VoiceOver is the first screen reader to provide plug-and-play support for refreshable braille displays. Plug in or sync one of over 100 compatible displays, and the VoiceOver description is presented to you in braille. VoiceOver is a full-functioned screen reader for the Mac that contains many useful features. Apple has obviously invested a great many resources in this accessibility tool. The result of this investment is that persons who are visually impaired can now access many Macintosh applications easily and efficiently. NVDA version 2018.3.2. The NVDA screen reader can be downloaded free of charge by anyone. We do this because we believe everyone, especially the world’s poorest blind people deserve access to computers and a way out of poverty.
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This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with the Office products and is part of the Office Accessibility content set. For more general help, see Office Support home.
Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to add or change text in a document. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to change the font, apply formatting styles, and use built-in heading styles to improve the accessibility and usability of your document.
Notes:
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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 Office.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, in the Print Layout view, press Alt+F, O.
Press the Tab key to move to the list of file locations, such as OneDrive or your computer.
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the location you want, and then press the Tab key until you hear the file you want. If your document is in a folder in the selected location, press Enter to open the folder.
To open the document, press Enter. You hear the document name. The focus is on the editing area in the document body.
Press the arrow keys until you hear the place where you want to add text, and start typing.
When you are finished, press Ctrl+S to save your changes.
Find and replace text
Press Ctrl+H. You hear: 'Find and replace.' The focus is on the Find what text field.
Type the word or phrase you want to replace.
Press the Tab key. You hear: 'Replace with.'
Type the word or phrase with which to replace the original one.
Do one of the following:
To find and replace matching words or phrases one by one, press Alt+F. The first instance is selected in the document body. To replace it, press Alt+R. Repeat for all instances you want to replace. If you want to skip replacing an instance, just press Alt+F to move to the next one.
To replace all matching words or phrases in the text, press Alt+A. You hear an alert indicating the number of replacements. To close the alert window, press Enter.
Select text
You can quickly select all text in your document, or just a particular piece of the text.
To select all text, press Ctrl+A.
To select a piece of text, move to the text you want to select, and then press and hold down Shift. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor until the text is selected.
Use headings
Headings are very important for the document accessibility, navigation, and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, use the built-in heading styles. This way your screen reader and Word exchange the right information for smooth navigation.
You can also use the headings as link targets to create hyperlinks within the current document. For instructions, go to Link to a location within a document.
In your document, select the text you want to turn into a heading.
Do one of the following:
To apply Heading 1 style, press Ctrl+Alt+1.
To apply Heading 2 style, press Ctrl+Alt+2.
To apply Heading 3 style, press Ctrl+Alt+3.
Tip: To browse for more heading styles, press Alt+H, L. Press the arrow keys until you hear the style you want, and then press Enter to apply it to your document.
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
Using character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
Select the text you want to format.
Do one of the following:
To apply bold formatting, press Ctrl+B.
To apply italic formatting, press Ctrl+I.
To apply underlined formatting, press Ctrl+U.
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Change to a different font
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Press Alt+H, F, F. You hear: 'Font, <the current font>.'
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want, and then press Enter.
Tip: To jump directly to a font you have already decided to use, start typing the name of the font. For example, type ti to find Times New Roman.
Change font size
Select the text you want to resize.
Do one of the following:
To make the text 1 point larger, press Ctrl+[ (Left bracket).
To make the text 1 point smaller, press Ctrl+] (Right bracket).
To make the text incrementally larger according to the sizes in the Increase Font Size button, press Ctrl+Shift+> (Greater than sign).
To make the text incrementally smaller according to the sizes in the Decrease Font Size button, press Ctrl+Shift+< (Less than sign).
To select a particular size, press Alt+H, F, S. You hear the current font size. Type the point size you want, and then press Enter.
Change several font properties at once
You can browse font properties and change several at once in the Font dialog.
Select the text you want to format.
To open the Font dialog, press Alt+H, F, N.
Do one or more of the following:
To go to and change:
Font, press Alt+F, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want.
Font style, press Alt+Y, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the font style you want.
Font size, press Alt+S, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the font size you want.
Font color, press Alt+C. Press the arrow keys until you hear the font color you want, and then press Enter.
Underline style, press Alt+U. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the underline style you want, and then press Enter.
Underline color, press Alt+I. Press the arrow keys until you hear the underline color you want, and then press Enter.
To go to and select:
Strikethrough, press Alt+K.
Double strikethrough, press Alt+L.
Superscript, press Alt+P.
Subscript, press Alt+B.
Small caps, press Alt+M.
All caps, press Alt+A.
Hidden, press Alt+H.
Set As Default, press Alt+D, and then press Enter.
Text Effects, press Alt+E, and then press Enter.
Advanced tab, press Alt+V.
Font tab, press Alt+N.
To apply the changes, press the Tab key until you hear 'OK,' and then press Enter.
To exit the Font dialog without applying the changes, press Esc.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
In your document, press Alt+G, T, F.
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want, and then press Enter.
To hear a description of the fonts applied by the theme, press Narrator+0. In JAWS, press Insert+F.
Jaws Screen Reader For Mac
See also
Use Word for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to add or change text in a document. You can change the fonts, apply formatting styles, and use built-in heading styles to improve the accessibility and usability of your document.
Notes:
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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.
We recommend that you read and edit documents in Print Layout View. VoiceOver may not work reliably in other view modes.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, press Command+Option+M. You hear: 'Menu bar, Apple.' Press the Right arrow key until you hear: 'File.'
Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the File menu, and then press Command+O to Open. This opens a list of file locations, such as OneDrive and your computer. The menu starts at the location where you most recently saved a file.
Press the Down arrow key to browse locations, or press the Tab key twice to go to the list of files in the current location.
When you go to the list of files, VoiceOver reads the name of the first file in the location. Press Control+Option+Down arrow to browse the list. To open the currently selected file, press Enter.
After the file opens, VoiceOver announces the file name. The focus is now on the text area of the document.
Place the cursor where you want to add new text, and then begin typing.
When you are finished, press Command+S to save your changes.
Find and replace text
Press Shift+Command+H. You hear: 'Search, checked, combo box.'
Type the word or phrase you want to replace. The list of search results is updated as you type.
Press the Tab key until you hear 'Combo box, Replace with,' and then type the word or phrase with which to replace the original one.
Do one of the following:
To replace the matching words or phrases one by one, press the Tab key until you hear 'Replace button,' and then press Control+Option+Spacebar repeatedly until you've gone through all the instances you want to replace.
To replace all matching words or phrases, press the Tab key until you hear “Replace all, button,” and then press Spacebar. You hear an alert indicating the number of replacements made. To close the alert window, press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Use headings
Headings are very important for the document accessibility, navigation, and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, use the built-in heading styles. This way your screen reader and Word exchange the right information for smooth navigation.
You can also use the headings as link targets to create hyperlinks within the current document. For instructions, go to Link to a location within a document.
Select the text that you want to turn into a heading.
Do one of the following:
To apply Heading 1 style, press Command+Option+1.
To apply Heading 2 style, press Command+Option+2.
To apply Heading 3 style, press Command+Option+3.
VoiceOver announces the font size and color of the selected heading style when you select text and press Command+Option+T.
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
The use of character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
Select the text you want to format.
Do one of the following:
To apply bold formatting, press Control+B. You hear: 'Bold.'
To apply italic formatting, press Control+I. You hear: 'Italic.'
To apply underlined formatting, press Control+U. You hear: 'Underline.'
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Free Screen Reader For Mac
Change to a different font
Select the text you want to change.
Press F6 until you hear: 'Home, selected, tab.'
To open the Font combo box, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the current font, followed by 'Font, colon, combo box.' Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the list.
Press the Down arrow key to browse the fonts. To apply the currently selected font, press Enter.
Tip: To jump directly to a font you have already decided to use, start typing the name of the font. For example, type ti to find Times.
Change font size
Select the text you want to resize.
Press F6 until you hear: 'Home, selected, tab.'
To open the Font combo box, press the Tab key until you hear the point size of the current font, followed by 'Font size, colon, combo box.' Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the list.
Press the Down arrow key to browse the available sizes. To apply the currently selected font size, press Enter.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
Press F6 until you hear: 'Home, selected, tab.'
To open the Font combo box, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the current font, followed by 'Font, colon, combo box.' Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the list.
Press T. You hear: 'Theme fonts.'
Press the Down arrow key to browse the list of theme fonts. To apply the currently selected theme font, press Enter.
See also
Use Word for iOS with VoiceOver, the in-built iOS screen reader, to add or change text in a document. You can change the fonts, apply formatting styles, and use headings to improve your text flow.
Notes:
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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.
We recommend you read and edit documents in Print Layout View. VoiceOver may not work reliably in other view modes.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, in the Print Layout view, swipe left until you hear 'Save and close' and then double-tap the screen.
To go to the Open tab, swipe right until you hear 'Open button' and double-tap the screen. The Places menu opens.
Swipe right or left until you find a location where you have the document you want to open, such as your phone or a folder on OneDrive. VoiceOver announces the locations as you move. To open a location, swipe right until you're on a location, and then double-tap to open it.
When on the location you want, to open a document, swipe right or left until you hear the document name, and then double-tap the screen. VoiceOver announces the documents as you move. The document opens.
To add text to the document, swipe right until you hear: 'Page 1 content.' Double-tap the screen. The on-screen keyboard opens.
Tip: You can also find the keyboard by exploring the items on the screen. To explore, place a finger on the screen and drag it around. VoiceOver announces the items as you land on them. To select an item, lift your finger and double-tap the screen.
When you are done, to close the keyboard, swipe left until you hear 'Hide keyboard' and double-tap the screen.
Find and replace text
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Search button,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Search, text field, is editing.' The on-screen keyboard appears on the bottom half of the screen.
Use the on-screen keyboard to write the word or phrase you want to find and replace. VoiceOver announces the number of matches.
Slide one finger on the top left corner of the screen until you hear 'Search options, button,' and then double-tap the screen. The Options menu opens.
Swipe right until you hear either 'Find and replace' or 'Find and replace all,' and then double-tap the screen to select the option.
Swipe left until you hear 'Done, button,' and then double-tap the screen. The focus returns to the Search pane.
Swipe right until you hear 'Replace, text field,' and then double-tap the screen.
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the word or phrase with which to replace the original one.
Slide one finger on the top right corner of the screen until you hear 'Replace, button' or 'Replace all, button,' and then double-tap the screen.
To close the Search text field and move the focus to your found result, use two fingers to swipe a Z gesture.
Select text
You can select text in your document for editing or formatting.
To select a piece of text, with the focus in the document editing area, navigate to the text you want to select.
Double-tap and hold the screen. You hear the selected item.
To expand your selection, slide two fingers apart on the screen. VoiceOver announces the selection as you move your fingers.
Use headings
Headings are very important for document accessibility and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, it's essential to create them by using the built-in heading styles in Word. This makes it possible for your screen reader and Word to exchange the right information.
In your document, select the text you want to turn into a heading.
To go to the ribbon, swipe right or left until you hear 'Show ribbon,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current ribbon tab.
To select the Home ribbon tab, double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
On the Home tab, swipe right until you hear: “Styles button.” Double-tap the screen. The Styles menu opens.
In the Styles menu, swipe right until you hear the heading you want, and then double-tap the screen. The focus returns to the Home tab.
To close the ribbon, swipe left until you hear 'Hide ribbon' and double-tap the screen.
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
The use of character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Do one or more of the following:
To apply bold formatting, swipe right or left until you hear “Bold button,” and then double-tap the screen.
To apply italic formatting, swipe right or left until you hear “Italic button,' and then double-tap the screen.
To apply underlined formatting, swipe right or left until you hear: 'Underline button,' and then double-tap the screen.
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Change to a different font
In your document, select the text you want to format.
To go to the ribbon, swipe right or left until you hear 'Show ribbon,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current ribbon tab.
To select the Home ribbon tab, double-tap the screen, swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
On the Home tab, swipe right until you hear 'Fonts, <current font>, <current font size>' and then double-tap the screen. The Fonts menu opens.
Swipe right or left until you hear the font you want. VoiceOver announces the fonts as you move. To select a font, double-tap the screen.
After selecting a new font, the Fonts menu closes and the focus moves to the Home tab.
Change the font size
With the following steps you can change the font size of the text you type into a document.
In your document, select the text you want to format.
To go to the ribbon, swipe right or left until you hear 'Show ribbon,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current ribbon tab.
To select the Home ribbon tab, double-tap the screen, swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
On the Home tab, swipe right until you hear 'Fonts, <current font>, <current font size>' and then double-tap the screen. The Fonts menu opens.
Swipe right until you hear: 'Size <current font size>.'
To change the font size, do one of the following:
To increase the font size, swipe right until you hear 'Plus button,' and then double-tap the screen to increase the size by 1 point.
To decrease the font size, swipe right until you hear 'Minus button,' and then double-tap the screen to decrease the size by 1 point.
To close the ribbon, swipe left until you hear 'Hide ribbon' and then double-tap the screen.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
To go to the ribbon, swipe right or left until you hear 'Show ribbon,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current ribbon tab.
To select the Home ribbon tab, double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Fonts, <current font>, <current font size>' and then double-tap the screen. The Fonts menu opens.
Swipe right until you hear: 'Theme fonts heading.' Swipe right to listen to the available theme fonts. VoiceOver announces the theme fonts as you move. To select a theme font, double-tap the screen.
The list of the theme fonts ends when you hear: 'Recently used fonts heading.' If you haven't selected a font yet, the theme fonts ends when you hear: 'Office Compatible Fonts.'
See also
Use Word for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to add or change text in a document. You can change the fonts, apply formatting styles, and use headings to improve your text flow.
Notes:
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, in the Print Layout view, swipe left until you hear 'File button,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'File menu, Open.'
To open the Open dialog, double-tap the screen, and then swipe right until you hear the list of file locations, such as OneDrive or your device.
To open the location, double-tap the screen. Navigate to the document you want, and then double-tap the screen. The document is opened, and the focus is on the document body.
To open the on-screen keyboard, double-tap the screen, and then start typing.
When you are finished, close the keyboard and if necessary, save your document as instructed in Create a new document.
Find and replace text
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Editing, Find, three period, edit box,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Find, three period, edit box.' The on-screen keyboard is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the word or phrase you want to replace.
Swipe right until you hear 'Submit, button,' and then double-tap the screen. TalkBack announces the number of matching instances and which one of those is selected in the body text.
Swipe left until you hear 'More options button,' and then double-tap the screen. The Find settings menu opens at the bottom of the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Not checked, Replace, check box,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Editing, Replace, three period, edit box.' The on-screen keyboard is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the word or phrase with which you want to replace the original one.
Do one of the following:
To replace the matching instances one by one, swipe right until you hear 'Replace button,' and then double-tap the screen repeatedly until you've gone through all matching search results.
To replace all matching search results at once, swipe right until you hear 'Replace all button,' and then double-tap the screen.
To close the Find bar, swipe left until you hear 'Close Find bar, button,' and then double-tap the screen.
Select text
You can select a particular piece of text or all text in your document.
Select a piece of text
To select a piece of text, with the focus on the document editing area, navigate to the text you want to select.
Double-tap and hold the screen. You hear the selected item.
To expand your selection, slide two fingers apart on the screen. TalkBack announces the selection as you move your fingers.
Select all text
To select all text in your document, swipe up-then-right. You hear: 'Local context menu, TalkBack, showing items one to three of three.'
Swipe right until you hear 'Cursor control,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Select all,' and then double tap the screen.
Use headings
Headings are very important for document accessibility and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, it's essential to create them by using the built-in heading styles in Word. This makes it possible for your screen reader and Word to exchange the right information.
In your document, select the text you want to turn into a heading.
Swipe right until you hear 'Not checked, expand switch,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current tab.
Double-tap the screen, and then swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
On the Home tab, swipe right until you hear: “Styles menu.” Double-tap the screen. The Styles menu opens.
In the Styles menu, swipe right until you hear the heading you want, and then double-tap the screen. The focus returns to the Home tab, you hear: “Tab menu, Home selected.”
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
The use of character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Do one or more of the following:
To apply bold formatting, swipe left or right until you hear “Not checked, Bold, switch,” and then double-tap the screen.
To apply italic formatting, swipe left or right until you hear “Not checked, Italic, switch,' and then double-tap the screen.
To apply underlined formatting, swipe left or right until you hear 'Not checked, Underline, switch,' and then double-tap the screen.
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Change to a different font
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Swipe right until you hear 'Not checked, expand switch,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current tab.
Double-tap the screen, and then swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font combo-box, <current font>, selected' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear the font you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Change font size
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Swipe right until you hear 'Not checked, expand switch,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current tab.
Double-tap the screen, and then swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font size combo-box, <current size>, selected' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear the font size you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
Swipe right until you hear 'Not checked, expand switch,' and double-tap the screen. You hear the current tab.
Double-tap the screen, and then swipe left or right until you hear 'Home tab,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font combo-box, <current font>, selected' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear: 'Theme fonts.' Swipe right to listen to the available theme fonts. To select, double-tap the screen.
The list of the theme fonts ends when you hear: 'All fonts.'
See also
Use Word Mobile with Narrator, the built-in Windows screen reader, to add or change text in a document. You can change the fonts, apply formatting styles, and use headings to improve your text flow.
Notes:
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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 Office.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, in the Print Layout view, swipe left or right until you hear 'Quick access commands, File,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Backstage page.'
Swipe right until you hear 'Open,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Browse,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Choose an app.' A list of save locations opens, the focus is on the first item on the list.
Swipe right until you hear the location you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Browse to the document you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Open document,' and then double-tap the screen. The document opens in Print Layout view.
To open the on-screen keyboard, double-tap the screen, and start typing.
When you are finished, close the keyboard and if necessary, save your document as instructed in Create a new document.
Find and replace text
In the Print Layout view, swipe left or right until you hear 'Quick access commands, Find,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left until you hear 'More options,' and then double-tap the screen. You hear: 'Pop-up.'
Swipe right. You hear: 'Replace, check box.'
To enable replacing the found text, double-tap the screen. The focus returns to the Find search box. The on-screen keyboard appears.
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the word or phrase you want to replace.
Swipe right until you hear 'Replace text box,' and then double-tap the screen.
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the word or phrase with which to replace the original one.
Do one of the following:
To replace the matching words or phrases one by one, swipe right. You hear: 'Replace.' Double-tap the screen repeatedly until you've replaced all the instances you want.
To replace all matching words or phrases at the same time, swipe right until you hear 'Replace all,' and then double-tap the screen.
To close the Find bar, swipe right until you hear 'Close Find bar,' and then double-tap the screen.
Select text
You can select a particular piece of text or all text in your document.
Select a piece of text
Swipe up or down to select the navigation setting you want to use for selecting. For example, if you select 'paragraphs,' you can navigate and select larger areas of text.
In your document, navigate to the piece of text you want to select, and then triple-tap the screen.
Select all text
In your document, double-tap the screen with two fingers. The context menu opens.
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Select all,' and then double-tap the screen.
Use headings
Headings are very important for document accessibility and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, it's essential to create them by using the built-in heading styles in Word. This makes it possible for your screen reader and Word to exchange the right information.
In your document, select the text you want to turn into a heading.
Swipe right until you hear 'More options,' and double-tap the screen.
Swipe left until you hear the current tab, and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Home,' and then double-tap the screen.
On the Home tab, swipe right until you hear: “Styles.” Double-tap the screen. The Styles menu opens.
In the Styles menu, swipe right until you hear the heading you want, and then double-tap the screen. The heading style is applied to the document, and the focus returns to the document menu.
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
Using character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Do one or more of the following:
To apply bold formatting, swipe left or right until you hear “Bold,” and then double-tap the screen.
To apply italic formatting, swipe left or right until you hear “Italic,' and then double-tap the screen.
To apply underlined formatting, swipe left or right until you hear 'Underline,' and then double-tap the screen.
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Change to a different font
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Swipe right until you hear 'More options,' and double-tap the screen.
Swipe left until you hear the current tab, and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Home,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear the font you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Change font size
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Swipe right until you hear 'More options,' and double-tap the screen.
Swipe left until you hear the current tab, and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Home,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font size,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear the font size you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
Swipe right until you hear 'More options,' and double-tap the screen.
Swipe left until you hear the current tab, and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear 'Home,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear 'Font,' and then double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear: 'Theme fonts.' Swipe right to listen to the available theme fonts. To select, double-tap the screen.
The list of the theme fonts ends when you hear: 'All fonts.'
See also
Use Word for the web with a screen reader and your keyboard to add or change text in a document. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to change the font, apply formatting styles, and use headings to improve your text flow.
Notes:
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 Office for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
New Office 365 features are released gradually to Office 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 Office.
Because Word 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 Word for the web.
In this topic
Add text to a Word document
To open an existing document, in the Print Layout view, press Alt+Windows logo key, and then F and O. The Open menu opens, listing your recent documents.
To browse the recent documents, press the Tab key. As you move, Narrator announces the documents as '<file name>, <location>.' To open a document, press Enter.
If you want to open a document that is not among your recent documents, in the Open menu, press the Tab key until you hear 'More on OneDrive' and press Enter. OneDrive opens in a new window, and you can browse the documents. To browse documents and folders, use the arrow keys. To open a folder or document, press Enter.
When a document opens, the focus is on the editing area in the document body.
Press the arrow keys until you hear the place where you want to add text, and start typing. Changes are saved automatically.
Find and replace text
In the Reading or Editing view, press Ctrl+F. You hear: 'Search the document for.' The focus is on the search text field.
In older JAWS versions, to find and replace text in Editing view in JAWS, press Ctrl+H.
Press Shift+Tab until you hear 'Replace,' and then press Enter. The focus returns to the search text field.
Type the word or phrase you want to replace. The search results list is updated as you type.
Press the Tab key until you hear 'Replace with,' and then type the word or phrase with which you want to replace the original wording.
To browse the list of search results, press the Tab key until you hear 'Previous result' or 'Next result' and then press Enter. The screen reader announces the instances as you move in the list.
Do one of the following:
To replace search results one at a time, press the Tab key until you hear 'Replace,' and then press Enter. Navigate to the next instance, and repeat this step if needed.
To replace all instances, press the Tab key until you hear 'Replace all,' and then press Enter.
Select text
You can quickly select all text in your document, or just a particular piece of the text.
To select all text, press Ctrl+A.
To select a piece of text, move to the text you want to select, and then press and hold down Shift. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor until the text is selected.
Use headings
Headings are very important for document accessibility and usability. To make sure that your headings work correctly for accessibility, it's essential to create them by using the built-in heading styles in Word. This makes it possible for your screen reader and Word to exchange the right information.
In your document, select the text you want to turn into a heading.
Do one of the following:
To apply Heading 1 style, press Ctrl+Alt+1.
To apply Heading 2 style, press Ctrl+Alt+2.
To apply Heading 3 style, press Ctrl+Alt+3.
To apply Normal style, press Ctrl+Shift+N.
Tip: To browse for more heading styles, press Alt+Windows logo key, and then H and L. Press the Tab key until you hear the style you want, and then press Enter to select.
Apply bold, italic, and underline formatting
The use of character formatting can improve the readability of your document.
Select the text you want to format.
Do one of the following:
To apply bold formatting, press Ctrl+B.
To apply italic formatting, press Ctrl+I.
To apply underlined formatting, press Ctrl+U.
Change the font and font size
To make your document accessible for all users, switch the font to a more readable one, or make the text bigger or smaller.
Change to a different font
In your document, select the text you want to format.
Press Alt+Windows logo key, and then H, F and F. You hear: 'Font name.'
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want, and then press Enter.
Tip: To jump directly to a font you have already decided to use, start typing the name of the font. For example, type ti to find Times New Roman.
Change font size
Select the text you want to resize.
Do one of the following:
To make the text 1 point larger, press Ctrl+] (Right bracket).
To make the text 1 point smaller, press Ctrl+[ (Left bracket).
To make the text incrementally larger according to the sizes in the Increase Font Size button, press Ctrl+Shift+> (Greater than sign).
To make the text incrementally smaller according to the sizes in the Decrease Font Size button, press Ctrl+Shift+< (Less than sign).
To select a particular size, press Alt+Windows logo key, and then H, F and S. You hear: 'Font size.' Type the point size you want, and then press Enter.
Change several font properties
You can browse font properties and change them using the options in the Font group on the Home tab.
Select the text you want to format.
To go to the Home tab, press Alt+Windows logo key, and then H.
Do one or more of the following:
To go to and change:
Font, press F and then F, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want and press Enter.
Font style, press F and then Y. Press the Tab key, and then use the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the font style you want and press Enter.
Font size, press F and then S, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the font size you want and press Enter.
Font Color, press F and then C. Press the Tab key until you hear the font color you want, and then press Enter.
Text Highlight Color, press I. Press the Tab key until you hear the highlight color you want, and then press Enter.
To go to and select:
Strikethrough, press 4.
Superscript, press 6.
Subscript, press 5.
Use theme fonts
Theme fonts change the fonts in your entire document by using a pair of fonts that are designed to work well together. The first font is used for headings and the second for body text.
Tip: To make sure the theme fonts are applied to headings, you must apply a Word heading style to the heading text. To learn how, refer to Use headings.
In your document, press Alt+Windows logo key, and then H, F and F. You hear: 'Font name.'
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the font you want, and then press Enter. The screen reader announces '<font name>, headings' for headings, and '<font name>, body' for body text.
See also
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.
Every Mac is built with assistive technologies to support people who are blind or have low vision. The VoiceOver screen reader describes exactly what’s happening on your screen. Zoom gives you a powerful built-in magnifier. And display adjustments help to meet your specific vision needs.
VoiceOverHear what’s happening on your screen.
VoiceOver does more than tell you what’s happening on your Mac. It helps you make things happen. It gives you auditory descriptions of each onscreen element and provides helpful hints along the way — whether you prefer using gestures, a keyboard, or a braille display. And it supports more than 35 languages, including multiple voice options.
VoiceOverIntegrated throughout macOS and every built-in app.
VoiceOver is unique because it’s not a standalone screen reader. It’s deeply integrated in macOS and all the built-in apps on Mac. And as developers update their apps to take advantage of the accessibility interfaces provided by Apple, their apps can start working with VoiceOver right away.
VoiceOverImproved PDF, web, and messages navigation.
We’ve refined VoiceOver to make it easier to navigate PDFs, websites, and messages. In Safari, improved conformance with HTML5 accessibility standards allows for more consistent navigation of websites. VoiceOver is now better at reading aloud tagged PDFs and email messages. If you start reading a website in a different language, VoiceOver can switch to the voice for that language automatically.¹ And you can add custom commands and workflows to your MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Audio DescriptionsHear the details in every scene.
Watch movies with detailed audio descriptions of every scene on your Mac. Movies with audio descriptions are displayed with the AD icon in the iTunes Store.
VoiceOverNavigate VoiceOver with simple gestures.
You can control VoiceOver using many of the same gestures you use with iOS. Touch the trackpad to hear a description of the item under your finger, drag to hear items continuously, and flick to move to the next item. Enable the VoiceOver Trackpad Commander, and the trackpad surface will represent the current window or document, so you can navigate quickly to any corner or edge with a tap.
VoiceOverA virtual controller with customizable commands.
VoiceOver features a virtual control called the rotor. Turning the rotor — by rotating two fingers on the trackpad as if you were turning an actual dial — lets you access an array of fully customizable commands. Use it to browse web pages more efficiently and intuitively. The rotor lists common elements like “headings,” “links,” and “images,” and lets you navigate directly to the element of your choosing.
VoiceOverPlug-and-play support for braille displays.
VoiceOver is the first screen reader to provide plug-and-play support for refreshable braille displays. Plug in or sync one of over 100 compatible displays, and the VoiceOver description is presented to you in braille. In macOS High Sierra, you can edit seamlessly in Grade 2 Braille, viewing your edits in the context of the actual line of text. Converting between braille and text happens automatically so you see only Grade 2 Braille. VoiceOver is also the only screen reader that supports more than one braille display at a time. So in a meeting or class, you can present what’s on your screen to multiple braille users simultaneously. And for sighted users who sit alongside you, there’s an onscreen braille panel that displays both braille and plain-text versions of the descriptions spoken by VoiceOver.
Dark ModeWorking hard gets easier on the eyes.
Dark Mode transforms the desktop and built-in apps with a new dark color scheme that helps you focus on your work.2 The fine points of your content take center screen as toolbars and menus recede into the background. Light text against darker backdrops in Mail, Safari Reader, Calendar, and more makes everything easier to read in low lighting conditions. And the Accessibility preferences for increased contrast and reduced transparency work with Dark Mode enabled.
DictationYou say it. Mac types it.
Dictation lets you talk where you would type — and it works in over 40 languages. So you can reply to an email, search the web, or write a report using just your voice. Navigate to any text field, activate Dictation, then say what you want to write. macOS also comes with more than 50 editing and formatting commands. So you can turn on Dictation and tell your Mac to bold a paragraph, delete a sentence, or replace a word. You can also use Automator workflows to create your own Dictation commands.
SiriStreamline the things you do every day.
Siri helps you do more with your desktop.³ Ask Siri to send messages, track down files, create reminders, search the web, and even turn on and off VoiceOver and Invert Colors, without interrupting what you’re doing on the keyboard. And because Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, you can ask it to find a file and hear the answer read out loud. If you prefer to communicate by typing, you can easily set Siri to “Type to Siri” mode.
ZoomMake your screen up to 20 times bigger.
Zoom is a powerful built-in magnifier that lets you enlarge your screen up to 20 times, so you can better see what’s on the display. Set up a shortcut for quickly zooming in and out by selecting “Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom” in the Zoom pane of Accessibility in System Preferences. You can zoom using full screen or picture-in-picture, allowing you to see the zoomed area in a separate window while keeping the rest of the screen at its native size. A shortcut key lets you pan the screen without moving the pointer while zoomed in. macOS can also flash the screen for notifications offscreen or speak text under your pointer. The hardware acceleration engine lets you boost the size of everything on your screen — text on a web page, family photos, a place on a map.
Cursor SizeMagnify your cursor so it’s easier to use.
macOS lets you magnify your cursor so it’s easier to see where you are and follow along as you move around your Mac. Set the cursor size once and it stays magnified even when its shape changes. And when you swipe back and forth on your trackpad or quickly shake your mouse, the pointer grows so it’s easier to locate.
Contrast OptionsInvert colors or enable grayscale.
If a higher contrast or a lack of color helps you better see what’s on your display, macOS lets you invert colors or enable grayscale onscreen. Once you set your preferences, they apply systemwide, so you get the same view in every app. You can also turn on Increase Contrast to enhance definition and reduce transparency in some apps.
Reduce MotionDecrease the movement of onscreen elements.
Screen Reader Mac Voiceover
If you’re affected by the motion of screen elements, you can turn on Reduce Motion to decrease movement in areas like Spaces, Notification Center, and the Dock.
iTunesNavigate and play content with VoiceOver.
Screen Reader For Mac
iTunes is compatible with VoiceOver, so you can navigate and play all the content in your iTunes library even if you can’t see the screen. Browse the iTunes Store as VoiceOver reads out headers, links, and other elements on the page.
Resources
Support
User Guides
Or order an embossed copy of macOS VoiceOver User Guide
External Resources
Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Explore instructional videos with tips on using vision accessibility features in macOS.
Learn more about the Hadley Institute instructional videos at their websiteScreen Reader Software Options
Join a community of blind and low-vision users of Apple products.
Learn more about AppleVis.com at their websiteScreen Reading Software
Get information on the use of Apple products by those who are blind or low vision.