Narrator — Windows Built-in Screen Reader

In this tutorial, you will learn about Narrator. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you master this topic.

Narrator is the built-in screen reader in Windows, improving rapidly with each release and providing a free, no-install testing option for Windows Accessibility.

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Narrator on Windows.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you'll understand Narrator's features, key shortcuts, scan mode, and how to use it for basic Accessibility Testing.

Why It Matters

Narrator is available on every Windows computer with no installation or cost. It is improving rapidly and now competes with NVDA for many testing scenarios.

Real-World Use

DodaTech uses Narrator for quick accessibility spot-checks because it is available on every developer's Windows machine without installation.

Narrator Overview

flowchart LR
  A[Narrator Windows] --> B[Scan Mode]
  A --> C[Navigation Mode]
  B --> D[Arrow key navigation]
  B --> E[Quick navigation keys]
  C --> F[Tab navigation]
  C --> G[Form interaction]

Key Narrator Shortcuts

Scan Mode

Narrator's scan mode is similar to NVDA's browse mode. Enable it with CapsLock+Space:

<!-- Scan mode allows navigation with arrow keys and quick keys -->
<nav aria-label="Main">
  <a href="/">Home</a>
  <a href="/products">Products</a>
</nav>
<main>
  <h1>Welcome</h1>
  <p>Content here.</p>
</main>

In scan mode, press H to jump to "Welcome" heading, K to jump to links, D to jump to landmarks.

Narrator-Specific Behavior

Narrator has some unique behaviors compared to NVDA and JAWS:

• Better Edge integration: Narrator works best with Microsoft Edge.
• ARIA support catching up: Narrator's ARIA support improves with each Windows update.
• Scan mode by default: Many users navigate primarily in scan mode.
• Verbosity settings: Narrator has detailed verbosity controls.

Common Mistakes

• Not enabling scan mode: Without scan mode, Narrator behaves like a basic reading tool.
• Testing only in Chrome: Narrator works best in Edge.
• Assuming Narrator is identical to NVDA: Narrator has unique behaviors and limitations.
• Not updating Windows: Older Windows versions have less capable Narrator versions.

Practice and Challenge

1. How do you start Narrator? Win+Ctrl+Enter.

2. How do you toggle scan mode? CapsLock+Space.

3. What key opens the Narrator headings list? CapsLock+F5.

4. Which browser does Narrator work best with? Microsoft Edge.

5. Challenge: Enable Narrator on Windows, navigate your website, and list three differences you notice compared to NVDA.

FAQ

Mini Project

Using Narrator on Windows 11, perform a complete accessibility audit of your website. Compare the results with an NVDA audit and document the differences.

What's Next

Continue to Orca to learn about the Linux screen reader.