Welcome to Working with Microsoft Copilot, a training series created through a partnership between Microsoft and the National Federation of the Blind. Together, we're creating practical, accessible learning experiences that help people who are blind or have low vision understand how Copilot can support work, communication, and productivity.
This module introduces Microsoft Copilot in Word and demonstrates how to use it with a screen reader to create, edit, and refine documents. It explains how to open the Copilot pane, navigate between your document and Copilot, draft content from prompts, and make edits while reviewing Copilot's suggestions.
It also explains how to work with documents and Microsoft 365 content, summarize information, ask questions about documents, generate images, and apply best practices for reviewing and refining AI-generated content.
Common keyboard shortcuts
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to perform common Narrator tasks.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Open Microsoft Copilot | Alt+C |
| Close the Copilot pane | Shift+Tab to the Close button, then press Spacebar. |
| Move between the document and the Copilot pane | F6 or Shift+F6 |
| Turn Narrator Scan mode on or off | Narrator key+Spacebar |
| Submit a Copilot prompt | Enter |
| Navigate between controls in the Copilot pane | Tab or Shift+Tab |
| Open Copilot prompt suggestions | Alt+C, then Up arrow |
| Open Speech Recap | Narrator key+Alt+X |
| Reference a file, person, or meeting in a prompt | Type "/" (forward slash) in the prompt box |
For a complete list of Word keyboard shortcuts, go to Keyboard shortcuts in Word.
Helpful tips
The following tips can help you use Microsoft Copilot in Word more efficiently.
- Use Alt+C to open Microsoft Copilot from a new or existing Word document.
- Turn Narrator scan mode off before typing or navigating the Copilot pane with the Tab key, and turn it back on when reading Copilot responses.
- Review AI-generated content carefully. Copilot can produce well-structured drafts, but human review is important to verify accuracy and make corrections where needed.
- Use citations in Copilot responses to verify information by navigating back to the original content before using it in important documents.
- When using Edit with Copilot, consider enabling Track changes so you can review every suggested edit before accepting it.
- Give Copilot clear and specific prompts, verify important information, and save prompts that work well for future use.
Related resources
Accessibility tools for Microsoft Copilot