Windows 10: Turn On or Off Narrator in Windows 10  

Turn On or Off Narrator in Windows 10

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How to Turn On or Off Narrator in Windows 10


Narrator is a screen-reading app built into Windows 10.

All keyboard commands and touch gestures supported by Narrator in Windows 10:

Windows 10 Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures

Starting with Windows 10 build 17093, you can now use Narrator when in safe mode. Note: It’s recommended for Narrator users to enter safe mode via msconfig.exe. On some devices you may need to use USB headphones to hear audio in safe mode.

This tutorial will show you different ways on how to turn on or off Narrator for your account in Windows 10.

 CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Turn On or Off Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in in Settings
• Option Two: To Turn On or Off Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in using a REG file
• Option Three: To Turn On or Off Narrator using Keyboard Shortcut
• Option Four: To Turn On or Off Narrator in Settings
• Option Five: To Turn On or Off Narrator in Control Panel
• Option Six: To Start Narrator in Control Panel
• Option Seven: To Turn Off Narrator in Task Manager

OPTION ONE

To Turn On or Off Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in in Settings

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

2. Click/tap on Narrator on the left side, and turn on or off (default) Start Narrator automatically on the right side for what you want. (see screenshot below)

OPTION TWO

To Turn On or Off Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in using a REG file

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Accessibility

Configuration string value

narrator = On
<blank> = Off

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

 2. To Turn On Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in

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

Turn_ON_Start_Narrator_automatically_for_current_account.reg

 3. To Turn Off Start Narrator Automatically at Sign-in

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_Start_Narrator_automatically_for_current_account.reg

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

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

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

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

OPTION THREE

To Turn On or Off Narrator using Keyboard Shortcut

1. Press the Win + Ctrl + Enter keys to toggle Narrator on (start) and off (exit).

OR

2. Press the Caps lock + Esc keys to turn off (exit) Narrator.

OPTION FOUR

To Turn On or Off Narrator in Settings

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

2. Click/tap on Narrator on the left side, and turn on or off (default) Narrator on the right side for what you want. (see screenshot below)

OPTION FIVE

To Turn On or Off Narrator in Control Panel

This option doesn't always work well for turning off Narrator.

1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Ease of Access Center icon.

2. Click/tap on the Use the computer without a display link. (see screenshot below)

3. Check or uncheck (default) Turn on Narrator for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

4. When finished, you can close the Control Panel if you like.

OPTION SIX

To Start Narrator in Control Panel

1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Ease of Access Center icon.

2. Click/tap on Start Narrator at the top, and close the Control Panel. (see screenshot below)

OPTION SEVEN

To Turn Off Narrator in Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager (more details view), and do step 2 or step 3 below for how you would like to end the Narrator task.


2. Click/tap on the Processes tab, select Screen Reader, click/tap on the End task button, and close Task Manager. (see screenshot below)

3. Click/tap on the Details tab, select Narrator.exe, click/tap on the End task button, click/tap on End process when prompted to confirm, and close Task Manager. (see screenshots below)

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Select Audio Channel for Narrator Speech Output in Windows 10
• How Change Assistive Technology Sign-in Settings in Windows 8 and Windows 10
• How to Change Accessibility Tool to Launch in Windows 8 and Windows 10