Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
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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 Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to quickly do all essential basic tasks, such as open, create, and read a document or add page numbers. 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: 

In this topic

Open Word

  1. Press the Windows logo key, type word, and then press Enter. Word opens.

You can now start a new blank document to add your text and other content or create your document using a template with predesigned formatting. For instructions, refer to Create a new blank document or Use a screen reader to work with templates in Word.

Sign in to your Microsoft account

Sign in to your Microsoft account to get the most out of the Word features and to take your documents with you wherever you go. You can also open Word without signing in.

Note: If you are using an account in an organization, the sign-in steps might be slightly different. For example, you might need to use a PIN or smartcard to complete the sign-in.

Tip: If you did not sign out of Word the last time you used it, the app opens without prompting you to sign in.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Open Word. Press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in to get the most out of Microsoft 365," and then press Enter.

    • If you're already editing a document and want to sign in, press Alt+F to open the File menu. Then press D, S. You hear: “Accounts.”

  2. Type your email or phone number, press Enter, and then press the Tab key. You hear: “Password.”

  3. Type your password, and press Enter.

Open a recent document

All documents you have recently worked on can be found in one place so you can quickly pick up where you left off.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Open Word, and then press Shift+Tab until you hear the name of a recent document.

    • If you're already editing a document and want to open another one, press Alt+F to open the File menu, and then press Shift+Tab until you hear the name of a recent document.

  2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the name of the document you want, and press Enter to open it.

Create a new blank document

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Open Word. The focus is on the option to create a new, blank document and you hear: "Blank document."

    • If you're already editing a document and want to start a new one, press Alt+F to open the File menu, and then press the Tab key until you hear: "Blank document."

  2. To select and open the blank document, press Enter. You hear the default name of the document, followed by "Editing." The focus moves to the editing area in the document body.

You can now start adding text and other content to the document. For instructions on how to insert and format text in a document, refer to Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word.

Save a document

Word automatically saves your document to OneDrive or SharePoint when AutoSave is turned on. For instructions on how to turn on AutoSave, refer to Turn on AutoSave.

If AutoSave is not turned on or if you want to save the document with another name, to another location, or using another format, you can save your document manually to your computer, for example. For instructions, refer to Save a document locally. Alternatively, you can manually save your document to an online location. For instructions, refer to Save a document to OneDrive or SharePoint.

For instructions on how to save a document as a PDF, refer to Save a document as a PDF.

For instructions on how to use other saving options, refer to Use a screen reader to save a document in Word.

Read a document

To use the text reading keyboard shortcuts, place the focus to the document body area.

  • To start reading from where your cursor is with Narrator, press the SR key+Ctrl+R or the SR key+Down arrow key. With JAWS, press the SR key+Page up. With NVDA, press the SR key+Down arrow key.

  • To read the current page with Narrator, press the SR key+Ctrl+I. 

  • To read the current paragraph with Narrator, press the SR key+Ctrl+K. With JAWS, press Ctrl+5 on the numeric keypad.

  • To read the next line with Narrator, press the SR key+O. With JAWS and NVDA, press the Down arrow key.

  • To read the previous line with Narrator, press the SR key+U. With JAWS and NVDA, press the Up arrow key.

  • To read the next word with Narrator, press the SR key+L or SR key+Ctrl+Right arrow key. With JAWS, press the SR key+Right arrow key. With NVDA, press Ctrl+Right arrow key.

  • To read the previous word with Narrator, press the SR key+J or SR key+Ctrl+Left arrow key. With JAWS, press the SR key+Left arrow key. With NVDA, press Ctrl+Left arrow key.

  • To stop reading, press Ctrl.

For the detailed lists of the keyboard shortcuts for reading text, refer to the user guidance of your screen reader. With Narrator, refer to Chapter 4: Reading text. With JAWS, refer to JAWS Reading Commands. With NVDA, refer to NVDA User Guide.

Apply styles

Use the built-in styles to give your document a consistent look. Using styles can also improve the accessibility and usability of your document. Use the built-in heading styles if you want to insert a table of contents to the document. 

  1. Place the cursor where you want to apply a style to.

  2. To open the Styles menu, press Alt+H, L.

  3. Use the arrow keys to browse the list of available styles.

  4. When you hear the style you want, press Enter to apply it to your document.

Navigate by headings

If you've used the heading styles in your document, you can use the Navigation Pane to quickly move from heading to heading.

  1. To turn on the Navigation Pane, press Alt+W, K. You hear: "Navigation, Search document."

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Pages." Press the Left arrow key until you hear "Headings."

  3. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to browse the list of headings. Your screen reader announces the headings as you move.

  4. To move to the heading in the document body, press Enter. The focus moves to the beginning of the heading row.

Search a document

Use search to quickly find a certain word or element such as a graphic in your document.

Search for a word

  1. Press Ctrl+F. You hear: "Navigation, Search document."

  2. Type your search words. The list of search results is updated as you type.

  3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Search results list," followed by the first search result.

  4. Press the Down arrow key to move through the list of results. Your screen reader announces the results.

  5. When you hear the search result you want, press Enter to move the focus to the document body where the searched word can be found.

Search for an element

Search for a specific element, for example, a graphic, table, or comment from a specific person.

  1. Press Ctrl+F. You hear: "Navigation, Search a document."

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Search, split button," and then press Alt+Down arrow key to expand the menu.

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the element you want, for example, "Graphic," and then press Enter to select.

    If the element has a submenu, you hear the element, followed by "Collapsed, menu item." Press the Right arrow key to expand the menu, and then press the Up or Down arrow keys to browse the submenu.

  4. The focus moves to the next result button. Press Enter repeatedly to move through the results.

Add page numbers

  1. Press Alt+N, N, U. You hear: "Top of page." The Page Number menu opens, and the focus is on the first option.

  2. To browse the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter. A list of page number styles opens.

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter.

  4. If you chose to add the page numbers at the top or bottom of the page, or in the page margin, the Header or Footer pane opens. To exit the pane and return to the document editing mode, press Esc.

Print documents

If you need hard copies of your Word documents, you can easily print them. If you don't have immediate access to a printer, you can print the document to PDF and save it on your computer.

Print a document using a printer 

  1. Press Ctrl+P. The Print dialog box opens. Do one of the following:

    • To print with the default settings, press Enter.

    • To change the print settings, press the Tab key to move through the options. To open an options list, press Spacebar. To move in an options list, press the arrow keys. To select an option, press Enter. To print with the new settings, press the Tab key until you hear "Print button," and then press Enter.

Print a document to PDF 

  1. Press Ctrl+P. The Print dialog box opens.

  2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Printer, Which printer," and press Spacebar to expand the Printer menu. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Microsoft, Print to PDF," and press Enter.

  3. Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Print button," and press Enter.

  4. The Save Print Output As dialog box opens. The focus is on the File name text field. Type a name for your document. Then use the Tab key and the arrow keys to navigate to the location where you want to save the print output. When you're on the right location, press Alt+S to save the file as a PDF.

Change the app theme to increase contrast

You might find Word easier to use if you adjust the theme to one that provides more contrast.

Note: Changing the app theme affects all your Microsoft 365 applications.

  1. In Word, press Alt+F, D, Y, and then 2. The focus moves to the Office Theme list in the File menu. You hear “Office theme,” followed by the currently selected theme. 

  2. Press the Down arrow key until you find the theme you want, and press Enter. For the highest contrast, select Dark Gray.

  3. To exit the Files menu and return to the document body, press Esc.

Tip: For information on how to choose a higher-contrast theme in Windows, refer to Use color and contrast for accessibility in Microsoft 365 and Make Windows easier to see.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in Word

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Keyboard shortcuts for the File menu in Microsoft 365 for Windows

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

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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