables.
§ Explicit announcements if a cell is blank.
§ Succinct, explicit announcements when cells contain non-text or unclear information like
conditional formatting, data validation, and formulas.
§ Better handling of merged cells.
§ More information about collaborators as you interact with cells that someone else has
selected or is editing.

Turn off Narrator.

To Turn off Narrator, press Control + Windows + Enter. To toggle on and off optimized Narrator
announcements, use Narrator + Alt + O key.

Next: Appendix G: Troubleshooting Narrator Natural Voices setup issues

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix G: Troubleshooting Narrator Natural Voices setup issues

Narrator Natural Voice feature is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. For more information
on the new features in Windows 11, version 22H2, and how to get the update, see What's new in recent
Windows updates. Not sure which version of Windows you have? See: Find Windows version.

Do you get the following error message when trying to set up Narrator Natural Voices: "Please check
your internet connection and try again.” or “Something went wrong and we can't install the new natural
voice right now. Please try again later.”

This can mean that there is no access to the Microsoft Store app catalog in the cloud during setup. If you
get this error message, follow these instructions:

2. Check connectivity:

• Verify that you are connected to the internet on the device where you are seeing this error.
• If internet connectivity is not an issue, check whether you can access the Microsoft
Store app and are able to download apps.

3. If you can download apps via the Microsoft Store app, submit feedback using the Feedback
Hub app so we can investigate the problem.

Note: If you are not able to download apps via the Microsoft Store app and work in an
enterprise environment, it’s possible that your network administrator has disabled access to the
Microsoft Store app.
 4. Do one of the following to install the Store package:

• If you are an enterprise with IT administrator support, contact your IT administrator and ask
them to download and deploy the appropriate Store package to your device.
• Download and install the appropriate Store package yourself and then follow the
instructions in Install the Store package.

Store packages

Language System type Store package

English (United States) AMD x64 Voice.en-US.cab

Install the Store package

10. Download the Store package from the table above that matches your language requirements.

• To determine your system type, go to Start > All apps > Settings > System > About. Your
system type is listed in the Device specification section, under System type.

11. In the Downloads folder, double-click the Cabinet (CAB) file to open it.

12. Double-click the ZIP file contained in the CAB file, and then choose where to extract the file.

13. Navigate to the folder where you extracted the file and double-click the compressed folder.

14. Inside the extracted folder, directories named after the voices they contain will be available.

15. Double click the required voices folder.

 16. Double-click the MSIX file to launch the installer.

Note: If you now get an error of "No such interface supported" or Windows asks you to select an
app to open the MSIX file, you are missing a required app to install the package. To resolve this,
extract the ZIP file to a folder, use the Windows PowerShell app to navigate to the unzipped
folder, and run the Add-AppxPackage cmdlet, where the MSIX file name must match what's in
the folder. For example: Add-AppPackage -path 287f9bba5faf4ee4a3a91bb389cc3b7b.msix.

17. In the installer window, select Install to start the installation.

18. When the installation is complete, select Close.

You are now ready to use the feature (Narrator).

Note: If the installation wasn’t successful or the feature doesn’t work after installation, submit
feedback using the Feedback Hub app so we can investigate the problem.

Next: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/appendix-g-troubleshooting-narrator-natural-voices-
setup-issues-2acb7291-5b41-4ed2-b415-c7d9a3a044e9 Appendix H: List of Issues and Bugs fixed

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix H: List of Issues and Bugs fixed

New improvements

• When reading a document with Microsoft Word desktop application, Narrator will now
announce the availability of a draft comment, a resolved comment, a bookmark, or accessibility
suggestions that accessibility checker in Microsoft Word provides.
• Changed default “Context level” from 2 to 3 which will now announce “Immediate Context
Name and Type”. The Control context type like “list” or “toolbar” will allow users to better
understand the focused control like other screen readers.
• Narrator users are unblocked for typing Traditional Chinese characters in Windows by addition
of Traditional Chinese dictionary for detailed reading.
Fixes in Announcements

• Fixed an issue where Narrator would not announce the availability of suggestions when
searching for a voice language from Narrator settings.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator would not read the content in a Notepad file using
continuous reading command Narrator key+down arrow key.
• Fixed an issue in Excel desktop application where Narrator was not consistently reading any item
in the auto-complete list that comes when writing a formula.
• Fixed an issue in certain applications, including device manager, where narrator failed to
announce the selected status of menu items.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator would incorrectly announce both the picked value and the
unselected value in elements like date fields or any other element with a table structure,
• Fixed an issue on a few webpages where the Narrator was still announcing the old dialog names
after users navigated to the new dialog.
• Fixed an issue where the Narrator would not read the Role of a control in online tables when
using commands Ctrl+Alt+Arrow keys for table navigation.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was not reading various list items in a combo box on various web
pages when navigating with up and down arrow.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was incorrectly announcing combo boxes as read-only even when
users could select different values from the combo box list items.
• Addressed the issue where Narrator was not announcing the checked and unchecked status of
radio buttons but was announcing selected for every item.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was announcing older information while navigating in date/time
picker using arrow keys.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was incorrectly reading contents of previous cell and the current
cell when navigating in a table using right and left arrow keys.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator is incorrectly reading older Window title even after navigating to
inner control.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator is reading entire paragraph when up arrow is invoked in online
word document.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was incorrectly reading out last word of previous paragraph when
a new paragraph started with a punctuation mark.
• Fixed a bug where Narrator was not announcing the character being deleted when using
backspace key in some text fields on the web.
• Fixed an issue in narrator where while entering any number in CVV edit field, Narrator should
only announce as “hidden”, instead of “CVV edit, hidden new line selected”.

Fixes in Scan mode

• Fixed an issue where Narrator is not able to detect different headings on some web pages in
scan mode while using “h” key to navigate.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator scan mode arrow navigation skipped first item in container.
• Fixed an issue, where Narrator is skipping the first item after navigating via landmark using “d”
key in scan mode.
 • Fixed an issue where Narrator focus did not move past the first check box if there was a list of
check boxes when using up and down arrow key in scan mode.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator was not activating combo box when navigating using up and
down arrow and using enter/spacebar to activate it in scan mode.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator would collapse the combo boxes in scan mode when navigating
with up and down arrows.

Improvements in Narrator with Braille:

• When navigating to any attachment in Outlook with scan mode, narrator announces the
<Name> & <Size> of the attachment, the same is now reflected on braille display.
• Navigate to different headings in Scan Mode using down arrow, or 'Space+4' key in Braille
device, now navigating to heading is reflected in Braille.
• When navigating a list with items, whenever Narrator announces index with the menu item
name, Braille display also reflects the same index values as “1 of 4”.

Fixes in inconsistent behavior

• Fixed an issue where emoji panel in Windows would close when pressing tab key using
Narrator.
• Fixed an issue in Narrator settings page where “select natural voice” text was not visible
clearly when using “aquatic” high contrast theme.
• Fixed an issue where text was missing from the Narrator Settings Experimental Features area.
• Fixed an issue where navigation commands are not executed as expected in a dialog box when
you enter the dialog the second time.
• Fixed an issue where Narrator find was not working consistently on web pages when using
Narrator key + Ctrl + F key combination.

Next: Appendix I: History of Narrator Updates

Go back to the Table of Contents

Appendix I: History of Narrator Updates

The Windows version 23H2 was about enhancing Narrator’s usability in few Windows applications such
as Outlook and Excel, adding natural voices in different languages and many bug fixes across Narrator.
To give feedback, press Narrator + Alt + F while Narrator is running.

Enhance Windows applications with Narrator extensions.

Narrator makes the use of applications such as Outlook and Excel more efficient by utilizing Narrator
Extensions. For more information on Narrator extensions, refer to Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator.
Please refer to Appendix E: Narrator with Outlook and Appendix F: Narrator with Excel for additional
information on Narrator's support for Outlook and Excel with extensions.
Additional Narrator Natural Voices Added
With more natural voices, Narrator users can enjoy tasks like browsing the web, reading, authoring mail,
and more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech which once downloaded are
supported without an internet connection. Narrator provides natural voices in multiple languages, and
more are added over time so you should check to see if your preferred language is on the list. For More
information of language list, refer to Appendix A: Supported languages and voices.

Install Natural Voices

Narrator will announce that more natural voices are available when you open Narrator. To add the new
voice:

1. Select Install now on the announcement window to go to the Narrator settings.

Note: If you have dismissed the dialog box, you can open Narrator settings by using the hot key
CTRL + Windows + N. Then, move to the Choose a Voice combo box and then expand the Show
All Settings button after the combo box. From here you can invoke the Add button which is shown
after the speed, pitch and volume selections for the currently selected voice. This button will be
focused if you open Install from the Narrator startup window.

2. Select the Add button under the Add natural voices section.

3. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.
The voices for your current display language will be shown by default.

4. If you wish to see what other languages are supported, then Tab to Choose a language link and
invoke it. You can select any language from the list. After selecting the language invoke the Next
button to see the voices available for the selected language.

5. To hear a preview of the voice, select Preview. Only the U. S. English voices can be previewed.

6. Select Install to start the download of the selected voice.

Improvements to Braille
In Previous release, we have added support for more braille displays along with improved interaction
between Narrator and third-party screen readers when used with your braille display. To learn more about
release, read our blog or go to February 28, 2023—KB5022913 (OS Build 22621.1344) Preview. Refer
to Chapter 8: Using Narrator with braille for the full description of the new braille features and Appendix
C: Supported braille displays for the list of supported braille displays.

New and changed Keyboard commands.

New Narrator Keyboard Commands
It is now easier for Narrator users to switch between voices to better support common tasks like reading
and navigating.

Newly added Narrator keyboard commands include:

§ Narrator + Alt + Minus sign (-) – Move to the previous Narrator voice.

§ Narrator + Alt + Plus sign (+) – Move to the next Narrator voice.
Updated keyboard commands
Changes have been made to the keyboard commands used to manipulate Narrator’s punctuation reading
behavior:

§ Narrator + Alt + Left Bracket ([) – Move to the previous punctuation reading mode.

§ Narrator + Alt + Right Bracket (]) – Move to the next punctuation reading mode.

Web Improvements
A collection of improvements has been made to web browsing with Microsoft Edge and Narrator. These
include:

• You will have more consistent navigation experience with the Narrator. This includes
improvements in heading navigation, a more consistent scan mode navigation experience where
scan mode is less likely to loop between items, and a more consistent hyperlink reading
experience when navigating forward and backward.
• When you encounter a dialog box on the web, Narrator will help you stay focused within the
dialog box and prevent navigation to the content that’s behind it.
• Typing in edit fields, such as the address bar, is now easier because Narrator scan mode will now
turn off faster. Specifically, if you press Ctrl + L key to jump to the address bar, you should be able
to start typing immediately because scan mode will turn off sooner. This improvement will also
help when filling in form fields such as typing your name and address in different edit boxes.
• Deleting text in edit fields is now easier. The narrator will now read the character that the cursor
position is at after a character has been deleted. In other words, if the cursor is on the “h” of
“hello” and you press Delete, the Narrator will speak “e.” In addition, if you need to cut a large
set of text with Ctrl + X, the Narrator will confirm that the text has been cut. You will notice this
in Edge and in all apps where you can edit, such as Notepad, Outlook, Microsoft Word, and others.
• When backspacing, the Narrator will now more consistently announce when you’re deleting
characters with Backspace.

Additional support for web standards has been added. These include:

• You can have the Narrator read the current item (e.g., current page, current time etc.).
• Web form fields such as radio buttons and edit fields that are marked as being mandatory will be
announced as required when being used.
• When you need to sort a table on the web, the Narrator will announce the sort order you’ve
selected (e.g., ascending, descending).
• Improvements have been made to the way lists are read. This includes the proper reading of list
levels and accurate list indices. The narrator will also announce the state of a checkbox that is
contained inside of a list.
• Improved navigating using links.
• Using the Tab key to move through links on a webpage and pressing Enter will always take you to
the link destination.
• It is now also easier to know when an item is selected in a tree view control.
New or notable commands
New Touch Gestures
The narrator provides a way of dismissing menus or simulating the Escape key. Simply triple tap with 2
fingers to perform this function.

New Commonly used Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 11

§ Windows logo key + A: Open Quick Settings

§ Windows logo key + C: Open Teams chat

§ Windows logo key + N: Open notification center

§ Windows logo key + W: Open Widgets

§ Ctrl + E: Open search in most apps

§ Ctrl + F: Open search in the Windows store

Commonly Used keyboard shortcuts for Narrator and Accessibility

§ Narrator + Ctrl + D: Get the webpage source of a link.

§ Narrator + S: Get a webpage summary.

§ Narrator + S twice quickly: Get the webpage summary and popular links dialog box.

§ Narrator + H: Turn on or off Outlook column header reading.

§ Narrator + Alt + F: Give feedback on Narrator.

§ Windows logo key + Plus sign (+): Open Magnifier

§ Windows logo key + U: Open the Accessibility settings.

For a list of the keyboard shortcuts, you can use in Windows, refer to Keyboard shortcuts in
Windows. For a list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows apps, refer to Keyboard shortcuts in apps. For a
list of keyboard shortcuts in other Windows assistive technologies, refer to Windows keyboard shortcuts
for accessibility.