How to Turn On or Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed 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.

When Narrator is turned on, you can have Narrator announce (echo) typed function keys (F1 to F12) immediately after you type them.

The function keys are used to perform specific tasks. They are labeled as F1, F2, F3, and so on, up to F12. The functionality of these keys differs from program to program.

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off hearing Narrator announce F1 to F12 function keys as you type them in Windows 10 for your account.


 CONTENTS:

  • Option One: Turn On or Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed in Settings
  • Option Two: Turn On or Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed using a REG file





OPTION ONE

Turn On or Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed in Settings


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

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

2. Click/tap on Narrator on the left side, and turn on or off (default) Hear function keys as you type for what you want on the right side under Change what you hear when typing. (see screenshot below)

3. You can now close Settings if you like.

Turn On or Off Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed in Windows 10-narrator_hear_function_keys_as_you_type.jpg






OPTION TWO

Turn On or Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed 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

EchoFunctionKeys DWORD

0 = Off
1 = On


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


 2. To Turn On Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed

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

Turn_ON_hear_Narrator_announce_function_keys_as_typed.reg

Download


 3. To Turn Off Hear Narrator Announce Function Keys as Typed

This is the default setting.

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

Turn_OFF_hear_Narrator_announce_function_keys_as_typed.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


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