How to Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls 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 choose if you want Narrator to read context about buttons and other controls either before or after the current item.

This tutorial will show you how to adjust the order when Narrator provides details about buttons and other controls for your account in Windows 10.


Contents

  • Option One: Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls using Keyboard Shortcut
  • Option Two: Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls in Settings
  • Option Three: Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls using a REG file






OPTION ONE

Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls using Keyboard Shortcut


1 While Narrator is turned on, press the Narrator + Ctrl + forward slash (/) keys until you hear the order (before or after) you want.






OPTION TWO

Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls 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 also press the Win+Ctrl+N keys to directly open Narrator settings.


2 Click/tap on Narrator on the left side, and select Before controls (default) or After controls for the order you want in the Adjust when Narrator provides details about buttons and other controls drop menu on the right side under the Change what you hear when reading and interacting section. (see screenshot below)

3 You can now close Settings if you like.

Adjust Narrator Context Reading Order for Buttons and Controls-adjust_when_narrator_provides_details_about_buttons_and_other_controls.jpg






OPTION THREE

Adjust Order Narrator Provides Details about Buttons and other Controls 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

RenderContextBeforeElement DWORD

0 = After controls
1 = Before controls


1 Do step 2 (after) or step 3 (before) below for what you would like to do.


2 To Have Narrator Provide Details After Controls

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Narrator_provides_details_after_controls.reg

Download


3 To Have Narrator Provide Details Before Controls

This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Narrator_provides_details_before_controls.reg

Download


4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

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

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

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


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials



  • Windows 11 Tutorials