How to Turn On ot Off and Use Narrator Scan Mode in Windows 10


Narrator is a screen-reading app built into Windows 10. Narrator lets you use your PC without a display or mouse to complete common tasks if you’re blind or have low vision. It reads and interacts with things on the screen, like text and buttons. Use Narrator to read and write email, browse the internet, and work with documents.

Specific commands let you navigate Windows, the web, and apps, as well as get info about the area of the PC you're in. Navigation is available using headings, links, landmarks, and more. You can read text (including punctuation) by page, paragraph, line, word, and character as well as determine characteristics like font and text color. Efficiently review tables with row and column navigation.

Narrator has a navigation and reading mode called Scan Mode. Scan mode lets you navigate apps, email, and webpages using the arrow keys. You’ll also be able to use common keyboard shortcuts to read text and jump directly to headings, links, tables, and landmarks.

Starting in Windows 10 build 18945, Narrator now provides a more efficient reading experience when reading messages in Outlook or Windows Mail. When the message is opened, Scan Mode will turn on automatically. This allows the user to use their arrow keys to read the message in addition to all other Scan Mode hotkeys to jump through the text of the message.

This tutorial will show you how to use and turn on and off Narrator scan mode for your account in Windows 10.


Here's How:

1. Turn on Narrator (Win+Ctrl+Enter).

2. Press the Caps Lock + Spacebar keys to toggle scan mode on and off as needed while Narrator is turned on.

You will hear Narrator say scan when scan mode is turned on, and say scan off when scan mode is turned off.

When scan mode is turned on, use the Up arrow key and Down arrow key to navigate apps and webpages. Press Enter or Spacebar to activate an item that you want to use, such as a button in an app, a link in a webpage, or a text box.

Scan mode turns on automatically when you use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome to browse the web. It also turns on automatically when you open any Windows app where you turned it on before.

Scan mode’s Primary and Secondary Action commands have changed. Primary Action can be executed by pressing Enter or Spacebar. You can complete Secondary Action by adding a Shift key to each of those keys (Shift + Enter or Shift + Spacebar). You’ll notice this change regardless of the keyboard layout you select.

If you turn scan mode off for an app, it will remain off for that app until you turn it on again. Scan mode automatically turns off in edit fields so you can enter text. Press up or down arrow again to leave the edit field and resume scan mode.


Scan mode commands

When scan mode is turned on, use the following keys to navigate apps and webpages.

If you are hearing silent stops in scan mode, this may be because Narrator is stopping at a punctuation mark. To have Narrator tell you about that punctuation, increase your punctuation verbosity by pressing Narrator + Alt + Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-).

Press these keys To do this
Narrator + Spacebar Toggle scan mode
Enter
Spacebar		 Primary action
Shift + Enter
Shift + Spacebar		 Secondary action
Home Move to and read the first character of a line
End Move to and read the last character of a line
P Read next paragraph
Shift + P Read previous paragraph
Ctrl + Down arrow Read next line
Ctrl + Up arrow Read previous line
Ctrl + Right arrow Read next word
Ctrl + Left arrow Read previous word
Right arrow Read next character
Left arrow Read previous character
Ctrl + Home Move to and read the first line of text
Ctrl + End Move to and read the last line of text
Down arrow Jump to next text or item
Up arrow Jump to previous text or item
1 Jump to next heading at level 1
Shift + 1 Jump to previous heading at level 1
2 Jump to next heading at level 2
Shift + 2 Jump to previous heading at level 2
3 Jump to next heading at level 3
Shift + 3 Jump to previous heading at level 3
4 Jump to next heading at level 4
Shift + 4 Jump to previous heading at level 4
5 Jump to next heading at level 5
Shift + 5 Jump to previous heading at level 5
6 Jump to next heading at level 6
Shift + 6 Jump to previous heading at level 6
7 Jump to next heading at level 7
Shift + 7 Jump to previous heading at level 7
8 Jump to next heading at level 8
Shift + 8 Jump to previous heading at level 8
9 Jump to next heading at level 9
Shift + 9 Jump to previous heading at level 9
B Jump to next button
Shift + B Jump to previous button
C Jump to next combo box
Shift + C Jump to previous combo box
D Jump to next landmark
Shift + D Jump to previous landmark
E Jump to next edit box
Shift + E Jump to previous edit box
F Jump to next form field
Shift + F Jump to previous form field
H Jump to next heading
Shift + H Jump to previous heading
I Jump to next item
Shift + I Jump to previous item
K Jump to next link
Shift + K Jump to previous link
R Jump to next radio button
Shift + R Jump to previous radio button
T Jump to next table
Shift + T Jump to previous table
X Jump to next check box
Shift + X Jump to previous check box

Selecting text in scan mode

Use these commands when you’re copying text from content areas like websites or email.

Press these keys To do this
Shift + Right arrow Select current character
Shift + Left arrow Select previous character
Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow Select current word
Ctrl + Shift + Left arrow Select previous word
Shift + Down arrow Select current line
Shift + Up arrow Select previous line
Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow Select current paragraph
Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow Select previous paragraph
Shift + Home Select to beginning of line
Shift + End Select to end of line
Ctrl + Shift + Home Select to beginning of document
Ctrl + Shift + End Select to end of document
Shift + Page down Select current page
Shift + Page up Select previous page
F9 Mark the beginning or end of a block of text
F10 Select all text between a mark and the current point
Ctrl + C Copy selection
Ctrl + X Cut selection
Ctrl + V Paste selection
Ctrl + A Select all
Narrator + Shift + Down arrow Read selection
Narrator + Shift + Down arrow twice quickly Spell selection


That's it,
Shawn


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