How to Enable Narrator Announcing Keys in Windows 11

This guide explains how to turn on or off a feature in Narrator that lets it speak the names of keys like Arrow or Tab when you press them in Windows 11.

Narrator is a screen-reading tool built into Windows. It reads text on your screen out loud. It is designed to help users with low vision or blindness.

When you use Narrator, you can enable or disable Narrator phonetic reading, pause for punctuation, adjust how the Narrator read advanced details, adjust the way capitalized text is read, add a braille display with Narrator, change input and output language for braille with Narrator, enable the Narrator announcing function keys, modifier keys, and more.

You can also set Narrator to speak when you press navigational keys. You can turn this on or off whenever you like.

Why use this feature?

Hearing the keys spoken aloud gives you audio feedback. This makes it easier to move around your computer screen if you have trouble seeing the screen clearly.

What happens when done?

Once you finish these steps, Narrator will say the name of the key (like “Tab” or “Right Arrow”) every time you press it on your keyboard.

How to change Narrator settings

1. Open the Settings app
   
   Open the Windows Settings app. You can click the Start menu and select Settings, or press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
2. 
4. Go to Accessibility
   
   In the Settings menu, click Accessibility on the left side. Then, click the Narrator box on the right.
5. Find typing announcements
   
   Look for the section called Verbosity. Click the arrow next to Have Narrator announce when I type to see more options.
6. Toggle the keys
   
   Switch the setting to On or Off to hear your navigational keys.
7. 
8. 
   

Note: Changing these system-wide accessibility settings may require administrator privileges if you are on a managed work or school computer.

Summary

Setting Narrator to announce keys helps users who need audio cues to navigate Windows 11. By following the steps above, you can easily control whether or not your computer speaks your navigational keystrokes. This simple change can make using your keyboard much easier and more intuitive.

[Arrow, Tab, and other navigational keys]