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.
The Accessibility Flyout is a menu that gives you quick access to various accessibility settings from the desktop. Magnifier, Color filters, Narrator, Mono audio, Live captions, Sticky keys, and other features can be enabled without having to open the settings app. This article guides you on how to use a screen reader to navigate the Accessibility Flyout and adjust the settings according to your preferences.
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Open the Accessibility Flyout
Navigate the Accessibility Flyout
Open the Accessibility Flyout
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Press the Windows logo key+A on your keyboard to open the quick settings.
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Use the arrow keys to move through the items and press Enter or Spacebar to select them.
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Navigate using the arrow keys until you hear “Accessibility button,” then press Enter to open the Accessibility Flyout.
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To adjust the more settings and customize what features are available on the Accessibility Flyout, navigate to the more Accessibility settings button at the bottom of the flyout and press Enter.
Navigate the Accessibility Flyout
The Accessibility Flyout has six default options and a button to access more settings. Each feature option has a toggle switch that you can use to turn the tools on or off.
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The Accessibility Flyout allows you to quick access Windows accessibility tools or settings from default or previous configurations.
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You can personalize settings for Magnifier, Narrator, Color Filters, and more in the settings app. Just go to SettingsAccessibility or press the Windows logo key+U to explore all the customization choices.
Magnifier
Magnifier is a tool that enlarges part or all your screen so you can see the text and images better.
To enable the Magnifier from the Accessibility Flyout, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear “Magnifier toggle switch,” and press Spacebar. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Windows logo key+Plus sign (+).
For more information, go to Use Magnifier to make things on the screen easier to see.
Color filters
Color filters are a feature that allow you to change the way colors appear on your screen. You can choose from various color filters in the Settings app to help you differentiate between colors.
Press the Tab key until you hear “Color filters toggle switch” and press Enter to enable it.
For more information on color filters settings in Windows, see Make Windows easier to see.
Narrator
Narrator is the built-in screen reader that reads aloud the text and elements on your screen, such as buttons, menus, and dialog boxes.
: Starting or Stopping Narrator may cause distractions if you are already using any other screen reader such as JAWS or NVDA.
To enable Narrator, you can:
For more information, go to Complete guide to Narrator.
Mono audio
Mono audio is a feature that combines the left and right audio channels into one channel, so that you can hear all the sounds in one ear. One of the easiest ways to access mono audio is from the Accessibility Flyout.
Open the Accessibility Flyout and navigate to the Mono audio toggle switch and press Spacebar to enable it.
For more information, go to Guide for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and Make Windows easier to hear.
Live captions
The Live captions feature automatically transcribes the speech and sounds from any media or app on your device. You can configure more settings to allow transcription of speech and audio from the microphone as well.
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Open the Accessibility Flyout and navigate to the Live captions toggle switch and press Spacebar to enable it.
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For microphone audio, go to Accessibility settings page and enable microphone access.
For more information, go to Use live captions to better understand audio.
Sticky keys
Sticky keys is an accessibility feature in Windows that allow you to press one key at a time for keyboard shortcuts instead of having to hold multiple keys down at once. This is helpful for people who have difficulty pressing multiple keys simultaneously, or who want to avoid accidental keystrokes. For example, instead of pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time, you can press Ctrl, then Alt, then Delete.
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Navigate to the Sticky keys toggle switch and press Spacebar to enable it.
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If you want to adjust the settings of Sticky keys, press the Windows logo key+U to open the Accessibility settings page.
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.
