Narrator is the free built-in screen reader available in recent versions of Windows. While Narrator has very limited functionality in Windows XP, Vista and 7, it was significantly updated in Windows 8 to include the explore by touch feature on touch screen devices.
Note: If you are using an older version of Windows such as XP or 7, it is recommended you use a more developed screen reader such as NVDA. If you have an Apple Mac we recommend you use the inbuilt VoiceOver.
Features
Features of Narrator include:
- Ability to navigate around the Windows environment using text-to-speech feedback and either a keyboard or touch screen
- Optimised for Internet Explorer
- Ability to launch and interact with Microsoft and other applications
Starting narrator
To start Narrator, you can use either or touch screen gestures or keyboard shortcut commands.
For Windows XP, Vista and 7, you can launch Narrator by going to the Universal Access panel by holding down the Windows key and pressing ‘U’. When the word ‘Narrator’ is read out, press the enter key. In Windows 8 and later you can launch it directly by holding down the Windows key and pressing the Enter key.
On a touch screen device, press the Windows logo button Windows logo key and Volume Up button together.
Keyboard and touch gesture commands
A list of keyboard shortcuts and gestures, including the new functionality of Narrator in Windows 8 can be found on the Microsoft website.
Review of Windows 8
For a hands-on look at Narrator for Windows 8 in action see our accessibility review of the Microsoft Surface tablet.
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