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Keystrokes for:
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free and open source screen reader for the Microsoft Windows operating system developed by NV Access, with contributions from the community. It can be downloaded from NV Access. This page only lists a few of the most used keyboard short-cuts and commands, for a complete list See NVDA User Guide.
The NVDA Modifier Key
Most NVDA-specific keyboard commands consist of pressing a particular key called the NVDA modifier key (Numpad Insert or Extended Insert by default) in conjunction with one or more other keys.
In the table below, this will be referred to as just NVDA. Notable exceptions to this are the text review commands for desktop keyboards which just use the Numpad keys by themselves, but there are some other exceptions as well.
NVDA can be configured so that either the Numpad Insert, Extended Insert, or Capslock key can be used as the NVDA modifier key.
If you wish to cause one of the NVDA modifier keys to act like its original key (for instance you wish to turn Capslock on when you have set Capslock to be an NVDA modifier key) you can press the key twice in quick succession.
Keystrokes for Basic NVDA Commands
These are the most basic commands used in NVDA.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Stop speech | Control |
| Pause Speech | Shift |
| Browse mode elements list | NVDA+F7 |
| NVDA Menu | NVDA+N |
| Toggle Speech Mode | NVDA+S |
| Toggle Input Help Mode | NVDA+1 |
| Quit NVDA | NVDA+Q |
| Pass next key through | NVDA+F2 |
| Toggle application sleep mode on and off | NVDA+Shift+S |
| Keyboard help | NVDA+1 |
Keystrokes for Reading Text
These commands control the way that NVDA reads content on a Web page, and also specify exactly what type of content should be read.
Note: Some shortcuts require the use of Numpad keys, for example Numpad 1. In such cases, using the Numeric keys, like 1, on the left hand side with the alphabet pad, will not work.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Say Prior Character | ←(Left Arrow) or Numpad 1 |
| Say Next Character | →(Right Arrow) or Numpad 3 |
| Say Current Character | Numpad 2 |
| Say Word | Numpad 5 |
| Spell Word | Numpad 5 twice quickly |
| Say Next Word | Ctrl+→(Right Arrow) or Numpad 6 |
| Say Prior Word | Ctrl+←(Left Arrow) or Numpad 4 |
| Say Prior Line | ↑(Up Arrow) or Numpad 7 |
| Say Next Line | ↓(Down Arrow) or Numpad 9 |
| Say Current Line | NVDA+↑(Up Arrow) or Numpad 8 |
| Spell Current Line | NVDA+↑(Down Arrow) twice quickly |
| Read all starting at current position | NVDA +↓(Down Arrow) or Numpad + |
| Top line | Shift+Numpad 7 |
| Bottom Line | Shift+Numpad 9 |
| Start of Line | Shift+Numpad 1 |
| End of Line | Shift+Numpad 3 |
ARIA Landmarks
For NVDA 2011.2 the landmark keyboard combination in virtual buffer mode is:
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| List the landmarks (ARIA/HTML 5 banner/header, nav/navigation, main, footer/contentinfo, etc.) | Insert+F7 |
| Next landmark | D |
| Previoius landmark | Shift + D |
Keystrokes for Links
These commands allow the user to navigate between the links within a Web page.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Jump to next link/form element | Tab |
| Next link | K |
| Jump to previous link/form element | Shift + Tab |
| Elements List – lists page links, headings, and landmarks | NVDA+F7 |
| Unvisited Link Quick Key | U |
| Visited Link Quick Key | V |
Keystrokes for Headings and Lists
These commands allow the user to jump between headings and Lists on a Web page. For keystrokes containing "1–6" the command is valid with any number from 1 through 6, and will jump to headings of the corresponding level.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Headings Quick Key | H |
| Headings level 1-6 | 1-6 |
| List Quick Key | L |
| List Item Quick Key | I |
Keystrokes for Tables
These keystrokes help the user navigate and read content within tables. Note that these keystrokes will be necessary to navigate both layout and data tables.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Table Quick Key | T |
| Next Cell | ↓ (Down Arrow) |
| Previous Cell | ↑ (Up Arrow) |
Keystrokes for Forms
These commands help the user navigate and manipulate HTML forms.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Form Quick Key | F |
| Button Quick Key | B |
| Enter Forms Mode | Enter or NVDA+Space (in a form element) |
| Exit Forms Mode | NVDA+Space |
| Navigate to Next form Control | Tab |
| Navigate to Previous Form Control | Shift+Tab |
| Select and Deselect Checkboxes | Spacebar |
| Open Combo Box/Jump Menu/Auto-complete Menu | Alt+↓(Down Arrow) |
| Select Radio Button | ↑(Up Arrow) or ↓(Down Arrow) |
| Select Element in Combo Box | ↑(Up Arrow) or ↓(Down Arrow) or the First letter |
| Checkbox | X |
| Combo Box | C |
| Radio Button | R |
| Submit Form | Enter (in forms mode) |
Keystrokes for Voice Rate
These keystrokes help the control and adjust the voice rate.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Decrease Voice Rate | Ctrl+NVDA+↓(Down Arrow) |
| Increase Voice Rate | Ctrl+NVDA+↑(Up Arrow) |
| Change Voice Settings (Inflection, Pitch,etc.) | Ctrl+NVDA+>/< |
Keystrokes for Application Specific Commands
NVDA provides its own extra commands for some applications to make certain tasks easier or to provide access to functionality which is not otherwise accessible to screen reader users.
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel: Set column headers | NVDA+Shift+C |
| Microsoft Excel: Set row headers | NVDA+Shift+R |
| Microsoft PowerPoint: Toggle speaker notes reading | Control+Shift+S |
| Miranda IM: Report recent message | NVDA+Control+1-4 |
| Poedit: Report Comments Window | Control+Shift+C |
| Poedit: Report notes for translators | Control+Shift+A |
Miscellaneous Commands
NVDA provides some extra commands for some applications
| Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Search for a word or a phrase | Ctrl+F |
| Keyboard help | Insert+1 |
| Go to next (or previous) graphic | Shift+G |
| Go to next (or previous) blockquote | Shift+X |
| Next key you hit ignores NVDA and is a normal keystroke | Insert+F2 |
| Speaks characters typed | Insert+2 |
| Speaks words typed | Insert+3 |
| Reads the entire foreground window (e.g. for dialogs) | Insert+B |
| Announces the title of the current foreground window | Insert+T |