How to Enable or Disable Narrator in Windows 11

Ways to Launch Narrator

How to Enable or Disable Narrator

It works from anywhere on your screen, including the desktop, an open app or the sign-in screen. Press it once to start Narrator. Press it again to stop it.

When Narrator starts, you will hear a voice and the first time you may see a Welcome to Narrator window. You can read it, or close it if you only wanted to try the shortcut. From then on, Narrator reads text aloud and describes buttons and other items as you move around your desktop.

If you prefer the mouse, or the shortcut does nothing, you can turn Narrator on or off in the Settings ⚙️ app instead. The steps are below.

1. Open the Settings app. Press Win+I to do this. The Settings ⚙️ window opens with a list of categories on the left.

2. In the left-hand menu, select Accessibility.
3. Under the Vision group, choose Narrator. The Narrator page opens, with the on/off toggle at the top and the Narrator options below it.

4. Find the Narrator toggle at the top of the page. In some builds it is labeled Use Narrator. Switch it On to start the screen reader, or Off to stop it.

This toggle decides whether Narrator is running right now. When you switch it on, you should hear Narrator start speaking. When you switch it off, the voice stops. If Narrator was started with the keyboard shortcut, the toggle shows On. Switching it off here has the same effect as pressing the shortcut again.

Customizing Narrator: Voice, Speed, and Pitch

Changing the voice settings makes it much more natural and easier to listen to for long periods.

1. Go to Settings › Accessibility › Narrator
2. Find Narrator's voice options on that page.
3. Choose a different voice. Newer Windows 11 versions offer Natural voices, which sound smoother. Windows may ask you to download a Natural voice first. Once it is installed, it works without an internet connection.
4. Adjust the Speed, Pitch and Volume sliders until the sound is comfortable. Narrator's speech changes as you move each slider, so you can hear the result right away.

If you set the speed too high and cannot follow it, slide Speed back down. Nothing is permanent, and you can change these settings at any time.

How to Stop Narrator from Starting Automatically

Narrator can be set to start on its own when you sign in. If you only want it when you need it, turn that off.

1. Go to Settings › Accessibility › Narrator
2. Find the option labeled Start Narrator after sign-in. On some builds you may need to expand a section on the page to see it.
3. Uncheck the box. Narrator will no longer start on its own after you sign in.

You can still start it any time with Windows key + Ctrl + Enter. To have it start automatically again, tick the box.

Narrator Keyboard Shortcuts

You don't need a mouse to use Narrator. Most Narrator commands start with the Narrator key, which is Caps Lock or Insert by default. Hold it down and press another key to run a command.

• Press Caps Lock + F1 to display a comprehensive list of commands. This is the quickest way to learn what Narrator can do.
• Use Caps Lock + Arrow Keys to move through on-screen items.

While Narrator is running, Caps Lock acts as the Narrator key, so it no longer toggles capital letters when pressed alone. Press it twice quickly if you need it to switch Caps Lock on or off.

Troubleshooting Narrator

If Narrator stops working unexpectedly in Windows 11, for example it goes silent or does not respond to the shortcut, try restarting it.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Locate Narrator in the list of running processes. If you cannot see it, select More details at the bottom of the window first.
3. Select Narrator, then choose End task. The Narrator voice stops.
4. Start it again with the Windows key + Ctrl + Enter shortcut. You should hear the voice again.

If the problem comes back, check the volume and make sure the right audio device is selected. If it still fails, restart your PC.

sfc /scannow

Summary

Narrator is a tool built into Windows 11 that reads what's on your screen out loud, which helps if you have difficulty seeing. Turn it on or off with Windows key + Ctrl + Enter, or with the toggle at Settings › Accessibility › Narrator. Adjust the voice, speed and start-up behavior there too, so it works the way you want.