Windows 10: Turn On or Off and Use Narrator Scan Mode in Windows 10

How to: Turn On or Off and Use Narrator Scan Mode in Windows 10

How to Turn On ot Off and Use Narrator Scan Mode in Windows 10


Narrator is a screen-reading app built into Windows 10. Narrator lets you use your PC without a display or mouse to complete common tasks if youre blind or have low vision. It reads and interacts with things on the screen, like text and buttons. Use Narrator to read and write email, browse the internet, and work with documents.

Specific commands let you navigate Windows, the web, and apps, as well as get info about the area of the PC you're in. Navigation is available using headings, links, landmarks, and more. You can read text (including punctuation) by page, paragraph, line, word, and character as well as determine characteristics like font and text color. Efficiently review tables with row and column navigation.

Narrator has a navigation and reading mode called Scan Mode. Scan mode lets you navigate apps, email, and webpages using the arrow keys. Youll also be able to use common keyboard shortcuts to read text and jump directly to headings, links, tables, and landmarks.

Starting in Windows 10 build 18945, Narrator now provides a more efficient reading experience when reading messages in Outlook or Windows Mail. When the message is opened, Scan Mode will turn on automatically. This allows the user to use their arrow keys to read the message in addition to all other Scan Mode hotkeys to jump through the text of the message.

This tutorial will show you how to use and turn on and off Narrator scan mode for your account in Windows 10.


Here's How:

1. Turn on Narrator (Win+Ctrl+Enter).

2. Press the Caps Lock + Spacebar keys to toggle scan mode on and off as needed while Narrator is turned on.

*note You will hear Narrator say scan when scan mode is turned on, and say scan off when scan mode is turned off.

When scan mode is turned on, use the Up arrow key and Down arrow key to navigate apps and webpages. Press Enter or Spacebar to activate an item that you want to use, such as a button in an app, a link in a webpage, or a text box.

Scan mode turns on automatically when you use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome to browse the web. It also turns on automatically when you open any Windows app where you turned it on before.

Scan modes Primary and Secondary Action commands have changed. Primary Action can be executed by pressing Enter or Spacebar. You can complete Secondary Action by adding a Shift key to each of those keys (Shift + Enter or Shift + Spacebar). Youll notice this change regardless of the keyboard layout you select.

If you turn scan mode off for an app, it will remain off for that app until you turn it on again. Scan mode automatically turns off in edit fields so you can enter text. Press up or down arrow again to leave the edit field and resume scan mode.


*Arrow Scan mode commands

When scan mode is turned on, use the following keys to navigate apps and webpages.

*note If you are hearing silent stops in scan mode, this may be because Narrator is stopping at a punctuation mark. To have Narrator tell you about that punctuation, increase your punctuation verbosity by pressing Narrator + Alt + Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-).

[table][tr]Press these keys To do this [/tr] [tr][td]Narrator + Spacebar[/td] [td]Toggle scan mode[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Enter Spacebar[/td] [td]Primary action[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Enter Shift + Spacebar[/td] [td]Secondary action[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Home[/td] [td]Move to and read the first character of a line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]End[/td] [td]Move to and read the last character of a line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]P[/td] [td]Read next paragraph[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + P[/td] [td]Read previous paragraph[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Down arrow[/td] [td]Read next line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Up arrow[/td] [td]Read previous line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Right arrow[/td] [td]Read next word[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Left arrow[/td] [td]Read previous word[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Right arrow[/td] [td]Read next character[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Left arrow[/td] [td]Read previous character[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Home[/td] [td]Move to and read the first line of text[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + End[/td] [td]Move to and read the last line of text[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Down arrow[/td] [td]Jump to next text or item[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Up arrow[/td] [td]Jump to previous text or item[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]1[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 1[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 1[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 1[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]2[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 2[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 2[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 2[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]3[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 3[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 3[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 3[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]4[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 4[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 4[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 4[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]5[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 5[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 5[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 5[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]6[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 6[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 6[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 6[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]7[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 7[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 7[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 7[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]8[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 8[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 8[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 8[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]9[/td] [td]Jump to next heading at level 9[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + 9[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading at level 9[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]B[/td] [td]Jump to next button[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + B[/td] [td]Jump to previous button[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]C[/td] [td]Jump to next combo box[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + C[/td] [td]Jump to previous combo box[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]D[/td] [td]Jump to next landmark[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + D[/td] [td]Jump to previous landmark[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]E[/td] [td]Jump to next edit box[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + E[/td] [td]Jump to previous edit box[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]F[/td] [td]Jump to next form field[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + F[/td] [td]Jump to previous form field[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]H[/td] [td]Jump to next heading[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + H[/td] [td]Jump to previous heading[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]I[/td] [td]Jump to next item[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + I[/td] [td]Jump to previous item[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]K[/td] [td]Jump to next link[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + K[/td] [td]Jump to previous link[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]R[/td] [td]Jump to next radio button[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + R[/td] [td]Jump to previous radio button[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]T[/td] [td]Jump to next table[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + T[/td] [td]Jump to previous table[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]X[/td] [td]Jump to next check box[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + X[/td] [td]Jump to previous check box[/td] [/tr] [/table]

*Arrow Selecting text in scan mode

Use these commands when youre copying text from content areas like websites or email.

[table][tr]Press these keys To do this [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Right arrow[/td] [td]Select current character[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Left arrow[/td] [td]Select previous character[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow[/td] [td]Select current word[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + Left arrow[/td] [td]Select previous word[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Down arrow[/td] [td]Select current line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Up arrow[/td] [td]Select previous line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow[/td] [td]Select current paragraph[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow[/td] [td]Select previous paragraph[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Home[/td] [td]Select to beginning of line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + End[/td] [td]Select to end of line[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + Home[/td] [td]Select to beginning of document[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + Shift + End[/td] [td]Select to end of document[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Page down[/td] [td]Select current page[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Shift + Page up[/td] [td]Select previous page[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]F9[/td] [td]Mark the beginning or end of a block of text[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]F10[/td] [td]Select all text between a mark and the current point[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + C[/td] [td]Copy selection[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + X[/td] [td]Cut selection[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + V[/td] [td]Paste selection[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Ctrl + A[/td] [td]Select all[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Narrator + Shift + Down arrow[/td] [td]Read selection[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Narrator + Shift + Down arrow twice quickly[/td] [td]Spell selection[/td] [/tr] [/table]


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Turn On or Off Narrator in Windows 10
• How Turn On or Off Automatically Start Narrator after Sign-in in Windows 10
• How Turn On or Off Automatically Start Narrator before Sign-in in Windows 10
• How to Change Narrator Keyboard Layout in Windows 10
• How to Customize Narrator Voice in Windows 10
• How to Customize Narrator Cursor Settings in Windows 10
• How to Change Narrator Cursor Navigation Mode in Windows 10
• How to Change Narrator Modifier Key in Windows 10

:)

 

How to turn off the narrator on Windows 10?

Hello Lee,



Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. We will assist you in resolving the issue.



Before assisting further, I would like to ask you few questions:

• When you say “Navigater”, are you referring to narrator?
• Did you try to turn the “Navigater” off from the settings page?

If you are referring to the narrator settings, I suggest you to follow the steps below and check if the issue is resolved.

• Press Windows logo key on the keyboard, type Narrator settings and select the top most search result.
• Slide the Narrator option bar to Off status under
  Hear text and controls on the screen.
• Close the window and check if the changes are effective.

Write to us with the status of the issue on the same post for further assistance on the query. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.



Thank you.

 

Are there any other voices for Narrator in the Ease of Access in Windows 10?

Hello Brenda,

I would suggest you to refer to the below steps to turn off narrator.

• 
  Type ease of access in the search bar and press enter
  
• 
  Click on Narrator and turn off
  

Reference:

Hear text read aloud with Narrator

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/getstarted-hear-text-read-aloud

Hope this information is helpful. Please write back to us if you need any further assistance, we'll be glad to assist you.

 

Are there any other voices for Narrator in the Ease of Access in Windows 10?

Hi Melody,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I suggest you to follow the below steps and check if it helps.

• 
  Type narrator in the search bar and press enter.
  
• 
  Click on voices
  
• 
  And select find other voices that work with Narrator.
  

Let us know if you need further assistance with Windows related issues. We will be happy to help.

 

narrator

Hi,

To isolate the concern, please answer the following questions:

• Which version of operating system (OS) build is currently installed on your phone?
  
• How long you've been having this issue?
  
• What troubleshooting steps have you done so far?
• Can you send us a screenshot showing the icon or tiles that is circle while the Narrator is turn on and turn off?

For your reference, you may visit this link on how to use Narrator on Windows Mobile.

We're looking forward to your reply.

 

NArrator won't turn off

If Narrator only activates in Minecraft, it is not Windows Narrator. There is a setting in Minecraft that activates a voice and sounds. Look at the help files for turning it off. Or check at the Gaming Forum as suggested..