To reduce how often you hear Narrator make common announcements, like when you've made a typo or turned off scan mode, some announcements can be replaced with only a sound. The table below lists the names of the sounds, a description of when you'd hear them, and an option to play the sound. When you select Play sound, a new tab will open, and the sound will play.
The common announcements that can be replaced with only sound are when something is autocorrected, when you land on a link, when scan mode is turned on or off, when there is a spelling error, and when suggestions are available.
To replace those announcements with only the sounds:
-
Go to Narrator settings by pressing the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N.
-
Go to the Verbosity section and expand the Show all settings button next to Context level for buttons and controls.
-
Select the checkbox next to Play sounds instead of announcements for common actions.
Note: In Windows 11, dark and light mode have different soundscapes; try them both to see which you prefer.
Narrator sounds
|
Sound |
Description |
Play sound |
|
Caps lock on |
When you press Shift while Caps lock is on |
|
|
Autocorrected (controlled by setting) |
|
|
|
Confirmation of action (touch only) |
|
|
|
Element (touch only) |
|
|
|
Error message |
When an error occurs |
|
|
Gesture 3 finger |
When you 3-finger gesture |
|
|
Grammar error |
When a grammar error is made |
|
|
Input method editor opens |
When the input method editor menu opens |
|
|
Keyboard closed |
When the software keyboard closes |
|
|
Keyboard opened |
When the software keyboard opens |
|
|
Link (controlled by setting) |
When you land on a link |
|
|
Scan mode off (controlled by setting) |
When scan mode turns off |
|
|
Scan mode on (controlled by setting) |
When scan mode turns on |
|
|
Screen edge (touch only) |
When you touch the edge of the screen |
|
|
Scroll command (touch only) |
When you scroll with two fingers |
|
|
Spelling error (controlled by setting) |
When a word is misspelled |
|
|
Suggestions available (controlled by setting) |
When the suggestion box opens |
|
|
Suggestions closed |
When the suggestion box closes |
|
|
White space (touch only) |
When you touch something that is not an element |
|
|
Zoom (touch only) |
When you pinch and expand to zoom |
Next: Appendix E: Narrator with Outlook
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To reduce how often you hear Narrator make common announcements, like when you've made a typo or turned off scan mode, some announcements can be replaced with only a sound. The table below lists the names of the sounds, a description of when you'd hear them, and an option to play the sound. When you select Play sound, a new tab will open, and the sound will play.
The common announcements that can be replaced with only sound are when something is autocorrected, when you land on a link, when scan mode is turned on or off, when there is a spelling error, and when suggestions are available.
To replace those announcements with only the sounds, go to Narrator settings by pressing the Windows logo key + Ctrl + N, go to the section Change what you hear when reading and interacting, and select the checkbox next to Hear only sounds for common actions.
Narrator sounds
|
Sound |
Description |
Play sound |
|
Caps lock on |
When you press Shift while Caps lock is on |
|
|
Autocorrected (controlled by setting) |
|
|
|
Confirmation of action (touch only) |
|
|
|
Element (touch only) |
|
|
|
Error message |
When an error occurs |
|
|
Gesture 3 finger |
When you 3-finger gesture |
|
|
Grammar error |
When a grammar error is made |
|
|
Input method editor opens |
When the input method editor menu opens |
|
|
Keyboard closed |
When the software keyboard closes |
|
|
Keyboard opened |
When the software keyboard opens |
|
|
Link (controlled by setting) |
When you land on a link |
|
|
Scan mode off (controlled by setting) |
When scan mode turns off |
|
|
Scan mode on (controlled by setting) |
When scan mode turns on |
|
|
Screen edge (touch only) |
When you touch the edge of the screen |
|
|
Scroll command (touch only) |
When you scroll with two fingers |
|
|
Spelling error (controlled by setting) |
When a word is misspelled |
|
|
Suggestions available (controlled by setting) |
When the suggestion box opens |
|
|
Suggestions closed |
When the suggestion box closes |
|
|
White space (touch only) |
When you touch something that is not an element |
|
|
Zoom (touch only) |
When you pinch and expand to zoom |
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