This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Excel with your keyboard and a screen reader to create a chart in a worksheet and to select a chart so you can work with it. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. When you create a chart, you can choose the chart type, style, orientation, and more. To make changes to an existing chart (for example, to modify the layout or to add a title, data labels, or alt text), you first select it.
:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Create a basic chart
-
Select the data you want to include in your chart. For example, to create a chart of expenses by category in your monthly budget worksheet, select the Category column and the Actual cost column.
: To quickly select a data range, name it. Screen readers read the name of the data range, which makes the information easier to select. For example, in your monthly budget worksheet, you could select the Category column and the Actual cost column and then name the range ActualCostByCategory. Refer to Use a screen reader to name a cell or data range in Excel.
-
To open the Insert tab, press Alt+N.
-
Select a chart type:
-
To create a Column or Bar chart (to compare values across a few categories), press C and then 1. To select the type of the Column or Bar chart, use the Down arrow key and the Right arrow key, and then press Enter.
: You can quickly insert a basic Bar chart in a worksheet. Select the data you want to include in your chart, and press Alt+F1. The chart is added to the worksheet and is listed in the Selection pane.
-
To create a Pie or Doughnut chart (to show a proportion of a whole when your total equals 100%), press Q. To select the type of the Pie or Doughnut chart, use the Down arrow key and the Right arrow key and then press Enter.
-
To create a Line or Area chart (to show trends over time or categories), press N and then 1. To select the type of the Line or Area chart, use the Down arrow key and the Right arrow key and then press Enter.
-
To review a set of recommend charts for your data, press R. The Insert Chart window opens with a chart customized to showcase your data and the focus is on the OK button. To select the recommended chart type, press Enter. To exit the Insert Chart window, press Esc. The recommended charts are customized to your data. For example, in the monthly budget example, if your Category column contains long text, a Clustered Bar chart might be recommended.
The chart is added to your worksheet.
-
Select a chart so you can work with it
To work with a chart in Excel (for example, to add data labels or to make changes to the layout), you must first select it.
: To quickly move the focus to the first floating shape such as a chart or text box, press Ctrl+Alt+5. Then, to cycle through the floating shapes, press the Tab key. To return to the normal navigation, press Esc.
An easy way to select a chart is to use the Selection pane.
-
To open the Selection pane, do one of the following:
-
Press Alt+P, A, P. The Selection pane opens with the focus on the Show All button.
-
Press Alt+Q. The focus moves to the Search text field, and with Narrator, you hear: "Ribbon, Microsoft Search, Edit box, Search." With JAWS, you hear: "Ribbon, type to search and use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate submenu." With NVDA, you hear the number of suggestions available. Type Selection pane and then press Enter. The Selection pane opens with the focus on the Show All button.
: Depending on the version of Microsoft 365 you are using, the Search text field at the top of the app window might be called Tell Me instead. Both offer a largely similar experience, but some options and search results can vary.
-
-
To browse the items in the Selection pane, use the Up and Down arrow keys.
-
When you hear the name of the chart you want, press Enter. This selects the chart so you can work with it.
See also
Use a screen reader to add a title, data labels, and a legend to a chart in Excel
Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Excel for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to create a chart in a worksheet and to select a chart so you can work with it.
:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
In this topic
Create a basic chart
-
Select the data you want to include in your chart. You can select cells by holding down Shift and using the arrow keys to expand the range of selected cells. VoiceOver announces the selected cells after each keystroke. For more keyboard shortcuts related to selecting data, refer to section "Select cells, columns, or rows" in Keyboard shortcuts in Excel.
-
Press F6 until you hear the name of the current ribbon tab, for example, "Home, selected, tab." Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Insert, tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the tab.
-
Do one of the following to select a chart type:
-
To create a Column or Bar chart (to compare values across a few categories), press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear "Column, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. To select the type of the Column or Bar chart, use the arrow keys to find the option you want, for example, "Clustered Bar, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To create a Pie or Doughnut chart (to show a proportion of a whole when your total equals 100%), press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear "Pie, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. To select the type of the Pie or Doughnut chart, use the arrow keys to find the option you want, for example, "3-D Pie, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To create a Line or Area chart (to show trends over time or categories), press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear "Line, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. To select the type of the Line or Area chart, use the arrow keys to find the option you want, for example, "Line, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
To review a set of recommend charts for your data, press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear "Recommended Charts, menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar. Excel offers you several chart types customized for your data. To select a recommended chart type, press the Down arrow key until you find the type you want, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. VoiceOver describes each recommended option as you land on it.
The chart is added to your worksheet.
-
Select a chart so you can work with it
To work with a chart in Excel (for example, to add data labels or to make changes to the layout), you must first select it. An easy way to select a chart is to use the Selection Pane.
-
Press F6 until you hear the name of the current ribbon tab, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Tell me, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
-
Type selection pane and press the Down arrow key to move to the list of Tell Me results. You hear: "Selection Pane." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the Selection Pane.
-
To browse the items in the Selection Pane, press F6 until you hear "Selection pane, selected," and then press the Tab key until you hear "Entering," followed by the name of the current chart. Then use Control+Option+Up or Down arrow key to select a chart from the list.
The chart is now selected so you can work with it.
See also
Use a screen reader to add a title, data labels, and a legend to a chart in Excel
Use a screen reader to create a PivotTable or PivotChart in Excel
Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Excel for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to create a chart in a worksheet and to select a chart so you can work with it. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. When you create a chart, you can choose the chart type, style, orientation, and more. To make changes to an existing chart (for example, to modify the layout or to add a title, data labels, or alt text), you first select it.
:
-
If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
When you use Excel for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Excel for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Excel for the web.
-
When you use Excel for the web with a screen reader, switch to the full screen mode. Press F11 to toggle the full screen mode on and off.
In this topic
Create a basic chart
-
Select the data you want to include in your chart.
-
To open the Insert tab, press Alt+Windows logo key, N.
-
Select a chart type:
-
To compare values across a few categories, create a Column or Bar chart. To create a Column chart, press O, or to create a Bar chart, press B. Then use the Right arrow key to select the type of the Column or Bar chart and press Enter to select.
: You can quickly insert a basic Bar chart in a worksheet. Select the data you want to include in your chart, and press Alt+F1.
-
To create a Pie or Doughnut chart (to show a proportion of a whole when your total equals 100%), press Q. To select the type of the Pie or Doughnut chart, use the Down arrow key and then press Enter.
-
To show trends over time or categories, create a Line or Area chart. To create a Line chart, press N, or to create an Area chart, press A and then R. Then use the arrow keys to select the type of the Line or Area chart and press Enter to select.
-
To review a set of recommend charts for your data, press R and then C. The Recommended Charts pane opens showing a list of charts customized to showcase your data. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to browse the list and then press Enter to select the recommended chart type.
The chart is added to your worksheet.
-
Select a chart so you can work with it
To work with a chart in Excel (for example, to add data labels or to make changes to the layout), you must first select it.
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear a chart name. Then press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to browse the charts in your worksheet.
-
When you hear the name of the chart you want, press Enter. This selects the chart so you can work with it.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a PivotTable or PivotChart in Excel
Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
