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 PowerPoint with your keyboard and a screen reader to create a presentation from a predesigned template. 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. With templates you can build presentations with a thought-out arrangement of elements and color, fonts, effects, style, and layout so you can focus on the content, not the design. You can even use accessible templates to easily make your presentation usable for wider audiences.
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.
Create a new presentation from a template
PowerPoint offers a wealth of templates to use. You can search for templates or use the ones readily available in the templates menu.
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Open PowerPoint. PowerPoint opens in the Home view.
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To create a new presentation, press Alt+N. The New menu opens, showing a search field, templates, and themes.
Note: If you're already modifying a presentation in the Normal view and want to create a new one from a template, press Alt+F, N to go to the New menu.
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To search for a template, press Alt+N, S. Type your search words, for example, accessible, and then press Enter. If you want to browse the templates, you can proceed with the next step.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the first template name, then use the arrow keys to browse the available templates and themes. The screen reader announces the items as you move.
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To select a template or theme, press Enter. You hear the template name and "Create."
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To download and start using the selected template, press Enter again.
The presentation opens, and the focus is on the first slide. To move to the title text box, press the Tab key.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to show your presentation with PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Use a screen reader to insert and edit pictures and tables in PowerPoint
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Use a screen reader to attend a PowerPoint Live session in Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to create a presentation from an existing template. With templates you can build presentations with a thought-out arrangement of elements and color, fonts, effects, style, and layout so you can focus on the content, not the design. You can even use accessible templates to easily make your presentation usable for wider audiences.
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.
Create a new presentation from a template
PowerPoint offers a wealth of templates to use. You can search for templates or use the ones readily available in the templates menu.
Search for a template and create a new presentation
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Open PowerPoint. You land on a page showing recent presentations, a search field, templates, and themes.
Note: If you're already modifying a presentation in the Normal view and want to create a new one from a template, press Shift+Command+P. You hear: "New from template."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "New, radio button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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To search for a template, press the Tab key until you hear "Search text field," and then type your search words, for example, accessible. The list of available templates is updated as you type.
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To go to the templates, press the Tab key until you hear "Entering collection," followed by the name of the first template.
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Press the arrow keys to browse the templates and themes. The screen reader announces the items as you move.
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To select and download a template, press Return.
The presentation opens, and the focus is on the first slide.
Create a new presentation using the template menu
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Open PowerPoint. You land on a page showing recent presentations, a search field, templates, and themes.
Note: If you're already modifying a presentation in the Normal view and want to create a new one from a template, press Shift+Command+P. You hear: "New from template."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Entering collection," followed by "Blank presentation, Template."
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Press the arrow keys to browse the menu of templates and themes. The screen reader announces the items as you move.
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To select and download a template, press Return.
The presentation opens, and the focus is on the first slide.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to create a presentation from a predesigned template. With templates you can build presentations with a thought-out arrangement of elements and color, fonts, effects, style, and layout so you can focus on the content, not the design.
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.
Create a new presentation from a template
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Open PowerPoint. You hear either "Blank presentation" if you landed on the New view listing available templates and themes, or "Recent, heading" if you landed on the Recent view showing your most recent presentations.
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Do one of the following:
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In the New view, swipe right until you hear the template you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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In the Recent view, slide one finger across the bottom of the screen until you hear "New," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Blank presentation." Swipe right until you hear the template you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Tip: To move from the Editing view to the Recent view, swipe left or right until you hear "Close file," and then double-tap the screen. If you hear an alert to save your work, swipe right until you hear "Save ellipses," and then double-tap the screen. The Save dialog box opens. For instructions on how to save a presentation, go to Use a screen reader to save your presentation in PowerPoint.
The presentation opens, and the focus is on the new slide.
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To edit the new slide, swipe right until you hear the first placeholder element on the slide, for example, "Title text box," and then double-tap the screen to select it. Double-tap the screen, and then use the on-screen keyboard to type your text.
Tip: If you want to use an accessible template with PowerPoint, you need to save a dummy presentation using an accessible template to a cloud repository such as OneDrive using the PowerPoint desktop version. Then you can open the saved accessible presentation in PowerPoint for editing.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to create a presentation from a predesigned template. With templates you can build presentations with a thought-out arrangement of elements and color, fonts, effects, style, and layout so you can focus on the content, not the design.
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.
Create a new presentation from a template
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Open PowerPoint for Android.
Tip: To move from the Thumbnail view to the File menu, swipe left until you hear "File," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "File menu, Open."
Tip: To move from the Editing view to the File menu, swipe left or right until you hear "Not checked, Back," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear "File," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "File menu, Open."
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Swipe left or right until you hear "New," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Blank presentation."
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Swipe right until you hear the template you want, and then double-tap the screen.
The presentation opens in the Thumbnail view, and the focus is on the new slide.
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To start editing the new slide, swipe right until you hear "Selected, slide one," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Edit." Double-tap the screen. The slide opens in the Editing view.
Note: If you want to use an accessible template with PowerPoint for Android, you need to save a dummy presentation using an accessible template to a cloud repository such as OneDrive using the PowerPoint desktop version. Then you can open the saved accessible presentation in PowerPoint for Android for editing.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to create a presentation from a predesigned template. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. With templates you can build presentations with a thought-out arrangement of elements and color, fonts, effects, style, and layout so you can focus on the content, not the design.
Notes:
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If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
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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.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use PowerPoint for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because PowerPoint 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 PowerPoint for the web.
Create a new presentation from a template
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Open PowerPoint for the web. You land on a page showing recent presentations, templates, and themes. The focus is on the new blank presentation template.
Note: If you're already editing a presentation in the Normal view, press Alt+Windows logo key+F, N to open the New menu.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Access more themes," and then press Enter.
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Press the Tab key to browse the templates and themes. The screen reader announces the items as you move.
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To select and open a template, press Enter. The presentation opens in the Normal view.
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To move to the title text box, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Slide panel," and then press the Tab key. You hear: "Center title placeholder." To edit the placeholder, press Enter and type your text.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to show your presentation with PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Use a screen reader to insert and edit pictures and tables in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to attend a PowerPoint Live session in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
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.
