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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to search your organization’s SharePoint site for the subsites relevant to your projects. 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. By using the Search feature, you can find the sites you need fast, right from your home page.
Notes:
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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.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Search for online sites
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Sign in to your organization’s Microsoft 365 account, and start the SharePoint app.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Search in SharePoint.”
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To find a site, do one of the following:
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To search a list of frequent sites, press the Down arrow key. You hear “Suggested sites” and the full name of the first site. To explore the list, use the Up and Down arrow keys. To go to a site, press Enter.
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To find a site with a name that you know, type the name of the site, and press the Down arrow key until you hear “Suggested sites” and the name of the site. To select, press Enter.
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To find a site with just a keyword, type a keyword in the name of the site, and press the Down arrow key until you hear “Suggested sites” and the name of the first site. To move through the list, use the Down and Up arrow keys. When you hear the name of the site you’re looking for, press Enter.
Tip: In some searches, a See more results link is available at the end of the search results list. To open an expanded list of results, when you hear “See more results for,” followed by your search term, press Enter twice. (In Narrator, press Enter once.) A new pane opens with an expanded list of sites, and you hear “Site results.” To explore the list, use the Down and Up arrow keys. To see more sites, press the Down arrow key until you hear “See all sites that match your search link” and press Enter.
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Notes: You can also find a site by browsing the Frequent sites and Suggested sites lists on your home page.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Frequent sites, or "Suggested sites."
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To browse the site tiles, press the Right and Left arrow keys until you hear the one you want.
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To follow or stop following a site, when you hear the name of the site, press the Up arrow key. With JAWS, you hear “Follow site," followed by the name of the site, and either "Check box checked” or "Check box not checked.” With Narrator, you hear “Checked Follow site,” or “Unchecked Follow site,” and the name of the site. To select or clear the check box, press Spacebar.
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To hear details about the site, such as who modified the site, press the Down arrow key.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore Following and Recent sites list in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to search your organization’s main SharePoint site for the sites relevant to your projects. We have tested it with Narrator 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Search for SharePoint sites
Tip: The search also gives you suggestions for files, people, and news, and you can access them in the same way as sites.
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Sign in to your organization’s Microsoft 365 account, and start the SharePoint app.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Search in SharePoint” (in Narrator) or "Search box" (in NVDA).
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To find a site, do one of the following:
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To search a list of your suggested sites, press Alt+Down arrow key. You hear “Suggested sites” and the full name and address of the first site. To explore the list, use Alt+Down and Up arrow keys. To go to a site, press Enter.
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To find a site with a name that you know, type the name of the site, and press Alt+Down arrow key until you hear “Suggested sites” and the name and address of the site. To go to the site, press Enter.
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To find a site with just a keyword, type a keyword in the name of the site, and press Alt+Down arrow key until you hear “Suggested sites” and the name and address of the first site. To move through the list, use Alt+Down and Up arrow keys. When you hear the name of the site you’re looking for, press Enter.
Tips:
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In some searches, a Show more results link is available at the end of the search results list, after the suggestions for files, people, and news. To open an expanded list of results, when you hear “Show more results,” press Enter.
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A new pane opens with an expanded list of sites, and you hear “All results section.” To explore the list, use Alt+Down and Up arrow keys. To see more sites, navigate to the end of the results list. You hear "Link," followed or preceded by the page number of the next page, depending on which screen reader you are using. Press Enter to open the next page of results.
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See also
Use a screen reader to explore Following and Recent sites list in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Technical support for customers with difficulties
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.
