Microsoft Narrator, also called Narrator, is a free screen reader utility included with Microsoft Windows. While not as robust as a full-function screen reader, it can read dialog boxes and window controls in most Windows applications. Example uses for Narrator are basic navigation, aiding in the installation of a different screen reader, or as a backup reader during updates.

Starting and stopping Windows Narrator

In current versions of Windows 10, Narrator can be toggled on and off by pressing Ctrl+Windows key+Enter.

Microsoft Narrator was written by Professor Paul Blenkhorn in 2000 and is included with every version of Windows released since that time.

  • Starting and stopping Windows Narrator.
  • What is the Narrator key?
  • Examples of Narrator keyboard shortcuts.
  • Navigating a web page using the Narrator.

In Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista, the keyboard shortcut to toggle Narrator is Windows key+Enter.

What is the Narrator key?

When referring to a Windows Narrator keyboard shortcut, you may be told to press Narrator key, which by default, is the Caps Lock key. It can also be the Insert key. However, cannot be remapped to any other key. Also, when Narrator is enabled these keys are treated like a modifier key.

Examples of Narrator keyboard shortcuts

Once Windows Narrator is open, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts to navigate and read what is being displayed on the screen. This list helps get you started using the Narrator, but it does not contain all of its shortcuts.

Tab and arrow keys

The Tab key and arrow keys are used to navigate between screen elements. For example, on a web page, you can press Tab to move between each of the website elements (e.g., hyperlinks).

Ctrl key

Press Ctrl to stop the Narrator from reading.

Caps Lock + Spacebar

Press Caps Lock + spacebar keyboard shortcut to enter and exit scan mode. Scan mode lets you quickly navigate website elements like headings, links, and paragraphs using the following keys:

1-6 - Pressing the one through six number keys moves through each of the headings. For example, pressing 1 moves to heading one, which is the first heading on most web pages. D - Navigate to the next landmark. Pressing Shift+D would move to the previous landmark. H - Moves to the next heading on a website. Pressing Shift+H would move to the previous heading. P - Moves to the next paragraph. Pressing Shift+P moves to the previous paragraph. T - Moves to the next table. Pressing Shift+T would move to the previous table.

Caps Lock+down arrow

Pressing Caps Lock+Down arrow makes Narrator read from the current position.

If you press any of the letters or numbers above and the Narrator only says the keys pressed, you’re not in scan mode. Press Caps Lock+Spacebar to enter scan mode and press 1 again on the keyboard.

Navigating a web page using the Narrator

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the shortcut keys above, you can use Narrator to navigate almost any website. The accessibility of a web page depends on how well it’s structured and if accessibility was considered during the design. Below is an example of how you could navigate most websites using the Narrator.

For a list of computer keyboard shortcuts, see our computer keyboard shortcuts section. For a full list of available Narrator keys, see: Microsoft Narrator keyboard commands.

  • Press Ctrl+Windows key+Enter to open the Narrator in Windows 10.
  • Press the Windows key to open the Start menu and type in the name of the browser you want to use. For example, you could type “Edge” to open the Edge browser.
  • If a browser window is already open, hold down the Alt and press Tab until you get to the browser window and let go of both buttons.
  • Once in the browser window, press Ctrl+L to get to the address bar to enter an address or perform a search.
  • Once a web page has opened, you can browse it using the keyboard shortcut keys mentioned earlier. For a page like this page, press 1 to move to the first heading and then Narrator key+Down arrow to start Narrator reading. Computer Hope has made its pages more accessible by having a skip to the main link by pressing Tab when you first open the page and making landmarks for each of its primary sections.

Microsoft Windows, Software terms, TTS, Update, Utility

  • How to navigate Windows using a keyboard.
  • Microsoft Windows shortcut keys.
  • Description of each category and icon in the Control Panel.