Voice-Activated Freedom: Mastering the Keyboard of Windows Narrator

Narrator is a screen reader from Microsoft that assists with navigation and access to information. It reads text, provides voice assistance, and navigates screen content. Visually impaired or low-vision individuals can better comprehend what’s on their computer screens with its help.

In this article, we’ve put together a complete list of legacy keyboard shortcuts that you can use to make your Narrator experience more seamless.

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How Do I Switch Between Legacy and Standard Keyboard Layouts?

There are two popular keyboard layouts for Narrator: Legacy and Standard. The Legacy keyboard layout was traditionally used on computers before the widespread adoption of the Standard layout. It’s still in use today and offers advantages at certain times.

If you are using one of these layouts and wish to switch to the other, follow these steps:

PressWin + Ctrl + N on your keyboard.
Scroll down to theMouse and keyboard section.
SelectKeyboard layout from the drop-down menu.

This way, you can switch between the Legacy and Standard layouts.

While this piece just covers the shortcuts, be sure to check outthe beginner’s guide to Narrator for more general tips.

All the Narrator Legacy Keyboard Shortcuts

Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use in Narrator to maximize your productivity.

Shortcut Key	Action
General commands
Win + Ctrl + N	Open Narrator settings
Win + Ctrl + Enter	Start or stop Narrator
Narrator + Esc	Stop Narrator
Narrator + 1	Toggle input learning
Narrator + Right arrow	Move to next item

Narrator + Left arrow	Move to previous item
Narrator + Up or Down arrow	Change view
Narrator + F1	Show commands list
Narrator + F2	Show commands for current item
Narrator + Enter	Do primary action
Narrator + Shift + Enter	Toggle search mode
Narrator + C	Read current time and date

Narrator + Shift + D	Describe image using an online service
Narrator + E Narrator + Alt + F	Provide Narrator feedback
Narrator + Z	Lock Narrator key
Narrator + Shift + F12	Toggle developer mode
Narrator + X	Pass keys to application
Narrator + Num lock	Turn mouse mode on or off
Quickly Press Caps lock Twice	Turn Caps lock on or off

Adjust speech
Narrator + Page Up	Increase voice volume
Narrator + Page Down	Decrease voice volume
Narrator + Plus (+)	Increase voice speed
Narrator + Minus (-)	Decrease voice speed
Narrator + Alt + Plus (+)	Move to the next voice
Narrator + Alt + Minus (-)	Move to the previous voice

Narrator + Alt + Left bracket ([)	Change to the prior punctuation reading mode
Narrator + Alt + Right bracket (])	Change to the next punctuation reading mode
Narrator + A Narrator + Ctrl + Plus (+)	Increase verbosity mode
Narrator + Ctrl + Minus (-)	Decrease verbosity mode
Narrator + F12	Toggle character reading
Narrator + Forward slash (/)	Read context
Alt + Narrator + Forward slash (/)	Change how much context is read (verbosity)

Narrator + Ctrl + Forward slash (/)	Change read context order
Read and work with text
Ctrl	Stop reading
Narrator + D	Read item
Narrator + S	Read item spelled out
Narrator + 0 (zero)	Read item advanced
Narrator + T	Read window title

Narrator + W	Read window
Narrator + V	Repeat phrase
Narrator + R	Read from cursor
Narrator + M	Start reading document
Narrator + H	Read document
Narrator + Close square bracket (])	Read text from start to cursor
Narrator + Shift + U	Read previous page

Narrator + Ctrl + U	Read current page
Narrator + U	Read next page
Narrator + Shift + I	Read previous paragraph
Narrator + Ctrl + I	Read current paragraph
Narrator + I	Read next paragraph
Narrator + Ctrl + M	Read previous sentence
Narrator + Ctrl + comma (,)	Read current sentence

Narrator + Ctrl + period (.)	Read next sentence
Narrator + Shift + O	Read previous line
Narrator + Ctrl + O	Read current line
Narrator + O	Read next line
Narrator + Shift + P	Read previous word
Narrator + Ctrl + P	Read current word
Narrator + P	Read next word

Narrator + Shift + Open square bracket ([)	Read previous character
Narrator + Ctrl + Open square bracket ([)	Read current character
Narrator + Open square bracket ([)	Read next character
Narrator + F	Read next group of formatting information
Shift + Narrator + F	Read previous group of formatting information
Narrator + Y	Move to beginning of text
Narrator + B	Move to end of text

Narrator + J	Read previous word
H (with scan mode on)	Jump to next heading
Shift + H (with scan mode on)	Jump to previous heading
Narrator + L	Jump to next link
Narrator + Shift + L	Jump to previous link
Narrator + Shift + Down Arrow	Read current selection
Navigate tables

Narrator + F3	Jump to next cell in row
Narrator + Shift + F3	Jump to previous cell in row
Narrator + F4	Jump to next cell in column
Narrator + Shift + F4	Jump to previous cell in column
Narrator + F10	Read current row header
Narrator + F9	Read current column header
Narrator + F8	Read current row

Narrator + F7	Read current column
Narrator + F5	Read which row and column Narrator is in
Narrator + F6	Jump to table cell
Narrator + Shift + F6	Jump to cell contents
Narrator + K	Jump to next table
Narrator + Shift + K	Jump to previous table
Narrator focus commands

Narrator + Home	Move to first item in window
Narrator + End	Move to last item in window
Narrator + Backspace	Go back one item
Narrator + N	Move to main landmark
Narrator + G	Move Narrator cursor to system cursor
Narrator + tilde (~)	Set focus to item
Narrator + Insert	Jump to linked item
Narrator + Shift + Insert	Jump to annotated content
Ctrl + Narrator + Up arrow	Navigate to parent (when structural navigation is provided)
Ctrl + Narrator + Right arrow	Navigate to next sibling (when structural navigation is provided)
Ctrl + Narrator + Left arrow	Navigate to previous sibling (when structural navigation is provided)
Ctrl + Narrator + Down arrow	Navigate to first child (when structural navigation is provided)
Narrator + Q	Move to last item in containing area

Get More Out of Windows Narrator

Windows Narrator is an incredible tool for people with low vision or blindness, but its features can be used by anyone. Whether you need to quickly find a file or hear today’s news summary, Narrator can help you get the job done. You will find here a list of keyboard shortcuts to help you get more done with Narrator.

Win11

Voice-Activated Freedom: Mastering the Keyboard of Windows Narrator