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 your keyboard and a screen reader to explore and navigate File Explorer in Windows 11. We have tested this article with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but the instructions might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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Open File Explorer
To open File Explorer, press the Windows logo key+E. The focus will automatically be on the Home pane, which includes sections like Recommended, Favorites, and Recent.
Cycle through the main screen elements
To navigate through the main elements of File Explorer, use the F6 key to move forward and Shift+F6 to move backward. The focus will move in the following order:
Note: For navigating the Home and Gallery view, the F6 and Shift+F6 keys cycle through the tab control, content pane, and navigation pane. To move between the elements within the toolbar, app bar, and the Add a new tab icon, use the Tab key.
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Tabs: This area is located at the top of the window. It shows all the currently open tabs and includes an option to add a new tab.
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Navigation pane: This area is located on the left side of the window, allowing access to different folders, drives, and libraries.
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Content pane: The central area of the window where files or folders are displayed. If the Content pane is in the Details view mode, the sorting buttons allow sorting by criteria like Name or Date modified.
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Details pane (if shown): This optional pane provides additional information about the selected item. It is turned off by default but can be enabled as needed.
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Status bar: This area is at the bottom right of the window, and contains buttons for changing the view and layout of File Explorer.
Navigate the content pane
The content pane is the primary area where you interact with the files and folders stored locally on your computer. This area lists the folders and files in a Home view or the currently selected folder, drive, or network location. Follow these steps to navigate the content pane:
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Press F6 or Shift+F6 to move the focus to the content pane. You will hear the name of the first item.
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Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse through the files and folders. Press Enter to open the selected file or folder.
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If the content pane is in the Details view mode, use the F6 or Shift+F6 key to navigate to the sorting buttons. When the focus lands on a sorting criterion, such as, "Date modified, split button," use the Left and Right arrow keys to navigate through the sorting buttons. To sort the current view by the selected option, for example, Name or Date modified, press Enter. You can adjust the layout to view your files and folders as Extra large icons, Large icons, Medium icons, Small icons, Details, Tiles, or Content. Different layouts either display thumbnails of your files or standard icons based on file types.
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To select multiple files, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the first file or folder you want to select. Then hold the Shift key and use the arrow keys to select the files or folders. When you have selected all the files and folders you need, press Ctrl+X to cut or Ctrl+C to copy, or press the Delete key to delete.
Navigate the toolbar
The toolbar is located at the top of the window beneath the tab controls. This area contains various navigation buttons, depending on the current view, like Back, Forward, Up, Refresh as well as the Search box. To move the focus to the toolbar:
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Press F6 or Shift+F6 until you hear “Tab control list," then press Tab to navigate to the toolbar elements. The focus moves to the first active button on the toolbar.
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Press Enter to select the buttons.
Navigate the app bar buttons
Below the toolbar, there is a row of app bar buttons used for creating new folders, copying, moving, deleting, and sharing files. To move the focus to the app bar buttons:
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Press the Alt key. You will hear the name of the currently selected button, such as, "New button, collapsed."
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Use the Left and Right arrow keys to move between the buttons and press Enter to select.
Use the search box
The searchbox, located on the right side of the toolbar, helps you to find a file within a specific folder or library. To use the search box, follow these steps:
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Press Ctrl+E and type your search term. The search will start as you type, and you’ll hear updates on the progress and search completion.
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Press the F6 key or the Tab key until you reach the content pane. You will hear the name of the first search result item.
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Use the Up or Down arrow key to browse the search results list, and press Enter to open your selected item.
If you select a folder, the focus will move to the first item in that folder.
If you select a file, the file will open in the associated app and the focus will shift to that window.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate the Start menu in Windows
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Settings in Windows
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use your keyboard and a screen reader to explore and navigate File Explorer in Windows 10. We have tested this article with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but the instructions might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Open File Explorer
To open File Explorer, press the Windows logo key+E. The focus will automatically move to the first item in the content pane, typically in your Quick access view, which lists Frequent folders and Recent files.
Cycle through the main window elements
To navigate through the main elements of File Explorer, press the F6 key to move forward and Shift+F6 to move backward. The focus will move in the following order:
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The content pane is the main area listing files and folders.
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If the content pane is in the Details view mode, the sorting buttons allow sorting by criteria like Name or Date modified.
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The status bar at the bottom of the screen contains buttons for changing the view mode.
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The toolbar at the top of the screen contains navigation buttons and the Search box.
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The navigation pane is located on the left side of the screen, allowing access to different folders, drives, and libraries.
Navigate the content pane
The content pane lists the folders and files in your Quick access view, or the currently selected folder, drive, or network location.
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To move the focus to the content pane, press F6 or Shift+F6 until you hear "Items view" or "Enter table items view," followed by the name of the first item.
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To browse the contents, use the Up or Down arrow key. To open the selected file or folder, press Enter.
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To go back to the previous view, press the Alt+Left arrow key. To go forward to the view you returned from, press the Alt+Right arrow key.
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To use the content pane sorting buttons (if the content pane is in the Details view mode), press F6 or Shift+F6 until you hear the name of the currently selected sorting criteria, for example, "Date modified, split button." To navigate the sorting buttons, use the Left or Right arrow key. To sort the current view by the selected option, for example, Name or Date modified, press Enter.
Navigate the toolbar
The toolbar contains various navigation buttons, depending on the current view. These include the Back, Forward, Recent locations, and Up buttons.
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To move the focus to the toolbar, press F6 or Shift+F6 until you hear "View mode," and press F6 once more. The focus moves to the first active button on the toolbar.
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To navigate the toolbar buttons, press the Tab key. Press Enter to make a selection.
Navigate the ribbon tabs
Above the toolbar there is a row of ribbon tabs containing tools for copying, moving, deleting, and sharing files, for example.
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To move the focus to the row of ribbon tabs, press Alt. You hear “Ribbon, exit table,” followed by the currently selected tab.
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To move between ribbon tabs, use the Left or Right arrow key, and press Enter to select a tab. The contents of the selected ribbon tab are displayed on the ribbon below the ribbon tabs, and the focus moves to the first option on the ribbon.
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To navigate the ribbon, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. Press Enter to select an option.
Use the Search box
The Search box helps you quickly find a file if you know its name. To use the Search box:
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Press Ctrl+E and type your search term. After typing, the top results will appear below the Search box. You can do one of the following:
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To open the full list of search results in the content pane, press Enter. Then press F6 until you hear the first search result, use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the list, and press Enter to open the selected result.
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To browse the top results listed below the Search box, press the Down arrow key. To open the selected result, press Enter. To close the search, press Esc.
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If you select a folder, the focus moves to the first item in that folder.
If you select a file, the file opens in the associated app and the focus moves to that window.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate the Start menu in Windows
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Settings in Windows
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
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.
