Desktop Screen Readers Survival Guide - Basic Keyboard Shortcuts
Screen Reader Keyboard Shortcuts and Gestures > Desktop Screen Readers Survival Guide - Basic Keyboard Shortcuts
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Also available in a single-page printer-friendly PDF version.
Recommended Browsers
Screen readers work best when paired with the browsers with which they are most compatible:
- JAWS works well with Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
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- Historically, JAWS has worked best with Internet Explorer, and that combination still works well, but Internet Explorer is old and will never be updated with new features, so it is best to migrate to newer browsers.
- NVDA works well with Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
+ , + , + - Narrator works best with Microsoft Edge.
+ - VoiceOver works best with Safari.
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Notes
- Insert is the default NVDA modifier key, but Caps Lock can be set as a duplicate modifier key (so that it can be used in place of Insert).
- The Narrator key, Caps Lock (or Insert can be used in its place), can be locked so it doesn’t need to be pressed with every command by pressing Caps Lock + Z (or Insert + Z) (only when not in Scan Mode).
- VO is an abbreviation for VoiceOver keys Control + Option. The VO keys can be locked so that they don’t need to be pressed to perform VoiceOver commands by pressing VO + ;.
Shortcut Keys
| Task | JAWS | NVDA | Narrator | VoiceOver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn screen reader on | Not available | Control + Alt + N | Windows logo + Control + Enter | Command + F5 |
| Turn screen reader off | Insert + F4 | Insert + Q | Windows logo + Control + Enter or Caps Lock + Escape | Command + F5 |
| Stop reading | Control | Control | Control | Control |
| Read next item | Down Arrow | Down Arrow | Caps Lock + Right Arrow* | VO + Right Arrow |
| Read previous item | Up Arrow | Up Arrow | Caps Lock + Left Arrow* | VO + Left Arrow |
| Read next focusable item (e.g. link, button) | Tab | Tab | Tab | Tab |
| Activate link | Enter | Enter | Caps Lock + Enter or Enter** or Space Bar** |
VO + Space Bar or Enter |
| Activate button | Enter or Space Bar | Enter or Space Bar | Caps Lock + Enter or Enter or Space Bar |
VO + Space Bar or Enter or Space Bar |
| Start reading continuously from this point on | Insert + Down Arrow | Insert + Down Arrow or Numpad Plus |
Caps Lock + Down Arrow or Caps Lock + Control + R |
VO + A |
| Go to next heading | H | H | H** | VO + Command + H |
| Show list of all headings | Insert + F6 | Insert + F7 | Caps Lock + F6 | VO + U (Rotor), then Left/Right Arrow Keys |
| Go to next heading of level [1-6] | 1-6 | 1-6 | 1-6** | Not available |
| Go to next landmark/region | R (JAWS 16+) ; (JAWS 15) |
D | D** | Not available |
| Go to the main content landmark | Q | Not available | Caps Lock + N | Not available |
| Open Elements List or Rotor | Insert + F3 | Insert + F7 | Caps Lock + [F6 or F7], then Tab (twice) to the Scoping drop-down list | VO + U |
| Go to next table | T | T | T** | VO + Command + T |
| Navigate table cells | Control + Alt + Arrow Keys | Control + Alt + Arrow Keys | Control + Alt + Arrow Keys | VO + Arrow Keys |
| Go to next list | L | L | Not available | VO + Command + X |
| Go to next list item | I | I | Not available | Not available |
| Go to next graphic | G | G | Not available | VO + Command + G |
| Show list of all links | Insert + F7 | Insert + F7 | Caps Lock + F7 | VO + U (Rotor), then Left/Right Arrow Keys |
| Go to next link | Not available | K | K** | VO + Command + L |
| Go to next unvisited link | U | U | Not available | Not available |
| Go to next visited link | V | V | Not available | VO + Command + V |
| Go to next form element | F | F | F | VO + Command + J |
| Go back to previous heading, landmark, table, focusable item, etc. | Shift + [H, R, T, Tab, etc.] | Shift + [H, D, T, Tab, etc.] | Shift + [H**, D**, T**, Tab, etc.] | VO + Shift + Command + [H, T, Tab, etc.] |
| Toggle screen reader mode | Forms Mode: (On) (Automatic when in form element), (Off) Numpad Plus | Browse/Focus Mode: Insert + Space Bar Forms Mode^: Insert + Space Bar |
Scan Mode: Caps Lock + Space Bar | Not available |
| Interact with (go into/out of) objects (like iframes, menus, application regions, etc.) | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | VO + Shift + Down/Up Arrows |
| Toggle between: Radio buttons, <select> list items, Tabs (ARIA widget), Tree view items (ARIA widget), Menu items (ARIA widget) | Arrow Keys | Arrow Keys | Arrow Keys | Arrow Keys, then [VO + Space Bar or Space Bar] |
| Toggle Virtual PC Cursor | Insert + Z | Not available | Not available | Not available |
* Cycle between element types with Caps Lock + Page Up or Caps Lock + Page Down (or Caps Lock + Control + Up Arrow or Caps Lock + Control + Down Arrow), then advance through those page elements one at a time.
** Scan Mode only.
^ When in a form element.