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This chapter provides details about how to use Narrator with touch on supported desktop Windows PCs, and describes some basic Windows touch gestures.

Touch gestures

You can use gestures to interact with Narrator and your device.

To explore and hear items on a screen, drag one finger around the screen. When you hear an item that you want to use, double-tap the screen with one finger to activate it. To move through items on the screen, flick left and right with one finger.

If you want to move by characters, words, lines, or links, flick up or down to change the Narrator view. For example, to hear an item spelled out, flick up until you hear Narrator say "characters." Then flick left and right to move through that item a letter at a time.

The following are important gestures to help you get started:

  • To dismiss context menus (imitating the Escape key), triple tap with 2 fingers.

  • To change Narrator views, flick up and down with one finger.

  • To scroll, flick up, down, left or right with two fingers.

  • To show context menus, double-tap with two fingers.

  • To change verbosity, tap once with three fingers.

  • To read continuously from the current position, swipe down with three fingers.

  • To tab forward or backward, flick left or right with three fingers.

  • To show the Narrator command list, triple tap with four fingers.

  • To open the Action Center, swipe in from the right side of the screen.

  • To open Task View to switch between apps and multiple desktops, swipe in from the left side of the screen.

For a complete list of touch gestures, refer to Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Typing by touch

When in an editing area, such as a text box, a touch keyboard will appear in the lower part of the screen and Narrator will play a sound to indicate that a keyboard has appeared. To enter text, double-tap the characters you want to enter.

To enter text more quickly, select the Start button, then select Settings, select Accessibility, and then select Narrator. Then, select the check box next to On touch keyboards, activate keys when I lift my finger to enter characters as soon as you lift your finger off the character.

Next: Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator

Go back to the Table of Contents

This chapter provides details about how to use Narrator with touch on supported desktop Windows PCs, and describes some basic Windows touch gestures.

Touch gestures

You can use gestures to interact with Narrator and your device.

To explore and hear items on a screen, drag one finger around the screen. When you hear an item that you want to use, double-tap the screen with one finger to activate it. To move through items on the screen, flick left and right with one finger.

If you want to move by characters, words, lines, or links, flick up or down to change the Narrator view. For example, to hear an item spelled out, flick up until you hear Narrator say "characters." Then flick left and right to move through that item a letter at a time.

The following are important gestures to help you get started:

  • To change Narrator views, flick up and down with one finger.

  • To scroll, flick up, down, left or right with two fingers.

  • To show context menus, double-tap with two fingers.

  • To change verbosity, tap once with three fingers.

  • To read continuously from the current position, swipe down with three fingers.

  • To tab forward or backward, flick left or right with three fingers.

  • To show the Narrator command list, triple tap with four fingers.

  • To open Action Center, swipe in from the right side of the screen.

  • To open Task View to switch between apps and multiple desktops, swipe in from the left side of the screen.

For a complete list of touch gestures, refer to Appendix B: Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Typing by touch

When in an editing area, such as a text box, a touch keyboard will appear in the lower part of the screen and Narrator will play a sound to indicate that a keyboard has appeared. To enter text, double-tap the characters you want to enter.

To enter text more quickly, select the Start  button, then select Settings , select Ease of Access , and then select Narrator. Then, select the check box next to On touch keyboards, activate keys when I lift my finger to enter characters as soon as you lift your finger off the character.

Next: Chapter 7: Customizing Narrator

Go back to the Table of Contents

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