Learn how to use Narrator, a screen-reading app built into Windows, with this complete guide and how-to articles.

Narrator lets you use your PC without a mouse to complete common tasks if you're blind or have low vision. It reads and interacts with things on the screen, like text and buttons.

Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device, text-to-speech which once downloaded are supported without an internet connection. Narrator provides natural voices in multiple languages and more are added over time so you should check to see if your preferred language is on the list.

This chapter outlines how to customize Narrator so it works best for you, including changing how Narrator starts, how much feedback you hear when typing, whether the audio from other apps is decreased when Narrator is running, and changing Narrator commands to keyboard shortcuts of your choice.

Assume that you have Microsoft Narrator enabled on a Windows 7-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has Windows Search disabled. However, when you try to access the Start menu or open Windows Explorer, Narrator crashes.

We hope you're using the latest version of Windows 10, but if you're not, here are some older versions of the Narrator user guide. These files are in English only—to obtain additional languages or grades, contact the Disability Answer Desk.

Learn about how to read text using Narrator in Windows, including how to get info about text, such as font text color, and punctuation.

Fixes an issue in which Microsoft Narrator crashes if you open the system menu of an application that has a window without a title bar on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

The Narrator app is a built-in screen reader that reads aloud text and elements on the screen. For more info about how to use Narrator in Windows, see Complete guide to Narrator.

Learn practical tips and tricks on how to use Narrator with the Office for the web apps.