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 Project with your keyboard and screen reader to explore and navigate the screen elements and views. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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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.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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Get to know the Project layout
When you open Project, the name of the type of the current view is located at the top of the screen, on the left side of the file name. Project usually opens to the Gantt Chart view.
The application control buttons, such as Minimize and Close, are at the upper-right corner. By default, the Quick Access Toolbar resides at the upper left of the screen. This toolbar can be customized and contains commonly used commands, such as Save, Undo, and Redo.
Below this toolbar, there's a set of ribbon tabs. It includes the following tabs:
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File
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Task
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Resource
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Report
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Project
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View
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Format
The ribbon sits below this row of tabs. Selecting a tab brings up a tab-specific ribbon that includes options organized in groups. For example, the View tab displays a ribbon that lets you pick different options for viewing the data in the file.
To the right of the tabs, there's the Tell Me search text field. To the far right, there's the Help Improve Office? feedback button, and the Restore Window and Close Window buttons.
The project data content appears under the ribbon and takes up most of the window.
At the bottom of the window, there's the customizable Status Bar displaying the status info and selected quick access buttons, for example, for the different views, and the zoom slider.
Navigate using the keyboard
To navigate in Project and to cycle through screen elements, use the following shortcuts:
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To move forward, press the Tab key. To move backward, press Shift+Tab.
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To select an item, press Enter.
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To expand a submenu or a list, press Alt+Down arrow key.
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To browse within menus or lists, press the Up or Down arrow key.
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To make a selection in a list, press Enter.
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To exit a menu or mode, press Esc.
Use Tell Me
To find an option or perform an action quickly, use the Search text field. To learn more about the Search feature, go to Find what you need with Microsoft Search.
Note: Depending on the Microsoft 365 version of 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.
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Select the item or place in your document, presentation, or spreadsheet where you want to perform an action. For example, in an Excel spreadsheet, select a range of cells.
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To go to the Search text field, press Alt+Q.
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Type the search words for the action that you want to perform. For example, if you want to add a bulleted list, type bullets.
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Press the Down arrow key to browse through the search results.
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When you've found the result that you want, press Enter to select it and to perform the action.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a new project in Project
Use a screen reader to work with views in Project
Use a screen reader to review or edit an existing project in Project
Keyboard shortcuts for Project
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use your keyboard and screen reader to explore and navigate the screen elements and views in Project for the web. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Project for the web is the modern and recommended version of Project, a web-based tool for creating projects and roadmaps, tracking progress, and managing tasks and assignments.
To access Project Online, the classic online version of Project, in Project Home, press the Tab key until you hear "Go to Project Online," and press Enter.
Notes:
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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.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use Project for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Project 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 Project for the web.
In this topic
Return to Project Home
Learn how to return to Project Home from Project Tasks or a roadmap.
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To return to Project Home from Project Tasks, press Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+F6 until you hear "Navigation pane," press the Tab key once, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Home," and then press Enter.
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To return to Project Home from a roadmap, press Alt+Left arrow key.
Navigate a roadmap
When you select a roadmap in Project Home, it opens in the browser window replacing Project Home. To cycle through the main elements of a roadmap, press Ctrl+F6 (forward) or Ctrl+Shift+F6 (backward). The focus moves through the following main elements:
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The horizontal navigation banner at the top of the screen.
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The roadmap name row which includes the Zoom, Filter, Go to date, and Members buttons. Press the SR key+Right or Left arrow keys to move within the row.
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The command toolbar which includes the Add row and Add key date buttons as well as context specific buttons depending on the currently selected item in the roadmap. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to move within the toolbar.
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The contents of the roadmap in a table format. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to move through the regions of the table. To select a table region, press Enter or Spacebar, and to move between the items in a selected region, press the Left or Right arrow keys.
Navigate Project Tasks
When you select a project in Project Home, the project opens in Project Tasks with the Grid project view selected.
To cycle within Project Tasks, press Ctrl+F6 (forward) or Ctrl+Shift+F6 (backward). The focus moves through the following main elements:
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The horizontal navigation banner at the top of the screen.
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The navigation pane on the left. You can access Project Home from the navigation pane.
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The project name and views banner which contains tabs for the three different project views: Grid, Board, and Timeline.
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The project main content area which contains context sensitive data on your project depending on the selected project view.
Navigate between Project Tasks views
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In Project Tasks, to navigate between the three different project views, press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected view, for example, "Selected, Grid tab item."
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Press the Left or Right arrow key until you hear the view you want, and press Enter to select.
Navigate within a project view
To move the focus to the main content area of the selected project view, press Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+F6 until you hear the name of the view, followed by "Region landmark," for example, "Board view, region landmark."
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In the Grid view, you can start building your project, add and assign tasks, and add duration for tasks. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to navigate the tasks table.
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In the Board view, you can add tasks to buckets and add new buckets to create a visual view of your project, and easily manage your tasks. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to move between buckets. To select a bucket, press Enter, and use the Tab key to navigate within a bucket.
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Once you have the basic elements of your project in place, you can then use the Timeline view to add dependencies and build a Gantt chart for your project. Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to navigate the tables for tasks and timeline bars.
Navigate to and within the Settings pane
In the Project for the web settings, you can for example, change your password or customize the notification settings.
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To navigate to the settings, press the Tab key until you hear "Settings, button," and press Enter. The Settings pane opens.
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To move the focus to the pane, press the Tab key.
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To browse the options in the pane, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
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To close and exit the pane, press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a new project in Project
Use a screen reader to review or edit an existing project in Project
Use Project Online with your keyboard and screen reader to explore and navigate the screen elements and views. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Project Online is the classic online version of Project, a web-based tool for managing multiple projects, tracking progress, and balancing resource needs. To access and use the modern and recommended online version, go to Project for the web.
Notes:
-
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 Project Online, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Project Online 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 Project Online.
In this topic
Cycle through and inside main screen elements
To cycle through and inside the Project Online screen elements, press the Tab key (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward). To select an item in an element, press Enter.
The focus moves through the following elements:
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The main content area in the center of the screen. The contents depend on the selected view. The area contains the main data of your projects in a table.
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The horizontal app bar at the top of the screen. You hear: "App launcher, menu item." You can access, for example, the app notifications, settings, and help.
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The horizontal tab bar. You hear the current tab name. You can also press Ctrl+F6 to move directly to a tab. The available tabs depend on the view and what is selected in the main content area. From the tab bar, you can activate the ribbon which contains the editing options for the current selection. To activate the ribbon, press Enter when on a tab.
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The horizontal ribbon (when activated) below the app bar. When the ribbon is activated, the focus moves to the first enabled button and your screen reader announces the button. To expand a menu button, press Ctrl+Spacebar. To collapse a menu button, press Esc. The available options depend on the selected tab.
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The horizontal header row. You hear: "Project web app." From the header row, you can access the Search text field and the Home view.
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The vertical navigation bar on the far left of the screen. You hear: "Projects." If the view is selected, you hear the view name, followed by "Currently selected." If the view is not selected, you hear the view name, followed by "Link." From the navigation bar, you can select the view you want, for example, Tasks or Resources. You can also edit the available navigation links or add new links.
Navigate the main views
To navigate inside the Project Online views, press the Tab key (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward). The main views contain the data mainly in tables. When you enter a table, your screen reader announces the table and its details. As you browse the table, you hear the cell contents.
Project Online contains the following main views: Home, Project Center, Approvals, Tasks, Resources, and Reports.
Home view
When you first sign in to Project Online, you land in the Home view. From the Home view, you can access the main functions of the app. If you're new to the app, you can learn about the app features or proceed straight to creating or importing projects. You can also navigate to your ongoing projects, approvals, or tasks.
As you browse the Home view, your screen reader announces the shortcuts to the main functions available in the view. You hear, for example, "Create or import projects" or "Tasks," followed by the number of new tasks.
To return to the Home view from any of the other views, press the Tab key until you hear "Project web app, link," and then press Enter.
Project Center view
The Project Center view lists all the projects that you can access in a table. You can select a project and proceed to editing the project schedule or details.
Approval Center view
The Approval Center view lists all the timesheet approvals for your review in a table. You can select an item in the table and proceed to approve or reject the timesheet.
Tasks view
The Tasks view lists the project tasks in a table. You can select a task and edit the task details.
Resource Center view
The Resource Center view lists the available resources in a table. You can add new resources or edit the current ones. You can also access the resource assignments, capacity planning, and resource requesting pages.
Reports view
The Reports view list your reports in a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 library. You can upload a report or create new one straight from SharePoint in Microsoft 365. The Reports view contains the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 toolbar on top of the main content area.
For instructions on how to navigate in SharePoint in Microsoft 365, go to Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online.
Navigate between views
You can easily move from one view to another.
Note: To navigate to the Home view, press the Tab key until you hear "Project web app, link," and then press Enter.
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In any view, press the Tab key until you hear the view you want, for example, "Tasks, link."
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To select, press Enter. The view opens and your screen reader announces the view name, such as "Tasks."
See also
Use a screen reader to create a new project in Project
Use a screen reader to review or edit an existing project in Project
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.
