Hear text read aloud with Narrator

Windows comes with a basic screen reader called Narrator, which reads text on the screen aloud and describes some events (such as an error message appearing) that happen while you're using the computer.

Narrator is not available in all languages, so if the link below doesn't work, Narrator is not available for your language.

Click to open Narrator.

Use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to specify which text you want Narrator to read:

Use this keyboard shortcut

 To do this

Ctrl+Shift+Enter

 Get information about the current item

Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar

 Read the entire selected window

Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar

 Read the items that are selected in the current window

Insert+Ctrl+G

 Read a description of the items that appear next to the currently selected element

Ctrl

 Stop Narrator from reading text

Insert+Q

 Move the cursor backward to the beginning of any preceding text that has different formatting. For example, the cursor moves from a bold word to the beginning of a non-bold word that precedes it.

Insert+W

 Move the cursor to the beginning of any text that follows it that has different formatting. For example, the cursor moves from a bold word to the beginning of a non-bold word that follows it.

Insert+E

 Move the cursor back to the beginning of any text that has the same formatting. For example, the cursor moves from the middle of a bold word to the beginning of that word.

Insert+R

 Move the cursor to the end of any text that has the same formatting. For example, the cursor moves from the middle of a bold word to the end of that word.

Insert+F2

 Select all of the text that has the same formatting as the character at the cursor

Insert+F3

 Read the current character

Insert+F4

 Read the current word

Insert+F5

 Read the current line

Insert+F6

 Read the current paragraph

Insert+F7

 Read the current page

Insert+F8

 Read the current document

Note

The Insert key is used for Narrator commands, so when you press Insert while Narrator is running, you won't be able to insert characters. To use the Insert key to insert characters while Narrator is running, press Insert+I and then the characters you want to add.

 Choose which text Narrator reads aloud

Click to open Narrator. 

Under Main Narrator Settings, do one or more of the following:

To hear what you type, select the Echo User's Keystrokes check box.

To hear background events, such as notifications, select the Announce System Messages check box.

To hear an announcement when the screen scrolls, select the Announce Scroll Notifications check box.

 Change the Narrator voice

Click to open Narrator. 

Click Voice Settings, and then make any of the following adjustments:

To select a different voice, click the voice you want to use in the Select Voice box.

For a faster voice, select a number in the Set Speed list. The higher the number, the faster the voice.

For a louder voice, select a number in the Set Volume list. The higher the number, the louder the voice.

For a higher-pitched voice, select a number in the Set Pitch list. The higher the number, the higher the pitch. A higher-pitched voice can be easier for some people to hear.

 Start Narrator minimized

Click to open Narrator. 

Select the Start Narrator Minimized check box.

The next time you start Narrator, it will appear as an icon on the taskbar instead of being open on your screen.

To restore the Narrator dialog box to its full size, click Narrator in the taskbar.