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 your keyboard and a screen reader to plan and schedule a live event in Microsoft Teams. We have tested it with NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
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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Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
Schedule a live event
Live events are an extension of Microsoft Teams meetings that you can use to schedule and produce events that stream to large online audiences.
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In Microsoft Teams, press Ctrl+4 to go to the Calendar view, and then press Shift+Tab until you reach the New meeting split button.
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Press Alt+Down arrow key to open the submenu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Live event," and press Enter. The New live event dialog box opens with the focus in the Title field.
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Type a title for the event.
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Press the Tab key to move the focus to the Location menu. Choosing a location is optional; if you leave it empty, the event will be online only.
To select a location, press Enter to open the menu, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the location you want, and press Enter to select. The room list of the selected location opens. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the room you want, and press Enter to select.
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Press the Tab key until you reach the Start date picker. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date, and then press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the start time picker.
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the starting time for the event, and press Enter.
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Press the Tab key once to move the focus to the End date picker. The date you selected as the start date is already selected. To change to a later date, use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date.
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Press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the end time picker. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the ending time for the event, and press Enter.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Provide info about the live event," and type a description of the event.
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Press the Tab key. You hear: "Invite presenters." Type the name of the person you want to invite. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Enter. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Presenters are the people who will be presenting and producing the event. Do not add any attendees here.
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After you have added all the people you want, press the Tab key until you reach the Next button, and press Enter. The focus moves to the last page of the dialog box.
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select who can watch the live event, and press Enter to confirm the selection. You have three options:
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People and groups: only the specified people and groups can watch the event.
-
Org-wide: Everyone in your organization can watch the event, but they are required to sign in.
-
Public: The event is open to everyone. No sign-in is required.
If you select People and groups, the focus moves to the Add a person or a group field. Type the name of the person or group you want to add. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Enter. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Teams, you plan to use Teams to share content from presenters' webcams and screens." Do one of the following:
-
If you want to use Microsoft Teams to produce the event, press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Enter to check or uncheck each option.
-
If you want to use something else to produce the event, press the Tab key until you hear "An external app or device, you plan to use another tool to share content," and press Enter to select. Then press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Enter to check or uncheck each option.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
To finish planning the event and add the event to your and the other presenters' calendars, press the Tab key until you reach the Schedule button, and press Enter.
See also
Get started with Microsoft Teams live events
Invite attendees to a Teams live event
Use a screen reader to join a meeting in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to plan and schedule a live event in Microsoft Teams.
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.
Schedule a live event
Live events are an extension of Microsoft Teams meetings that you can use to schedule and produce events that stream to large online audiences.
-
In Microsoft Teams, press Command+4 to go to the Calendar view, and then press Shift+Tab until you reach the New meeting split button.
-
Press Command+Down arrow key to open the submenu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Live event," and press Return. The New live event dialog box opens with the focus in the Title field.
-
Type a title for the event.
-
Press the Tab key to move the focus to the Location menu. Choosing a location is optional; if you leave it empty, the event will be online only.
To select a location, press Return to open the menu, use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the location you want, and press Return to select. The room list of the selected location opens. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the room you want, and press Return to select.
-
Press the Tab key to move the focus to the Start date picker. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date, and then press the Tab key.
-
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the starting time for the event, and press Return.
-
Press the Tab key to move the focus to the End date picker. The date you selected as the start date is already selected. To change to a later date, use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date.
-
Press the Tab key, use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the ending time for the event, and press Return.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Provide info about the live event," and type a description of the event.
-
Press the Tab key. You hear: "Invite presenters." Type the name of the person you want to invite. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Return. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Presenters are the people who will be presenting and producing the event. Do not add any attendees here.
-
Press the Tab key until you reach the Next button, and press Return. The focus moves to the last page of the dialog box.
-
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select who can watch the live event, and press Return to confirm the selection. You have three options:
-
People and groups: only the specified people and groups can watch the event.
-
Org-wide: Everyone in your organization can watch the event, but they are required to sign in.
-
Public: The event is open to everyone. No sign-in is required.
If you select People and groups, the focus moves to the Add a person or a group field. Type the name of the person or group you want to add. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Return. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Teams, you plan to use Teams to share content from presenters' webcams and screens." Do one of the following:
-
If you want to use Microsoft Teams to produce the event, press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Return to check or uncheck each option.
-
If you want to use something else to produce the event, press the Tab key until you hear "An external app or device, you plan to use another tool to share content," and press Return to select. Then press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Return to check or uncheck each option.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
To finish planning the event, press the Tab key until you reach the Schedule button, and press Return. The event is added to your and the other presenters' calendars.
See also
Get started with Microsoft Teams live events
Invite attendees to a Teams live event
Use a screen reader to join a meeting in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use your keyboard and a screen reader to plan and schedule a live event in Microsoft Teams on the web. We have tested it with 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.
-
You can easily access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams on the web. Press Ctrl+E to go to the Search field, type /keys, and then press Enter.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
-
When you use Microsoft Teams on the web, we recommend that you use Chrome as your web browser and JAWS or NVDA as your screen reader. Because Microsoft Teams on 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 Microsoft Teams on the web.
Schedule a live event
Live events are an extension of Microsoft Teams meetings that you can use to schedule and produce events that stream to large online audiences.
-
In Microsoft Teams, press Shift+Ctrl+4 to go to the Calendar view, and then press Shift+Tab until you reach the New meeting split button.
-
Press Alt+Down arrow key to open the submenu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Live event," and press Enter. The New live event dialog box opens with the focus in the Title field.
-
Type a title for the event.
-
Press the Tab key until you reach the Start date picker. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date, and then press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the start time picker.
-
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the starting time for the event, and press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key once to move the focus to the End date picker. The date you selected as the start date is already selected. To change to a later date, use the arrow keys to navigate to the right date.
-
Press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the end time picker. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the ending time for the event, and press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Provide info about the live event," and type a description of the event.
-
Press the Tab key. You hear: "Invite presenters." Type the name of the person you want to invite. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Enter. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Presenters are the people who will be presenting and producing the event. Do not add any attendees here.
-
After you have added all the people you want, press the Tab key until you reach the Next button, and press Enter. The focus moves to the last page of the dialog box.
-
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select who can watch the live event, and press Enter to confirm the selection. You have three options:
-
People and groups: only the specified people and groups can watch the event.
-
Org-wide: Everyone in your organization can watch the event, but they are required to sign in.
-
Public: The event is open to everyone. No sign-in is required.
If you select People and groups, the focus moves to the Add a person or a group field. Type the name of the person or group you want to add. The search is performed as you type, and the first result is announced after you stop typing. To navigate further in the list of results, use the Down arrow key. To select a result, press Enter. The focus stays in the field, so you can just repeat this until you have added everyone you want.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Teams, you plan to use Teams to share content from presenters' webcams and screens." Do one of the following:
-
If you want to use Microsoft Teams to produce the event, press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Enter to check or uncheck each option.
-
If you want to use something else to produce the event, press the Tab key until you hear "An external app or device, you plan to use another tool to share content," and press Enter to select. Then press the Tab key to go through the event options one by one. Press Enter to check or uncheck each option.
Note: Some of the options may not be available in your organization.
-
-
To finish planning the event and add the event to your and the other presenters' calendars, press the Tab key until you reach the Schedule button, and press Enter.
See also
Get started with Microsoft Teams live events
Invite attendees to a Teams live event
Use a screen reader to join a meeting in Microsoft Teams
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.
