This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to use the Help section. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to find help topics, access training resources, and how to find out about new Microsoft Teams features. You can also send suggestions for new features and report problems about your Microsoft Teams experience.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
-
To quickly access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams, press Ctrl+E, type the forward slash character followed by the word keys, and then press Enter.
In this topic
Browse help topics
The Topics view of the Help section contains short text articles introducing you to various aspects of the Microsoft Teams experience and instructing how to perform a variety of actions. When you open the view, a selection of suggested topics is presented to you, but you can also search for topics using a keyword or keywords.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "App bar."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Topics," and press Enter. The Topics view opens in the main content area.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse a list of suggested topics, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the topic you want to read, and press Enter.
-
To search for topics using a keyword, press the Tab key until you hear: "Search help." Enter your search term and press Enter. Browse the search results with the Tab key and Shift+Tab, and when you hear the name of the topic you want, press Enter to open it.
-
-
To leave the Topics view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
With JAWS, press R until you hear: "App bar." With NVDA, press D instead.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Topics," and press Enter. The Topics view opens in the main content area.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse a list of suggested topics, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the topic you want to read, and press Enter.
-
To search for topics using a keyword, press the Tab key until you hear: "Search help." Enter your search term and press Enter. Browse the search results with the Tab key and Shift+Tab, and when you hear the name of the topic you want, press Enter to open it.
-
-
To leave the Topics view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Browse video tutorials
The Training view of the Help section contains short video tutorials covering Microsoft Teams features.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "App bar."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Training," and press Enter. The Training view opens in the main content area.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse a list of suggested tutorials, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the tutorial you want to view, and press Enter.
-
To search for tutorials using a keyword, press the Tab key until you hear: "Search help." Enter your search term and press Enter. Browse the search results with the Tab key and Shift+Tab, and when you hear the name of the tutorial you want, press Enter to open it.
-
-
To leave the Training view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
With JAWS, press R until you hear: "App bar." With NVDA, press D instead.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Training," and press Enter. The Training view opens in the main content area.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse a list of suggested tutorials, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the tutorial you want to view, and press Enter.
-
To search for tutorials using a keyword, press the Tab key until you hear: "Search help." Enter your search term and press Enter. Browse the search results with the Tab key and Shift+Tab, and when you hear the name of the tutorial you want, press Enter to open it.
-
-
To leave the Training view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Learn about new Microsoft Teams features
The What's new view of the Help section contains a list of new feature announcements for Microsoft Teams.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "App bar."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "What's new," and press Enter. The What's new view opens in the main content area.
-
The What's new view lists all Microsoft Teams feature announcements, starting with the most recent one. The feed is broken down into separate tabs depending on the platform the news and features apply to. To change tabs, press the Tab key until you hear "Tab list," then press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the name of the tab you want to select, and press Enter.
-
To leave the What's new view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
With JAWS, press R until you hear: "App bar." With NVDA, press D instead.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "What's new," and press Enter. The What's new view opens in the main content area.
-
The What's new view lists all Microsoft Teams feature announcements, starting with the most recent one. The feed is broken down into separate tabs depending on the platform the news and features apply to. To change tabs, press the Tab key until you hear "Tab list," then press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the name of the tab you want to select, and press Enter.
-
To leave the What's new view, press Ctrl+3 to return to the Teams view.
Suggest a feature
With the Suggest a feature option, you can contact the Microsoft Teams team with your own suggestions.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "App bar."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Suggest a feature," and press Enter. The feature suggestions site opens in your browser.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Enter your idea." Enter a heading for your idea. If it matches any existing submissions, they will be listed on the page, and you can browse or comment on them with the Tab key and Shift+Tab.
-
To continue submitting your suggestion, press the Tab key until you hear "Post a new idea," and press Enter.
-
Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Category," and press Enter to open the Category drop-down menu. Browse the suggestion categories with the Up and Down arrow keys and press Enter when you hear the one you want.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Describe your idea." Enter as much detail about your idea as possible.
-
Suggestions can also include images. To include an image, press the Tab key until you hear "Drop or click to upload files," and press Enter. The Open dialog box opens. Navigate to the location of the image you want to upload, then press the Tab key until you hear "Open," and press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Post idea," and press Enter. You can close the browser tab and return to Microsoft Teams.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
With JAWS, press R until you hear: "App bar." With NVDA, press D instead.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Suggest a feature," and press Enter. The feature suggestions site opens in your browser.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Enter your idea." Enter a heading for your idea. If it matches any existing submissions, they will be listed on the page, and you can browse or comment on them with the Tab key and Shift+Tab.
-
To continue submitting your suggestion, press the Tab key until you hear "Post a new idea," and press Enter.
-
Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Category," and press Enter to open the Category drop-down menu. Browse the suggestion categories with the Up and Down arrow keys and press Enter when you hear the one you want.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Describe your idea." Enter as much detail about your idea as possible.
-
Suggestions can also include images. To include an image, press the Tab key until you hear "Drop or click to upload files," and press Enter. The Open dialog box opens. Navigate to the location of the image you want to upload, then press the Tab key until you hear "Open," and press Enter.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Post idea," and press Enter. You can close the browser tab and return to Microsoft Teams.
Report a problem
If you encounter a problem while using Microsoft Teams, you can submit a report about it directly from the Help section.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "App bar."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Report a problem," and press Enter. The Having trouble? Tell us about it dialog box opens.
-
You hear: "What is this related to?" Press Enter once, then select a category with the Up and Down arrow keys, and press Enter to select the category.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Did the problem occur in a popped-out window?" Press the Spacebar to toggle the checkbox according to your situation.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Please type your feedback here," and enter a description of your problem.
-
Optionally, you can include a screenshot of your current Microsoft Teams session, which can help us diagnose the problem. To do so, press the Tab key until you hear "Include screenshot," and press Spacebar.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Send feedback," and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
With JAWS, press R until you hear: "App bar." With NVDA, press D instead.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Help," and press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Report a problem," and press Enter. The Having trouble? Tell us about it dialog box opens.
-
You hear: "What is this related to?" Press Enter once, then select a category with the Up and Down arrow keys, and press Enter to select the category.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Did the problem occur in a popped-out window?" Press the Spacebar to toggle the checkbox according to your situation.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Please type your feedback here," and enter a description of your problem.
-
Optionally, you can include a screenshot of your current Microsoft Teams session, which can help us diagnose the problem. To do so, press the Tab key until you hear "Include screenshot," and press Spacebar.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Send feedback," and press Enter.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Microsoft Teams
Learning the layout of Microsoft Teams with a screen reader
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
