[NJTechDiv] FW: [Tech-VI] Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

Thu Nov 27 11:53:35 UTC 2025

Steve Cook

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From: tech-vi at groups.io <tech-vi at groups.io> On Behalf Of David Goldfield via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 4:35 PM
To: tv <tech-vi at groups.io>
Subject: [Tech-VI] Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/better-screen-reader-experience-audio-feedback-for-60-word-keyboard-shortcuts/4471928

Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

 <https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/users/renata_drucker/3257784> Renata_Drucker

  <https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/s/gxcuf89792/images/bS00NDcxOTI4LWVFR25QQQ?revision=3&image-dimensions=2000x2000&constrain-image=true> 

Hi, Insiders! I’m Renata Drucker, and I’m a Product Manager on the Word team. I’m excited to introduce significant updates to the Microsoft Word for Windows experience that improve accessibility for screen reader users. Now, you can receive audio feedback for more than 60 common keyboard shortcuts!

Better screen reader experience: Audio feedback for 60+ Word keyboard shortcuts

Visual feedback is immediate and intuitive for sighted users – for example, bolding a word instantly changes its appearance. However, for those who are blind and have low vision, confirmation must be delivered thoughtfully through audio feedback to make the experience seamless, reduce confusion, and enhance overall usability. With audio feedback, when an action such as deleting an email is performed, the system announces the next item, signaling that the action was successful and that they’ve moved on to another action.

Keyboard shortcuts in particular present challenges for screen reader users. For instance, when bolding a word using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + B, it may not be obvious whether bold is on or off. To address this, Word began offering verbal confirmations for common shortcuts last year. Building on that foundation, we’ve since expanded support to 60+ additional scenarios, ensuring you receive clear aural feedback about the outcome of your actions.

Using these shortcuts can streamline formatting, navigation, and editing tasks, making Word more accessible for everyone. They also provide a myriad of benefits for anyone looking to save time and boost productivity, including:

*	Efficiency and speed: You can execute steps fast and with fewer mouse clicks.
*	Reduced reliance on menus: You can skip navigating through toolbars or dropdowns, which speeds up repetitive tasks.
*	Work smarter, not harder: Shortcuts let you complete one task quickly and move on to the next, freeing mental bandwidth.
*	Accuracy and focus: Shortcuts provide fewer distractions and improve precision by preventing mis-clicks.
*	Reduced strain: Less mouse movement means less wrist fatigue, which is especially valuable for heavy computer users.

You can learn more about keyboard shortcuts by reading  <https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-in-word-95ef89dd-7142-4b50-afb2-f762f663ceb2> Keyboard shortcuts in Word.

How it works

*	Open Word for Windows with a screen reader and use one of the following keyboard shortcuts. Notice that these are now supported with verbal confirmation:

Action

Shortcut

1.5 space

Ctrl + 5

Align left

Ctrl + L

Align right

Ctrl + R

All caps/normal caps

Ctrl + Shift + A

All lowercase/first character uppercase/all uppercase

Shift + F3

Bullet

Ctrl + Alt + L

Bulleted list

Ctrl + Shift + L

Centered on/off

Ctrl + E

Codes on/off

Alt + F9

Collapse heading

Alt + Shift + Num-

Copy format/error copying

Ctrl + Alt + C

Distribute on/off

Ctrl + Shift + J

Double space

Ctrl + 2

Double underline on/off

Ctrl + Shift + D

Expand heading

Alt + Shift + Num+

Resize font

Ctrl + Shift + < (to decrease font)

Ctrl + ] (to increase font one point)

Ctrl + Shift + > (to increase font)

Ctrl + [ (to decrease font one point)

Go back

Shift + F5

Ctrl + Alt + Z

Hang indent (in/cm)

Ctrl + T

Heading 1

Alt + Ctrl + 1

Heading 2

Alt + Ctrl + 2

Heading 3

Alt + Ctrl + 3

Change heading

Alt + Shift + right arrow (make heading style level lower)

Alt + Shift + left arrow (make heading style level higher)

Indent (in/cm)

Ctrl + M

Join paragraphs

Ctrl + Alt + Enter

Justify on/off

Ctrl + J

Move down

Alt + Shift + down arrow

Move up

Alt + Shift + up arrow

Next object

Alt + down arrow

Normal

Ctrl + Alt + N

Outline

Ctrl + Alt + O

Page

Ctrl + Alt + P

Page break

Ctrl + Enter

Paste format/error pasting

Ctrl + Alt + V

Previous object

Alt + up arrow

Redo/nothing to redo

Alt + Shift + Backspace

Reset paragraph style

Ctrl + Q

Reset text style

Ctrl + Space

Ctrl + Shift + Z

Restored

Alt + F5

Saved

Ctrl + S

Select all

Ctrl + A

Show all on/off

Ctrl + Shift + *

Show first line only on/off when in outline view

Alt + Shift + L 

Single space

Ctrl + 1

Small caps on/off

Ctrl + Shift + K

Spike (deletes the selection and adds it to the special AutoText entry)

Ctrl + F3 

Split on/off

Ctrl + Alt + S

Subscript on/off

Ctrl + Shift + _

Superscript on/off

Ctrl + Shift + +

Symbol/nothing selected (applies the symbol font to the selection)

Ctrl + Shift + Q 

Underline words not spaces on/off

Ctrl + Shift + W 

Unhang indent (in/cm)

Ctrl + Shift + T

Unicode <character>/hex <hexcode>

Alt + X

Unindent (in/cm)

Ctrl + Shift + M

Zoom 100

Ctrl + 0

Zoom in/out

Ctrl + =

Ctrl + -

Availability

This update is available to Word for Windows users running Version 2510 (Build 19328.20000) or later.

Feedback

We’re excited for screen reader users to work with more confidence when formatting a document! If you have suggestions or encounter scenarios where confirmation could be improved, please let us know by selecting Help > Feedback in Word – your input helps us continue to enhance accessibility for all.

Learn about the  <https://aka.ms/MSFT365InsiderProgram> Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the  <https://aka.ms/msft365insidernews> Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my training services by visiting

WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com <http://www.screenreadertraining.com/> 

Am Yisrael Chai

The Nation of Israel Lives!

JAWS Certified, 2022 <https://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certification/> 

NVDA Certified Expert <https://certification.nvaccess.org/> 

Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field.

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