Windows 10
Accessibility shortcuts can help you use your PC with a keyboard or assistive device.
The following is a list of keyboard shortcuts for assistive technologies in Windows 10, including Magnifier, high contrast, and others.
To see a list of keyboard shortcuts and touch gestures for Narrator in Windows 10, see Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.
Magnifier keyboard shortcuts
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Windows logo key + Plus sign (+) | Turn Magnifier on |
| Windows logo key + Esc | Turn Magnifier off |
| Windows logo key + Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-) | When Magnifier is on, zoom in or out |
| Ctrl + Alt + mouse scroll wheel | Zoom in and out using the mouse scroll wheel |
| Windows logo key + Ctrl + M | Open Magnifier settings |
| Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys | Pan in the direction of the arrow keys |
| Ctrl + Alt + I | Invert colors |
| Ctrl + Alt + F | Switch to full screen view |
| Ctrl + Alt + L | Switch to lens view |
| Ctrl + Alt + D | Switch to docked view |
| Ctrl + Alt + M | Cycle through views |
| Ctrl + Alt + R | Resize the lens with the mouse |
| Shift + Alt + arrow keys | Resize the lens with the keyboard |
| Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar | Quickly see the entire desktop when using full screen view |
Additional accessibility keyboard shortcuts
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Right Shift for eight seconds | Turn Filter Keys on and off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Print screen | Turn High Contrast on or off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Num lock | Turn Mouse Keys on or off |
| Shift five times | Turn Sticky Keys on or off |
| Num lock for five seconds | Turn Toggle Keys on or off |
| Windows logo key + U | Open the Ease of Access Center |
| Windows logo key + Ctrl + C | Turn color filters on or off |
| Windows logo key + Ctrl + N | Open Narrator settings |
| Windows logo key + Ctrl + S | Turn on Windows Speech Recognition |
| Windows logo key + Ctrl + O | Turn on the On-Screen Keyboard |
Additional keyboard shortcuts
Windows 8.1
Keyboard shortcuts to help control Windows 8.1 with the keyboard.
Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your PC easier to use.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Right Shift for eight seconds | Turn Filter Keys on and off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen | Turn High Contrast on or off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Num Lock | Turn Mouse Keys on or off |
| Shift five times | Turn Sticky Keys on or off |
| Num Lock for five seconds | Turn Toggle Keys on or off |
| Windows logo key + U | Open the Ease of Access Center |
Magnifier keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Windows logo key + plus (+) or minus (-) | Zoom in or out |
| Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar | Preview the desktop in full-screen mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + D | Switch to docked mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + F | Switch to full-screen mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + I | Invert colors |
| Ctrl + Alt + L | Switch to lens mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + R | Resize the lens |
| Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys | Pan in the direction of the arrow keys |
| Windows logo key + Esc | Exit Magnifier |
Narrator keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Narrator.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Spacebar or Enter | Activate current item |
| Tab and arrow keys | Move around on the screen |
| Ctrl | Stop reading |
| Caps Lock + D | Read item |
| Caps Lock + M | Start reading |
| Caps Lock + H | Read document |
| Caps Lock + V | Repeat phrase |
| Caps Lock + W | Read window |
| Caps Lock + Page Up or Page Down | Increase or decrease the volume of the voice |
| Caps Lock + plus (+) or minus (-) | Increase or decrease the speed of the voice |
| Caps Lock + Spacebar | Do default action |
| Caps Lock + Left or Right arrows | Move to previous/next item |
| Caps Lock + F2 | Show commands for current item |
| Press Caps Lock twice in quick succession | Turn Caps Lock on or off |
| Caps + Esc | Exit Narrator |
Narrator touch keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Narrator on a four-point tablet.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Tap once with two fingers | Stop Narrator from reading |
| Tap three times with four fingers | Show all Narrator commands (including the ones not in this list) |
| Double-tap | Activate primary action |
| Triple-tap | Activate secondary action |
| Touch or drag a single finger | Read what’s under your fingers |
| Flick left/right with one finger | Move to next or previous item |
| Swipe left/right/up/down with two fingers | Scroll |
| Swipe down with three fingers | Start reading on explorable text |
Additional keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7
Keyboard shortcuts to help control Windows 7 with the keyboard.
Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your PC easier to use.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Right Shift for eight seconds | Turn Filter Keys on and off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen | Turn High Contrast on or off |
| Left Alt + left Shift + Num Lock | Turn Mouse Keys on or off |
| Shift five times | Turn Sticky Keys on or off |
| Num Lock for five seconds | Turn Toggle Keys on or off |
| Windows logo key | Open the Ease of Access Center |
Magnifier keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Windows logo key | Zoom in or out |
| Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar | Preview the desktop in full-screen mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + D | Switch to docked mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + F | Switch to full-screen mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + I | Invert colors |
| Ctrl + Alt + L | Switch to lens mode |
| Ctrl + Alt + R | Resize the lens |
| Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys | Pan in the direction of the arrow keys |
| Windows logo key | Exit Magnifier |
Create keyboard shortcuts to open programs
You can create keyboard shortcuts to open programs. Before you get started, you need to create a shortcut for the program to which you want to assign a keyboard shortcut. To do this, open the folder that contains the program's executable file, right-click it, and then click Create Shortcut.
For more information about creating shortcuts to programs, see Create or delete a shortcut.
- Locate the shortcut to the program that you want to create a keyboard shortcut for.
- Right-click the shortcut, and then click Properties.
- In the Shortcut Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab.
- Click in the Shortcut key box, press the key on your keyboard that you want to use in combination with Ctrl + Alt (keyboard shortcuts automatically start with Ctrl + Alt), and then click OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
If you're using a program that also has a keyboard shortcut using the same key combination as the shortcut you just created, then your shortcut might not work.
The word None appears in the Shortcut key box until you press a key; then it's replaced with Ctrl + Alt + the key that you pressed.
You can't use the Esc, Enter, Tab, Spacebar, PrtScn, Shift, or Backspace keys to create a keyboard shortcut.