Basic tasks using a screen reader with Project
Applies ToProject Online Desktop Client Project for the web Project Online

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use Project for the web with your keyboard and screen reader, to quickly do all essential basic tasks, such as opening projects or roadmaps and adding projects or roadmaps to favorites. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

Notes: 

  • New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

  • To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.

  • When you use Project for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Project for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Project for the web.

In this topic

Open and sign in to Project for the web

  1. In your web browser, go to www.office.com. If needed, sign in to your Microsoft 365 account.

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Project," and then press Enter.

    If you don't hear "Project," press the Tab key until you hear "Explore all your apps," and then press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Build a project plan, assign tasks, track progress, and manage budgets," and then press Enter.

    Project for the web opens in Project Home.

Open a project or roadmap

You can open a project or roadmap from the Favorites list or the projects and roadmaps list.

Open a project or roadmap from the Favorites list

If you've added the project or roadmap to your favorites, you can quickly browse to and open the project or roadmap you want.

  1. In Project Home, press the Tab key until you hear the project or roadmap you want to open.

  2. To open the project or roadmap, press Enter.

Open a project or roadmap from the projects and roadmaps list

If you haven't added the project or roadmap to your favorites, you can open it from the projects and roadmaps list.

  1. In Project Home, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the currently selected tab in the projects and roadmaps list, for example, "Recent tab item."

  2. To move to another tab, press the Right or Left arrow key until you reach the tab you want, and then press Enter to select and open it.

  3. Press the Tab key once to move the focus to the list of projects and roadmaps on the selected tab.

  4. Press the Down or Up arrow key until you find the project or roadmap you want to open.

  5. To open the project or roadmap, press Enter.

Add a project or roadmap to favorites

To easily find and navigate to a project or roadmap that you frequently work on, add it to your favorites.

  1. In Project Home, move the focus to the project or roadmap you want to add to favorites as instructed in Open a project or a roadmap.

  2. Once the focus is on the right project or roadmap, press the Right arrow key until you hear "Add this item to favorites," and then press Enter. The item is added to the Favorites list.

See also

Use a screen reader to create a new project in Project

Use a screen reader to review or edit an existing project in Project

Use a screen reader to work with the grid view in Project

Keyboard shortcuts for Project

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Project

Use Project Online with your keyboard and screen reader, to quickly do all essential basic tasks, such as signing in, searching for projects, opening projects, and exporting projects to Excel. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

Notes: 

  • New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

  • To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.

  • When you use Project Online, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Project Online runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Project Online.

In this topic

Sign in to Project Online

Sign in for the first time

  1. When launching Project Online, you hear: “Sign into your account.”

  2. You hear: “Enter your email, phone, or Skype.” Type the necessary information.

  3. Press the Tab key until you hear “Next button,” and then press Enter.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear: “Enter password.” Type your password.

  5. Press the Tab key until you hear “Sign in button,” and then press Enter.

Sign in after the first use

  1. When launching Project Online, you hear: “Sign into your account.”

  2. You hear: “Sign in with," followed by the login credentials you have used before. Press Enter.

  3. You hear: “Enter password.” Type your password.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear “Sign in button,” and then press Enter.

Sign in with different credentials

  1. When launching Project Online, you hear: “Sign into your account.”

  2. You hear: “Sign in with," followed by the login credentials you have used before. Press the Tab key until you hear “Use another account button,” and then press Enter.

  3. You hear: “Enter your email, phone, or Skype.” Type the necessary information.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear “Next button,” and then press Enter.

  5. Press the Tab key until you hear: “Enter password.” Type your password.

  6. Press the Tab key until you hear “Sign in button,” and then press Enter.

Search for projects

  1. In any of the main views of Project Online, press the Tab key until you hear: “Search this site.”

  2. Type your search term into the search textbox and press Enter.

  3. To navigate the list of search results, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the desired project, and press Enter to open it.

Open a project

You can open and edit your project either in your browser or in the desktop version of Microsoft Project.

  1. In any of the main views of Project Online, press the Tab key until you hear “Projects,” and then press Enter. The Project Center view opens.

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear the name of the project you want to open and then press Enter to select it in the projects list.

  3. Press Shift+Tab until you hear “Projects tab,” and then press Enter.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear “Open button,” and then press Spacebar.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • To open the project in read-only mode, press the Tab key until you hear “In browser,” and then press Enter.

    • To open the project for editing, press the Tab key until you hear “In browser for editing,” and then press Enter.

    • To open the project in Microsoft Project, press the Tab key until you hear “Microsoft Project,” and then press Enter.

    • To open the project in Microsoft Project for editing, press the Tab key until you hear “Microsoft Project for editing,” and then press Enter.

Export to Excel

  1. In the Project Center view of Project Online press the Tab key until you hear “Project details,” and press Enter.

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear “Options schedule tools group,” and press Enter.

  3. Press the Tab key until you hear “Export to Excel,” and press Enter.

  4. Your browser opens a dialog giving you the option to either open the exported file or to save it to a location on your computer. To move the focus to the dialog, press Alt+N. Select between the options by pressing the Tab key until you hear the one you want, then press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to create a new project in Project

Use a screen reader to review or edit an existing project in Project

Keyboard shortcuts for Project

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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