Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

Hi, Insiders! I’m Renata Drucker, and I’m a Product Manager on the Word team. I’m excited to introduce significant updates to the Microsoft Word for Windows experience that improve accessibility for screen reader users. Now, you can receive audio feedback for more than 60 common keyboard shortcuts!

Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

Visual feedback is immediate and intuitive for sighted users – for example, bolding a word instantly changes its appearance. However, for those who are blind and have low vision, confirmation must be delivered thoughtfully through audio feedback to make the experience seamless, reduce confusion, and enhance overall usability. With audio feedback, when an action such as deleting an email is performed, the system announces the next item, signaling that the action was successful and that they’ve moved on to another action.

Keyboard shortcuts in particular present challenges for screen reader users. For instance, when bolding a word using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + B, it may not be obvious whether bold is on or off. To address this, Word began offering verbal confirmations for common shortcuts last year. Building on that foundation, we’ve since expanded support to 60+ additional scenarios, ensuring you receive clear aural feedback about the outcome of your actions.

Using these shortcuts can streamline formatting, navigation, and editing tasks, making Word more accessible for everyone. They also provide a myriad of benefits for anyone looking to save time and boost productivity, including:

• Efficiency and speed: You can execute steps fast and with fewer mouse clicks.
• Reduced reliance on menus: You can skip navigating through toolbars or dropdowns, which speeds up repetitive tasks.
• Work smarter, not harder: Shortcuts let you complete one task quickly and move on to the next, freeing mental bandwidth.
• Accuracy and focus: Shortcuts provide fewer distractions and improve precision by preventing mis-clicks.
• Reduced strain: Less mouse movement means less wrist fatigue, which is especially valuable for heavy computer users.

You can learn more about keyboard shortcuts by reading Keyboard shortcuts in Word.

How it works

• Open Word for Windows with a screen reader and use one of the following keyboard shortcuts. Notice that these are now supported with verbal confirmation:

Availability

This update is available to Word for Windows users running Version 2510 (Build 19328.20000) or later.

Feedback

We’re excited for screen reader users to work with more confidence when formatting a document! If you have suggestions or encounter scenarios where confirmation could be improved, please let us know by selecting Help > Feedback in Word – your input helps us continue to enhance accessibility for all.

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