[NFB-Seniors-Discussion] JAWS Changes/improvements in 2025 update

[robertleslienewman at gmail.com]

Fellow NFB Seniors

I just updated my JAWS subscription. And read what was new for JAWS 2025.
Some of it will be functions that I believe will come in handy! Below is the
full description of the changes. I'll leave it up to you to script. and/or
delete stuff that you do not want to keep in this document; if you are like
me, I do save copies of new stuff that I do want to refer to. 

 

**Here is what I got when being taken to a webpage related to JAWS 2025.

 

What's New in JAWS 2025 Screen Reading Software

This page describes the new features and improvements available in JAWS
2025.

*	 <https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/JAWS> Download
JAWS
*
<https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/JAWS/JAWSWhatsNew#latest>
Latest JAWS Enhancements, for a complete list of enhancements made in this
release, including the most recent update.
*	Read previous JAWS release notes by selecting a version from the
list JAWS 2025 JAWS 2024 JAWS 2023 JAWS 2022 JAWS 2021 JAWS 2020 JAWS 2019
JAWS 2018 JAWS 18 JAWS 17 JAWS 16 JAWS 15 JAWS 14 JAWS 13 JAWS 12 JAWS 11
JAWS 10 JAWS 9 JAWS 8 JAWS 7.1 JAWS 7 JAWS 6.2 JAWS 6.1 JAWS 6 JAWS 5.5 JAWS
5.1 JAWS 5 JAWS 4.51 JAWS 4.5 JAWS 4.02 JAWS 4.01 JAWS 4 

JAWS 2025 Features

FSCompanion: Your AI-Powered assistant for Learning JAWS and Microsoft
Applications

With so many features and keystrokes available between JAWS, Windows, and
the various Office apps, it can be challenging to locate the information you
need to perform a specific task or even look up a setting or keystroke you
no longer recall. The new AI assistant, FSCompanion, lets you ask questions
about JAWS and other applications and quickly provides the information you
need without you having to search through multiple documents and web pages
to find it. Want to know how a particular JAWS feature works, or the
sequence of keystrokes to perform a specific task in Word? Ask FSCompanion,
and the AI searches through various help and training resources in a matter
of seconds, and provides the key details in a concise step-by-step format.

FSCompanion has been trained using JAWS help and training data, as well as
support content from Microsoft.

FSCompanion is capable of responding to questions about the following, with
an emphasis on providing specific keystrokes as answers.

*	JAWS usage
*	Windows usage and navigation
*	Web browsing
*	Microsoft Word
*	Microsoft Excel
*	Microsoft Outlook
*	Microsoft PowerPoint

To open FSCompanion, do one of the following:

*	In JAWS, press the layered command, INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by F1.
FSCompanion is also located in the JAWS Help menu under Web Resources.
*	Go to  <https://fscompanion.ai/> FSCompanion.ai from a PC or mobile
device using your preferred web browser.

Once the FSCompanion page opens, press TAB to move to the edit field and
type a question. After typing a question, press ENTER, and JAWS will
automatically read the response as soon as it is displayed. Focus remains in
the edit field, so you can ask any follow-up questions.

To review answers, use H, SHIFT+H, or the ARROW keys. Select the New
Conversation button to start a new topic, or select the Feedback button to
submit any comments about a response.

Here are a few example questions to help get you started.

*	How do I change the JAWS volume?
*	How do I select cells in Excel?
*	How do I turn off the Preview Pane in Outlook?
*	How do I select text?
*	How do I set a PlaceMarker on a page?

Please ask as many questions as you like, and don't hesitate to give
feedback on your experiences. The types of questions you ask and the
feedback you provide are very important as it helps our team train the model
to be more accurate.

Note: FSCompanion is optimized for English, as it has been trained with
English documentation. This means that the answers it gives are based on
English keystrokes and terminology. For the best experience, please use it
in English. If you ask questions in another language, the keystrokes and
descriptions it provides might not be accurate. We are working on supporting
additional languages.

Automatic Language Detection

For users who read documents or web pages in various languages, there are
times when authors do not use the correct language tags, which JAWS relies
on by default in order to switch to the appropriate voice for a specific
language.

To help with this, JAWS can now detect the language in use automatically and
adjust its voice based on the written language. This feature runs entirely
on your computer and does not access the Internet. To enable this option,
open Settings Center, expand the Text Processing group, expand the Language
processing subgroup, and press SPACEBAR on Detect Language to cycle through
the available options and choose Based on AI predictions.

If you find that JAWS does not automatically switch languages in an
application even when the correct voice is installed, open Settings Center
while focused in the specific application and check the Detect Language
option. This setting is off by default for certain applications.

EPUB Reading Improvements

EPUB is a popular format for producing textbooks and other digital
publications. It is supported on a wide range of devices and eBook reading
applications such as the Thorium EPUB book reader software, which works well
with JAWS. When navigating an EPUB book, you use the same reading commands
you would use to navigate web pages.

New Region Navigation Types

JAWS 2025 adds more specific support for EPUB files by now allowing you to
use the R and SHIFT+R navigation quick keys to move to the following region
types, if available in the book. JAWS will also announce the start and end
of these regions as you navigate with ARROW keys or Say All (INSERT+DOWN
ARROW).

*	Abstract
*	Acknowledgment
*	Afterword
*	Appendix
*	Bibliography
*	Chapter
*	Conclusion
*	Cover page
*	Dedication
*	Epilogue
*	Errata
*	Example
*	Forword
*	Glossary
*	Index
*	Introduction
*	Notice
*	Part
*	Preface
*	Prologue
*	Table of Contents

Additionally, these region types, if available, will also be included in the
Regions dialog box (CTRL+INSERT+R).

Page Break Indication

In EPUB files, you can now use the navigation quick key DASH to move to the
next page or separator. JAWS now also says "page", followed by the number
when encountering page breaks while reading.

Announce Work Week

You can now press CTRL+INSERT+F12 twice quickly to have JAWS announce the
week number. This is especially useful for anyone who uses week numbers to
communicate their time frames for work.

Aria and Web

*	When INSERT+TAB is pressed on a radio button, JAWS now reads the
current radio button along with the group.
*	Improved JAWS indication of graphical objects on web pages that also
act as buttons or other controls.
*	When navigating through radio buttons on a web page, JAWS now
correctly announces the position of the selected radio button in the group.
*	JAWS now provides additional information about separator elements.
*	Definition lists are now included in the Select a List dialog
(CTRL+INSERT+L).
*	When focused on a bulleted link, resolved an issue where pressing
the APPLICATION key or SHIFT+F10 did not open the context menu for the
selected link.
*	For users who prefer to turn off the announcement of Smart Glance
highlights, you should now find performance when loading pages more
responsive.
*	Improved JAWS reading in tables where header rows contain elements.
*	When navigating to a combo box using the Virtual Cursor, the prompt
and the current selection are now shown on the same line in Braille.
*	Improved the announcement of headings that include the
aria-labelledby attribute.
*	If Forms Mode is set to Auto, JAWS now activates Forms Mode when
focus moves to a tab control.
*	JAWS now says "on" or "off" when interacting with switch elements on
web pages.
*	When encountering interactive elements on a web page that use the
Separator ARIA role and JAWS Forms Mode is set to Auto or Semi-Auto, Forms
Mode activates when focus moves to these elements.
*	When using Auto Forms Mode and you navigate in and out of an edit
field using UP or DOWN ARROW, labels are no longer announced multiple times.
*	Using table navigation commands (ALT+CTRL+ARROWS) in some web-based
applications no longer causes the browser's menu bar to activate.
*	In Forms Mode, reduced speech verbosity when navigating ARIA menus
by eliminating additional "menu" announcements for subsequent menu items.
*	If a table on a web page supports changing the sort order of a
column, JAWS now properly recognizes the new sort order and speaks and
displays it in Braille.
*	Labels for edit fields on web pages are now displayed correctly in
Braille.
*	In certain instances, radio buttons no longer appear to have
multiple labels.
*	If Mouse Echo is enabled, JAWS reads open browser tabs when hovering
over them with a mouse.
*	Improved JAWS interaction with selecting items in Angular tree
grids.
*	When typing a number into an edit spin box, JAWS no longer reads the
entire number as each digit is typed.
*	When reading a PDF file in Edge or Chrome, JAWS no longer reads
multiple paragraphs when pressing CTRL+DOWN ARROW to read the next
paragraph.
*	Addressed issues with activating links through the Links List dialog
in Firefox.
*	In Firefox, resolved issues with selecting or clearing check boxes
on web pages.

Google Suite

*	When attempting to view spelling or grammar errors in Google Docs
with Braille, moving to items using Cursor Routers is now more reliable.
*	JAWS now speaks deleted characters in Google Sheets as expected when
using BACKSPACE.
*	In Google Sheets, JAWS no longer constantly speaks the grid and size
of the spreadsheet each time you edit a cell.
*	If INSERT+UP ARROW is pressed to read the current row in Google
Sheets, JAWS now says "blank" if the row is empty.
*	When using any of the Google apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drive)
and JAWS is running by itself without ZoomText or Fusion, the mouse pointer
is now positioned in the top left corner of the screen by default. This
keeps the mouse out of the main work area to avoid any unanticipated
interactions.
*	JAWS now correctly reads buttons in the Google Drive setup
application in Windows 11.

Office Apps

*	When using Outlook on the web, JAWS now loads the New Outlook
scripts and settings to help improve the experience.
*	You can now use INSERT+A in the New Outlook to move to the
attachments list for the currently open message.
*	The message, "App Ctl," is no longer shown in Braille for many
instances in the New Outlook as it takes up space on the display and
provides no real useful info.
*	The ALT+1 through 6 keystrokes to read message headers now work as
expected in the New Outlook.
*	When replying to an email in Outlook, resolved an issue where the
first few typed characters were dropped. This was primarily encountered when
running Fusion, or when using JAWS and ZoomText together.
*	Resolved an issue in Outlook where pressing CTRL+SHIFT+V from an
open message was not opening the Move Items dialog.
*	In French Outlook, JAWS no longer says "unknown" when navigating
message lists.
*	In Word, JAWS now reads alt text when assigned to a table.
*	When inserting new rows or columns into a table in Word, JAWS now
properly announces updated table information.
*	In Word, JAWS now indicates when you enter or exit a list.
*	With JAWS running, pasting document formatting in Word now works
correctly.
*	When navigating by heading in Word using navigation quick key H or
SHIFT+H, JAWS no longer shows "hlp" along with the word "heading" and its
level spelled out in Braille. This info is not needed as the heading level
is shown in the status cells.
*	JAWS now reads additional details about comments as you navigate
them in the Word Comment pane. Additionally, the open/resolved status of
comments is announced as you navigate the document.
*	In Word, JAWS is more consistent with announcing tables when using
navigation quick key T.
*	In Word, alt text for graphics is now correctly read by JAWS when
navigating with the ARROW keys or when using navigation quick key G.
*	If you hover the mouse over search results in Word, mouse echo now
reads the current result as expected.
*	In Word, Navigation Quick Keys are no longer turned off unexpectedly
if G is pressed to move to a graphic that includes a flashing image.
*	JAWS now indicates the resolved state of comments as you navigate
Word documents.
*	In Excel, you can now press INSERT+SHIFT+V to display cells
containing multiple lines of content in the Virtual Viewer. This enables you
to read the content line by line.
*	In an active Teams call or meeting, the Hang up option in the Manage
Calls dialog (ALT+WINDOWS+C) now works as expected to end the call.

JAWS Application

*	If Screen Shade is enabled and you use Picture Smart AI to try and
describe the screen or window, you will now receive a message stating that
the image cannot be described while Screen Shade is on.
*	Added Picture Smart AI language support for Icelandic, Macedonian,
Albanian, and Croatian. To select a language, open Settings Center, expand
the Convenient OCR and Picture Smart group, and choose the language you want
to use for describing images from the Picture Smart Language combo box.
*	Improved the responsiveness of the JAWS Scan and Touch Cursors
(SHIFT+NUM PAD PLUS or SHIFT+INSERT+SEMICOLON in Laptop Layout) when
navigating to the first or last element.
*	Starting with JAWS 2025, the Grade 2 Translator combo box in
Settings Center now only lists the most recent version of the Liblouis
Braille translator, which has been updated to 3.31.0.
*	If JAWS is configured to run in the System Tray, improved JAWS
performance in a Windows Security prompt.
*	Pressing CTRL+INSERT+V twice quickly in the Fusion window to display
application version information now correctly shows the Fusion version at
the top instead of ZoomText.
*	Updated JAWS to run on the latest features and improvements from
Microsoft .Net 8 Core.
*	Added language support for Slovak.
*	If a Chinese Vocalizer Expressive voice is installed and Chinese
text is encountered in a document, JAWS now automatically switches to the
Chinese voice as expected.

Other

*	JAWS now reads as expected when navigating from a message edit field
to the list of chat messages in Slack.
*	In Thunderbird, using INSERT+ALT+1 through 5 now correctly reads
message headers instead of displaying "unknown function call" errors.
*	In Adobe Reader DC, labels for edit fields and check boxes in PDF
forms are now more consistently spoken and shown in Braille.
*	If JAWS Tutor Messages are set to announce menu and control help,
resolved an issue where help messages were not announced for items on the
Windows Taskbar.
*	Resolved an issue where JAWS keyboard functionality was not working
reliably after using the Windows System Information utility.
*	Pressing CTRL to interrupt speech in Remote Incident Manager now
works even with JAWS unified keyboard processing enabled.
*	JAWS no longer speaks password characters on the Windows Logon
screen after opening the Language menu.
*	JAWS now correctly reads the list of input languages on the Windows
Logon screen.
*	JAWS now automatically reads the content of Windows Forms dialog
boxes when they gain focus.
*	JAWS now reads text in a Terminal window after startup, even if JAWS
is set to run on the Logon screen.

Continuous Improvements

This release marks the start of improvements for the 2025 cycle. Similar to
the enhancements introduced during the 2024 cycle, which included Picture
Smart AI, MathCAT improvements including Unified English Braille (UEB) math
support, and numerous improvements with web navigation, you can anticipate
additional functionalities throughout the 2025 cycle.

 

 

 

Respectfully Yours,

Robert Leslie Newman

NFBN Senior Division, President 

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