Laptop shortcut keys for the
NVDA screen reader
Please note
On this page is mostly laptop keys for NVDA. Some
shortcut keys are used for both the laptop and desktop keyboard
and used as a quick reference for a laptop user.
To see what keyboard mode you
are in
Use the NVDA key + Ctrl key + the letter K.
When the dialogue comes up it will default to the following
Keyboard layout: and tell you which mode you are in. If it is
desktop mode, you can change it to laptop mode by arrowing to it.
Make sure you save your settings.
Input help mode
To learn your laptop commands quicker while
learning the laptop layout, turn on input help mode with the
NVDA key + number 1 on the main qwerty keybord; then press
any key combonation to see what it does. To turn it off again
press the NVDA key + number 1 key on the main qwerty keyboard.
Do not worry while in input help mode, it will not activate any
key combonations until it is turned off.
Training keyboards commands game
If you want to have some fun learning laptop
commands, this add-on will need to be installed into NVDA. You can
assign a gesture to start it under the input gestures menu (either
for a laptop or desktop computer). When enabled, it is a matter of
picking your keyboard layout like laptop, then starting the game.
You will find you will learn your keyboard commands quickly no
matter what layout you are using. You can download the add-on from
the following link at https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/trainingKeyboardCommands.en.html
Basic NVDA commands
Starts or restarts NVDA is: Control + Alt + N
Instantly stops speaking is: Shift key instantly pauses speech.
Pressing it again will continue speaking where it left off (if
pausing is supported by the current synthesizer)
NVDA Menu is: NVDA + N
This pops up the NVDA menu to allow you to access preferences,
tools, help, etcetera.
Toggle Speech Mode is: NVDA + S
Toggles speech mode between speech, beeps and off.
Toggle Input Help Mode is: NVDA + 1
Pressing any key in this mode will report the key, and the
description of any NVDA command associated with it
Quit NVDA is: NVDA + Q Exits NVDA.
Pass next key through is: NVDA + F2 Tells NVDA to pass the next
key press straight through to the active application - even if it
is normally treated as an NVDA key command.
Toggle application sleep mode on and off is: NVDA + Shift + Z
Sleep mode disables all NVDA commands and speech/braille output
for the current application. This is most useful in applications
that provide their own speech or screen reading features. Press
this command again to disable sleep mode. Please note that NVDA
will only retain the Sleep Mode setting until it is restarted.
Reporting System Information
Report date/time is: NVDA + F12
Pressing once reports the current time, pressing twice reports the
date.
Report battery status is: NVDA + Shift + B
Reports the battery status, that is, whether AC power is in use or
the current charge percentage.
Report clipboard text is: NVDA + C
Reports the Text on the clipboard if there is any.
Navigating with NVDA
Navigating with the System
Focus
Report current focus is NVDA + Tab
Announces the current object or control that has the System focus.
Pressing twice will spell the information.
Report title is NVDA + T
Reports the title of the currently active window. Pressing twice
will spell the information. Pressing three times will copy it to
the clipboard.
Read active window is NVDA + B
Reads all the controls in the currently active window (useful for
dialogs)
Report Status Bar is NVDA + Shift + End
Reports the Status Bar if NVDA finds one. It also moves the
navigator object to this location. Pressing twice will spell the
information. Pressing three times will copy it to the clipboard.
Navigating with the System Caret
Say all is NVDA + A
Starts reading from the current position of the system caret,
moving it along as it goes.
Read current line is NVDA + l
Reads the line where the system caret is currently situated.
Pressing twice spells the line. Pressing three times spells the
line using character descriptions.
Read current text selection is NVDA + Shift + S
Reads any currently selected text.
Report text formatting is NVDA + F
Reports the formatting of the text where the caret is currently
situated. Pressing twice shows the information in browse mode
Next sentence is Alt + Down Arrow
Moves the caret to the next sentence and announces it. (This is
only supported in Microsoft Word and Outlook).
Previous sentence is Alt + Up Arrow
Moves the caret to the previous sentence and announces it. (Ths is
only supported in Microsoft Word and Outlook).
When within a table, the following
key commands are also available:
Move to previous column is Ctrl + Alt + Left
Arrow
Moves the system caret to the previous column (staying in the same
row).
Move to next column is Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow
Moves the system caret to the next column (staying in the same
row).
Move to previous row is Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow
Moves the system caret to the previous row (staying in the same
column).
Move to next row is Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow
Moves the system caret to the next row (staying in the same
column).
Object Navigation
Report current object is NVDA + Shift + O
Reports the current navigator object. Pressing twice spells the
information, and pressing 3 times copies this object's name and
value to the clipboard.
Move to containing object is NVDA + Shift + Up Arrow
Moves to the object containing the current navigator object.
Move to previous object is NVDA + Shift + Left Arrow
Moves to the object before the current navigator object.
Move to next object is NVDA + Shift + Right Arrow
Moves to the object after the current navigator object.
Move to first contained object is NVDA + Shift + Down Arrow
Moves to the first object contained by the current navigator
object.
Move to focus object is NVDA + Backspace
Moves to the object that currently has the system focus, and also
places the review cursor at the position of the System caret, if
it is showing.
Activate current navigator object is NVDA + Enter
Activates the current navigator object (similar to clicking with
the mouse or pressing space when it has the system focus).
Move System focus or caret to current review position is NVDA +
Shift + Backspace
Pressed once, it moves the System focus to the current navigator
object; pressed twice it moves the system caret to the position of
the review cursor.
Report review cursor location is NVDA + Delete
Reports information about the location of the text or object at
the review cursor. For example, this might include the percentage
through the document, the distance from the edge of the page or
the exact screen position. Pressing twice may provide further
detail.
Reviewing text
Move to top line in review is NVDA + Ctrl + Home
Moves the review cursor to the top line of the text.
Move to previous line in review is NVDA + Up Arrow
Moves the review cursor to the previous line of text.
Report current line in review is NVDA + Shift + . Announces
the current line of text where the review cursor is positioned.
Pressing twice spells the line. Pressing three times spells the
line using character descriptions.
Move to next line in review is NVDA + Down Arrow
Move the review cursor to the next line of text.
Move to bottom line in review is NVDA + Ctrl + End
Moves the review cursor to the bottom line of text.
Move to previous word in review is NVDA + Ctrl + Left Arrow
Moves the review cursor to the previous word in the text.
Report current word in review is NVDA + Ctrl +.
Announces the current word in the text where the review cursor is
positioned. Pressing twice spells the word. Pressing three times
spells the word using character descriptions.
Move to next word in review is NVDA + Ctrl + Right Arrow
Move the review cursor to the next word in the text.
Move to start of line in review is NVDA + Home
Moves the review cursor to the start of the current line in the
text.
Move to previous character in review is NVDA + Left Arrow
Moves the review cursor to the previous character on the current
line in the text.
Report current character in review is NVDA +
Announces the current character on the line of text where the
review cursor is positioned. Pressing twice reports a description
or example of that character. Pressing three times reports the
numeric value of the character in decimal and hexadecimal.
Move to next character in review is NVDA + Right Arrow
Move the review cursor to the next character on the current line
of text.
Move to end of line in review is NVDA + End
Moves the review cursor to the end of the current line of text.
Say all with review is NVDA + Shift + A
Reads from the current position of the review cursor, moving it as
it goes.
Select then Copy from review cursor is NVDA + F9
Starts the select then copy process from the current position of
the review cursor. The actual action is not performed until you
tell NVDA where the end of the text range is.
Select then Copy to review cursor is NVDA + F10
On the first press, text is selected from the position previously
set as start marker up to and including the review cursor's
current position. If the system caret can reach the text, it will
be moved to the selected text. After pressing this key stroke a
second time, the text will be copied to the Windows clipboard.
Move to marked start for copy in review is NVDA + Shift + F9
Moves the review cursor to the position previously set start
marker for copy.
Report text formatting is NVDA + Shift + F
Reports the formatting of the text where the review cursor is
currently situated. Pressing twice shows the information in browse
mode.
Review modes
Switch to next review mode is NVDA + Page Up
Switches to the next available review mode.
Switch to previous review mode is NVDA + Page Down
Switches to the previous available review mode.
Navigating with the mouse
Left mouse button click is NVDA + [
Clicks the left mouse button once. The common double click can be
performed by pressing this key twice in quick succession.
Left mouse button lock is NVDA + Ctrl + [
Locks the left mouse button down. Press again to release it. To
drag the mouse, press this key to lock the left button down and
then move the mouse either physically or use one of the other
mouse routing commands.
Right mouse click is NVDA + ]
Clicks the right mouse button once, mostly used to open context
menu at the location of the mouse.
Right mouse button lock is NVDA + Ctrl + ]
Locks the right mouse button down. Press again to release it. To
drag the mouse, press this key to lock the right button down and
then move the mouse either physically or use one of the other
mouse routing commands.
Move mouse to current navigator object is NVDA + Shift + M
Moves the mouse to the location of the current navigator object
and review cursor.
Navigate to the object under the mouse is NVDA + Shift + N
Set the navigator object to the object located at the position of
the mouse.
Browse mode
Toggle browse/focus modes
NVDA + Space
Toggles between focus mode and browse mode
Exit focus mode
Escape
Switches back to browse mode if focus mode was previously switched
to automatically.
Refresh browse mode document
NVDA + F5
Reloads the current document content (useful if certain content
seems to be missing from the document. Not available in Microsoft
Word and Outlook).
Find
NVDA + Ctrl + F
Pops up a dialog in which you can type some text to find in the
current document. See searching for text for more information.
Find next
NVDA + F3
Finds the next occurrence of the text in the document that you
previously searched for.
Find previous
NVDA + Shift + F3
Finds the previous occurrence of the text in the document you
previously searched for.
Open long description
NVDA + D
Opens a new window containing a long description for the element
you are on if it has one.
Single Letter Navigation
The following keys by themselves jump to the next available
element, while adding the Shift key causes them to jump to the
previous element:
• h: heading
• l: list
• i: list item
• t: table
• k: link
• n: non linked text
• f: form field
• u: unvisited link
• v: visited link
• e: edit field
• b: button
• x: checkbox
• c: combo box
• r: radio button
• q: block quote
• s: separator
• m: frame
• g: graphic
• d: landmark
• o: embedded object (audio and video player, application, dialog,
etc.)
• 1 to 6: headings at levels 1 to 6 respectively
• a: annotation (comment, editor revision, etc.)
• w: spelling error
To move to the beginning or end
of containing elements such as lists and tables
Move to start of container
Shift + Comma
Moves to the start of the container (list, table, etcetera) where
the caret is positioned.
Move past end of container
Comma
Moves past the end of the container (list, table, etcetera) where
the caret is positioned.
To toggle single letter navigation on and off for the current
document, press NVDA + Shift + Space.
The elements list
Browse mode elements list
NVDA + F7
Lists various types of elements in the current document.
Searching for text
Find text
NVDA + Ctrl + F
Opens the search dialog.
Find next
NVDA + F3
Searches the next occurrence of the current search term.
Find previous
NVDA + Shift + F3
Searches the previous occurrence of the current search term.
Embedded Objects
Move to containing browse mode document
NVDA + Ctrl + Space
Moves the focus out of the current embedded object and into the
document that contains it.
Automatic Column and Row Header
Reading
Set column headers
NVDA + Shift + C
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the first header cell in the
row that contains column headers, which should be automatically
announced when moving between columns below this row. Pressing
twice will clear the setting.
Set row headers
NVDA + Shift + R
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the first header cell in the
column that contains row headers, which should be automatically
announced when moving between rows after this column. Pressing
twice will clear the setting.
The elements list
While in Browse mode in Microsoft Word, you can
access the Elements List by pressing NVDA + F7.
Reporting Comments
To report any comments at the current caret position, press NVDA +
Alt + C.
Microsoft Excel
Automatic Column and Row Header
Reading Set column headers
NVDA + Shift + C
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the first header cell in the
row that contains column headers, which should be automatically
announced when moving between columns below this row. Pressing
twice will clear the setting.
Set row headers
NVDA + Shift + R
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the first header cell in the
column that contains row headers, which should be automatically
announced when moving between rows after this column. Pressing
twice will clear the setting.
The elements list in Excel
To access the Elements List in Excel, press NVDA
+ F7.
Reporting Notes
To report any notes for the currently focused cell, press NVDA +
Alt + C. In Microsoft 2016, 365 and newer, the classic comments in
Microsoft Excel have been renamed to "notes".
To add or edit a certain note, in a focused cell, press Shift +
F2.
Reading Protected Cells
To allow moving to locked cells, switch to Browse Mode by pressing
NVDA + Space, and then use standard Excel movement commands such
as the arrow keys to move around all cells on the current
worksheet.
Configurating NVDA
Punctuation/Symbol Level is NVDA + P. This allows
you to choose the amount of punctuation and other symbols that
should be spoken as words.
Select Synthesizer
(NVDA + Ctrl + S)
Audio Ducking Mode is NVDA + Shift + D. On
Windows 8 and above, this option allows you to choose if NVDA
should lower the volume of other applications while NVDA is
speaking, or all the time while NVDA is running.
Synth settings ring
Move to next synth setting
NVDA + Ctrl + Right Arrow
NVDA + Shift + Ctrl + Right Arrow
Moves to the next available speech setting after the current,
wrapping around to the first setting again after the last.
Move to previous synth setting
NVDA + Ctrl + Left Arrow
NVDA + Shift + Ctrl + Left Arrow
Moves to the next available speech setting before the current,
wrapping around to the last setting after the first.
Increment current synth setting
NVDA + Ctrl + Up Arrow
NVDA + Shift + Ctrl + Up Arrow
Increases the current speech setting you are on. Example:
increases the rate, chooses the next voice, increases the volume.
Decrement current synth setting
NVDA + Ctrl + Down Arrow
NVDA + Shift + Ctrl + Down Arrow
Decreases the current speech setting you are on example: decreases
the rate, chooses the previous voice, decreases the volume.
Braille
Tether Braille is NVDA + Ctrl + T
This option allows you to choose whether the braille display will
follow the system focus / caret, the navigator object / review
cursor, or both.
Keyboard
(NVDA + Ctrl + K)
Speak Typed Characters is NVDA + 2
When enabled, NVDA will announce all characters you type on the
keyboard.
Speak Typed Words is NVDA + 3
When enabled, NVDA will announce all words you type on the
keyboard.
Speak Command Keys is NVDA + 4
When enabled, NVDA will announce all non-character keys you type
on the keyboard. This includes key combinations such as control
plus another letter.
Mouse (NVDA + Ctrl + M)
Enable mouse tracking is NVDA + M.
When enabled, NVDA will announce the text currently under the
mouse pointer, as you move it around the screen. This allows you
to find things on the screen, by physically moving the mouse,
rather than trying to find them through object navigation.
Review cursor
Follow System Focus is NVDA + 7
When enabled, The review cursor will always be placed in the same
object as the current system focus whenever the focus changes.
Follow System Caret is NVDA + 6
When enabled, the review cursor will automatically be moved to the
position of the System caret.
Object Presentation
(NVDA + Ctrl + O)
Progress bar output is NVDA + U
This option controls how NVDA reports progress bar updates to you.
Report dynamic content changes is NVDA + 5
Toggles the announcement of new content in particular objects such
as terminals and the history control in chat programs.
Browse Mode
(NVDA + Ctrl + B)
Use screen layout is NVDA + V
This option allows you to specify whether content in browse mode
should place content such as links and other fields on their own
line, or if it should keep them in the flow of text as it is
visually shown.
Saving and Reloading the
configuration
Save configuration is NVDA + Ctrl + C
Saves your current configuration so that it is not lost when you
exit NVDA.
Revert configuration is NVDA + Ctrl + R
Pressing once resets your configuration to when you last saved it.
Pressing three times will reset it back to factory defaults.
Configuration Profiles
NVDA + Ctrl + P: Show the Configuration Profiles
dialog.