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Navigation In MS PowerPoint With Screen Readers

by | Dec 8, 2023 | MS PowerPoint | 0 comments

Navigating PowerPoint Using a Screen Reader

1. Open PowerPoint:

Use your preferred method to open PowerPoint, as mentioned earlier.

2. Navigate Between Slides:

  • Next Slide: Press “Page Down” or “Down Arrow.”
  • Previous Slide: Press “Page Up” or “Up Arrow.”
  • First Slide: Press “Ctrl + Home” (Windows) or “Command + Home” (macOS).
  • Last Slide: Press “Ctrl + End” (Windows) or “Command + End” (macOS).

3. Navigate Within a Slide:

  • Read the Entire Slide: Use your screen reader’s command to read the entire slide content. For example, in JAWS, press “Insert + Down Arrow” to read the current slide.
  • Navigate Line by Line: Use the screen reader’s arrow keys to navigate line by line through the text and elements on the slide.

4. Access Slide Titles and Headings:

Use screen reader commands to jump to slide titles and headings. In JAWS, press the “H” key to move to the next heading or slide title.

5. Explore Objects and Multimedia:

When encountering objects like images, shapes, charts, or multimedia elements on a slide, your screen reader should announce them. Use screen reader-specific commands to interact with these objects.

6. Access Speaker Notes (if available):

If the presenter has added speaker notes to a slide, you can often access them using your screen reader’s commands. Check your screen reader’s documentation for specific commands related to accessing notes.

7. Navigate the Ribbon and Tabs:

Use the “Tab” key to navigate through the Ribbon and its various tabs (e.g., Home, Insert, Design) to access formatting and editing tools.

8. Access Task Panes and Dialog Boxes:

When activating certain features, like inserting an object or applying animations, task panes or dialog boxes may appear. Use screen reader commands to interact with the elements in these panes.

9. Use PowerPoint Accessibility Features:

Take advantage of PowerPoint’s built-in accessibility features, such as adding alt text to images, ensuring proper heading structure, and using accessible slide layouts.

10. Exit Presentation Mode:

To exit the Slide Show mode and return to the normal PowerPoint view, press the “Escape” key.

MS PowerPoint Shortcut Key Commands

Here is a list of common keyboard shortcuts used in Microsoft PowerPoint. Please note that some shortcuts may vary slightly depending on the version of PowerPoint and your operating system.

File Actions:

  1. New presentation: Ctrl + N
  2. Open presentation: Ctrl + O
  3. Save presentation: Ctrl + S
  4. Save As: F12 or Shift + F12
  5. Print: Ctrl + P
  6. Close presentation: Ctrl + W
  7. Undo: Ctrl + Z
  8. Redo: Ctrl + Y

Slide Navigation:

  1. New slide: Ctrl + M
  2. Duplicate slide: Ctrl + D
  3. Delete slide: Ctrl + D
  4. Move to the next slide: Page Down or Down Arrow
  5. Move to the previous slide: Page Up or Up Arrow

Slide Show:

  1. Start slide show from the beginning: F5
  2. Start slide show from the current slide: Shift + F5
  3. Navigate through slides during a slide show: Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow
  4. End slide show: Esc

Text Formatting:

  1. Bold: Ctrl + B
  2. Italic: Ctrl + I
  3. Underline: Ctrl + U
  4. Increase font size: Ctrl + Shift + >
  5. Decrease font size: Ctrl + Shift + <
  6. Align text left: Ctrl + L
  7. Center text: Ctrl + E
  8. Align text right: Ctrl + R
  9. Bulleted list: Ctrl + Shift + L
  10. Numbered list: Ctrl + Shift + L

Copy, Cut, and Paste:

  1. Copy: Ctrl + C
  2. Cut: Ctrl + X
  3. Paste: Ctrl + V

Object Manipulation:

  1. Group selected objects: Ctrl + G
  2. Ungroup selected objects: Ctrl + Shift + G
  3. Duplicate selected object: Ctrl + D
  4. Delete selected object: Delete or Backspace
  5. Bring object to front: Ctrl + Shift + ]
  6. Send object to back: Ctrl + Shift + [

Slide Master and Layouts:

  1. Open Slide Master view: View > Slide Master or Alt + W, M
  2. Insert a new slide layout: Ctrl + Shift + M

Animation and Transition:

  1. Open Animation Pane: Alt + A, P
  2. Preview animation: Alt + A, S
  3. Apply animation: Alt + A, A
  4. Open the Animation Painter: Alt + A, P

Other Actions:

  1. Select all objects on a slide: Ctrl + A
  2. Duplicate slide layout: Ctrl + D
  3. Show or hide grid and guides: Alt + W, G
  4. Activate the Zoom dialog box: Alt + W, Z