Use a screen reader to show your presentation with PowerPoint
Applies To
This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Microsoft's Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with the 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 home or Fixes or workarounds for recent office issues.
Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and a screen reader to deliver your presentation to the audience using the Presenter View or Slide Show view. To make the most of your presentation, we recommend that you use the Presenter View. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
In the Slide Show view, the Presenter View starts automatically when you are connected to a second display. In the Presenter View, you can work with your notes as you present, while the audience sees only your slides.
Need instructions on how to show your PowerPoint presentation to an audience, but not using a screen reader? See Present slide shows.
Note
- 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.
In this topic
Start a slide show
Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
Do one of the following:
- Press F5 to start slide show from the beginning.
- Press Shift+F5 to start the slide show from the current slide.
If you're connected to a second display, the Presenter View starts automatically. If you're working on a single monitor, to switch to the Presenter View while you're presenting, press Shift+F10, R or the Menu key and then R.
To navigate the slides, do the following:
- To move to the next slide, press Page down.
- To go to the previous slide, press Page up.
- To go to a certain slide, type the slide number and press Enter.
- To open the context menu, press Shift+F10 or the Menu key. To navigate the options in the menu, press the Down arrow key. The screen reader announces the items as you move.
To exit the slide show, press Esc.
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver your presentation using Presenter View
When in the Presenter View, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts that can help you deliver your PowerPoint presentation:
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Read the next line of Notes. | Alt+A |
| Read the previous line of Notes. | Alt+Z |
| Read the elapsed time (the timer starts to run as soon as you start the Presenter View). | Alt+W |
| Read the next step (for example, the next slide, next animation, or end of show). | Alt+Q |
| Close Presenter View. | Esc |
Display a black screen
- To pause your presentation and display a blank black screen, press B.
- To return to the presentation and show the slides again, press Esc.
Tip
To display a blank white screen instead of a black screen, press W. To show the slides, press W again.
See also
Use a screen reader to read or add speaker notes and comments in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to print presentations in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
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.