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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to edit documents in a document library. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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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.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Edit a document
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Sign in to your organization’s Microsoft 365 account, start the SharePoint app, and then open your document library.
Tip: Document libraries in SharePoint Online have two different views: classic and SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience. For most people, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience is the default. However, if you hear “Check it out button” when navigating your document library, you’re using the classic experience. To view SharePoint in Microsoft 365 document libraries, when you hear “Check it out button,” press Enter. After the view of your document library changes to the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience and the focus moves from the Check it out button to the New link, you hear the name of your document library, followed by “New.”
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To move to the list of folders and files, press the Tab key until you hear: “Table, list of folders, files, or items.”
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To move through the list and select the file you want to edit, use the Up and Down arrow keys. If the file you need is in a subfolder, select the folder, and then press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Table, list of folders, files, or items," and then, to select the file, use the Up and Down arrow keys.
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To open the file, press Enter. The file opens in a separate tab on your browser, and you can now make changes. If it’s an Microsoft 365 document, the file opens in the appropriate application (such as Word for the web or Excel for the web).
Tip: If you prefer to open the file in your desktop application, press Shift+Tab until you hear: “Command bar.” Press the Right or Left arrow key until you hear "Open," and then press Enter. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the application you want to open the file with, and then press Enter.
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Edit the document.
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To close the document, close the browser tab. Your work is automatically saved.
See also
Use a screen reader to upload files to a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to check out or check in files in a document library in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Basic tasks using a screen reader with SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to edit documents in a document library. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
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.
-
When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Edit a document
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Open the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 document library where the document you want to edit is located.
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To move to the list of folders and files, press the Tab key until you hear: “Toggle selection for all items."
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you find the document you want.
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If not already checked out, check out the document as instructed in Use a screen reader to check out or check in files in a document library in SharePoint Online.
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Once the focus is on the correct document in the document library, do one of the following:
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To open the file in a separate tab on your browser, press Enter. If it’s an Microsoft 365 document, the file opens in the appropriate app, such as Word for the web or Excel for the web.
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To open the file in a desktop app, press Shift+F10. You hear: "Open, menu item." Press the Right arrow key to expand the menu. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Open in app," and press Enter.
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Edit the document.
If you opened and edited the file in an Office for the web app, such as in Word for the web, your changes have been saved automatically. If you opened the file in a desktop app, make sure you've saved your work before checking in the file.
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To close the document, close the browser tab or the desktop app. You can continue editing the document later.
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Once you're done editing, check in the document as instructed in Use a screen reader to check out or check in files in a document library in SharePoint Online.
See also
Use a screen reader to upload files to a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to check out or check in files in a document library in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Basic tasks using a screen reader with SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
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.
