Use a screen reader to create or follow a channel in Microsoft Teams
Applies ToMicrosoft Teams

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to create new channels to a team, follow channels, and @mention people. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

Notes: 

In this topic

Create a new channel

Create new channels to direct discussions around different themes, subtopics, or tasks to channels of their own.

Follow a channel

Following a channel allows you to get and control notifications from that channel.

  1. In Microsoft Teams, press Ctrl+3 to access the Teams view.

  2. You hear: "Teams and channels list." Navigate to the channel you want to follow using the Up and Down arrow keys.

  3. Press Spacebar to open the More options menu.

  4. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Follow this channel" and press Enter.

@mention people

When you want to make sure your message gets noticed by a certain person, use @mention to make the message appear in their activity feed.

  1. When composing a message in Microsoft Teams, type the @ sign followed by the name of the person, such as @mary donald.

    Tip: You can also @mention a channel within your team.

  2. If your screen reader announces just one matching user, press Enter to select. If there are several matching users, your screen reader announces the number of matches. To browse the list of users, press the Down or Up arrow key, and press Enter to select a user. The @mention is added to the message. When you send the message, it appears in their activity feed.

See also

Use a screen reader to create and modify teams in Microsoft Teams

Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams

Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Microsoft Teams

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.

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