How to Change Narrator Modifier Key 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 also has a navigation and reading mode called Scan Mode. Use it to get around Windows 10 using just the up and down arrows on your keyboard. You can also use a braille display to navigate your PC and read text.

You can personalize Narrator's voice to adjust the speaking rate, pitch, and volume as well as install some third-party text-to-speech voices.

You can now choose what modifier key you want to use in Narrator commands. Both the Caps Lock and Insert keys serve as your Narrator key by default. You can use either of these keys in any command that uses the Narrator key. The Narrator key is referred to as simply “Narrator” in commands.

If you’re using a Japanese 106 keyboard, Insert and NonConvert are your default Narrator keys.

This tutorial will show you how to change the Narrator modifier key for your account in Windows 10.


Contents







OPTION ONE

Change Narrator Keyboard Layout in Settings


1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Ease of Access icon.

Starting with Windows 10 build 21359, the Ease of Access category in Settings has been renamed to Accessibility.


You can press the Win+Ctrl+N keys to directly open to Narrator settings.


2 Click/tap on Narrator on the left side, and select Caps Lock or Insert (default), Caps Lock, or Insert in the Select Narrator modifier key drop menu for what you want on the right side under the Choose keyboard settings section. (see screenshot below)

You will only be able to change the Narrator modifier key if you have selected the Standard keyboard layout.


3 You can now close Settings if you like.

Change Narrator Modifier Key in Windows 10-change_narrator_modifier_key.jpg






OPTION TWO

Change Narrator Modifier Key using a REG file


The downloadable .reg files below will modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Narrator\NoRoam

NarratorModifiers DWORD

1 = Caps Lock
2 = Insert
3 = Caps Lock or Insert


1 Do step 2 (Caps Lock or Insert), step 3 (Caps Lock), or step 4 (Insert) below for what you would like to do.


2 To Use "Caps Lock or Insert" for Narrator Modifier Key

This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Change_Narrator_modifier_key_to_default_Caps-Lock_or_Insert.reg

Download


3 To Use "Caps Lock" for Narrator Modifier Key

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Change_Narrator_modifier_key_to_Caps-Lock.reg

Download


4 To Use "Insert" for Narrator Modifier Key

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Change_Narrator_modifier_key_to_Insert.reg

Download


5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


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