This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use To Do with your keyboard and a screen reader to make tasks easier to achieve by dividing them into multiple steps. 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. You'll also learn how to highlight tasks by marking them as important.
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.
In this topic
Add steps to a task
Make a task easier to accomplish by dividing it into smaller steps.
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In the detail view for a task, press the Tab key until you hear: "Add step."
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For each step you want to add, enter a name for the step and then press Enter.
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When you're done adding steps, to leave the list of steps, press the Tab key.
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To close the detail view, press Esc.
Complete a step
When you are done with a step, mark it as completed.
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In the detail view for a task, press the Tab key until you hear "Steps list" and the name of the first incomplete step.
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse to the step you want.
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Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Uncomplete, checkbox not checked." Press Enter to mark the step completed. A sound cue confirms that you completed the step.
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To close the detail view, press Esc.
Tip: To mark a step as incomplete, repeat the steps above until you hear "Complete, checkbox checked," and then press Enter.
Mark a task as important
To prioritize a task, mark it as important.
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Press Ctrl+1 to expand the To Do sidebar.
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Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Lists," followed by the name of the currently selected list or filter option.
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Press the Down or Up arrow key until you find the list containing the task you want, and then press Enter to open it.
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To move to the task list content, press the Tab key until you hear "List options, button," and then press the Tab key once more.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the task you want.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Mark as important," and then press Enter.
Tip: To remove a task from the Important list, repeat the steps above.
Show important tasks as a list
Tasks you have marked as important are added to the Important list. The Important list is a default list that is already set up when you start working with To Do.
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Press Ctrl+1 to expand the To Do sidebar.
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Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Lists," followed by the name of the currently selected list or filter option.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear: "Important." Press Enter to open the Important list.
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To move to the task list content, press the Tab key until you hear "List options, button," and then press the Tab key once more.
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the tasks in the list.
See also
Use a screen reader to show all tasks with a due date in the Planned list in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use To Do for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to make tasks easier to achieve by dividing them into multiple steps. You'll also learn how to highlight tasks by marking them as important.
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.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
In this topic
Add steps to a task
Make a task easier to accomplish by dividing it into smaller steps.
-
After opening the detail view for a task, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear: "Add step, edit text."
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For each step you want to add, enter a name for the step and then press Return.
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When you're done adding steps, to exit the list of steps, press the Tab key.
Complete a step
When you are done with a step, mark it as completed.
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After opening the detail view for a task, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the name of the step you want to mark as completed.
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To mark the step completed, press Shift+Tab once. You hear: "Complete step button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar. A sound cue confirms that you completed the step.
Tip: To mark a step as incomplete, repeat the steps above until you hear "Uncomplete step," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Mark a task as important
To prioritize a task, mark it as important.
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After opening the detail view for a task, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Important, unselected," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Selected."
Tip: To remove a task from the Important list, after opening the detail view for the task, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Important, selected," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Show important tasks as a list
Tasks you have marked as important are added to the Important list. The Important list is a default list that is already set up when you start working with To Do.
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Press the Tab key until you hear: "Entering lists table."
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To enter the lists table, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key. You hear: "In lists table."
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear: "Important, smart list." The task list content is automatically shown in the main content area.
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To move the focus to the task list content, press the Tab key until you hear: "Entering tasks table."
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To enter the tasks table, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key. You hear: "In tasks table."
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the tasks in the list.
See also
Use a screen reader to show all tasks with a due date in the Planned list in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use To Do for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to make tasks easier to achieve by dividing them into multiple steps. You'll also learn how to highlight tasks by marking them as important.
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.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this topic
Add steps to a task
Make a task easier to accomplish by dividing it into smaller steps.
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In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Add step," and then double-tap the screen.
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For each step you want to add, use the on-screen keyboard to enter a name for the step, swipe right until you hear "Return," and then double-tap the screen.
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When you're done adding steps, swipe left until you exit the on-screen keyboard.
Complete a step
When you are done with a step, mark it as completed.
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In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Uncompleted" and the name of the step you want to complete.
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To mark the step completed, double-tap the screen.
Tip: To mark a step as incomplete, repeat the steps above until you hear "Completed" and the name of the step, and then double-tap the screen.
Mark a task as important
To prioritize a task, mark it as important.
In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Normal task," and then double-tap the screen.
Tip: To remove a task from the Important list, in the detail view for the task, swipe right or left until you hear "Important task," and then double-tap the screen.
Show important tasks as a list
Tasks you have marked as important are added to the Important list. The Important list is a default list that is already set up when you start working with To Do.
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Swipe right or left until you hear "Sidebar," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear: "Important." Double-tap the screen to open the list.
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Swipe right and left to browse the tasks in the list.
See also
Use a screen reader to show all tasks with a due date in the Planned list in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use To Do for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to make tasks easier to achieve by dividing them into multiple steps. You'll also learn how to highlight tasks by marking them as important.
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.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
Add steps to a task
Make a task easier to accomplish by dividing it into smaller steps.
-
In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Add step," and then double-tap the screen.
-
Enter a name for the step, and then swipe down-then-left to close the keyboard.
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To add another step, swipe right until you hear "Next step," and then double-tap the screen.
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Repeat entering a step name and closing the keyboard until you've added all the steps you want.
Complete a step
When you are done with a step, mark it as completed.
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In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Uncompleted" and the name of the step you want to complete.
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To mark the step completed, double-tap the screen.
A sound cue confirms that you completed the step.
Tip: To mark a step as incomplete, repeat the steps above until you hear "Completed" and the name of the step, and then double-tap the screen.
Mark a task as important
To prioritize a task, mark it as important.
In the detail view for a task, swipe right or left until you hear "Normal task," and then double-tap the screen.
Tip: To remove a task from the Important list, in the detail view for the task, swipe right or left until you hear "Important task," and then double-tap the screen.
Show important tasks as a list
Tasks you have marked as important are added to the Important list. The Important list is a default list that is already set up when you start working with To Do.
-
Swipe right or left until you hear "Sidebar," and then double-tap the screen.
-
Swipe right until you hear: "Important." Double-tap the screen to open the list.
-
Swipe right and left to browse the tasks in the list.
See also
Use a screen reader to show all tasks with a due date in the Planned list in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use To Do for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to make tasks easier to achieve by dividing them into multiple steps. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to highlight tasks by marking them as important.
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.
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When you use To Do for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because To Do for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not To Do for the web.
In this topic
Add steps to a task
Make a task easier to accomplish by dividing it into smaller steps.
-
After opening the detail view for a task, press the Tab key until you hear "Mark task as important," and then press the Down arrow key once.
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Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Add step, button." Press Enter.
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For each step you want to add, enter a name for the step, and then press Enter.
-
When you're done adding steps, to leave the list of steps, press the Tab key once.
Complete a step
When you are done with a step, mark it as completed.
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After opening the detail view for a task, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the first step. If it's not the step you want to complete, with Narrator, press the SR key+Right arrow key until you hear the step you want. With JAWS or NVDA, press the Down arrow key.
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With Narrator, press the SR key+Right arrow key once. You hear: "Mark as completed, checkbox, unchecked." With JAWS or NVDA, press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Mark as completed, checkbox, not checked."
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Press Spacebar to mark the step completed. A sound cue confirms that you completed the step.
Tip: To mark a step as incomplete, repeat the steps above until you hear "Mark as completed, checkbox, checked," and then press Spacebar.
Mark a task as important
To prioritize a task, mark it as important.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the name of a list, and then, with Narrator, press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key to browse the lists until you hear the name of the list containing the task you want. With JAWS or NVDA, press the Down or Up arrow key.
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Press Enter to open the list. The focus moves to the Add a task text field.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the name of a task, then, with Narrator, press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key to browse the list until you find the task you want. With JAWS or NVDA, press the Down or Up arrow key.
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With Narrator, press the SR key+Right arrow key until you hear: "Mark task as important." With JAWS or NVDA, press the Tab key until you hear: "Mark task as important."
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To mark the task as important, press Spacebar.
Tip: To remove a task from the Important list, repeat the steps above until you hear "Remove importance," and then press Spacebar.
Show important tasks as a list
Tasks you have marked as important are added to the Important list. The Important list is a default list that is already set up when you start working with To Do.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear the name of a list, and then, with Narrator, press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key to browse the lists until you hear: "Important." With JAWS or NVDA, press the Down or Up arrow key.
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Press Enter to open the list. The focus moves to the Add a task text entry field.
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To move to the task list content, press the Tab key until you hear the name of a task in the list.
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With Narrator, press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key to browse the tasks in the list. With JAWS or NVDA, press the Down or Up arrow key.
See also
Use a screen reader to show all tasks with a due date in the Planned list in To Do
Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do
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.
