Quick guide
NVDA Keyboard Shortcuts
For web accessibility testing on Windows.
NVDA is a free screen reader for Windows. Testing with it shows you how your site sounds to people who use a screen reader. These are the shortcuts you will use most when testing web pages.
What is the NVDA key?
Many commands start with the NVDA key. By default it is Insert. If you use the laptop keyboard layout, Caps Lock works as the NVDA key too.
Basic commands
| Task | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle NVDA start or restart | Ctrl + Alt + N |
| Read title | NVDA + T |
Navigation
| Task | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|
| Next element | Tab |
| Previous element | Shift + Tab |
| By character | Left Arrow / Right Arrow |
| By word | Ctrl + Left Arrow / Ctrl + Right Arrow |
| By line | Up Arrow / Down Arrow |
| Beginning of line | Home |
| End of line | End |
| Next heading | H |
| Previous heading | Shift + H |
| Next landmark | D |
| Next link | K |
| Next form field | F |
| Next button | B |
Reading and information
| Task | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|
| Read all | NVDA + Down Arrow |
| Read link destination | NVDA + K |
| Element list | NVDA + F7 |
| List links | NVDA + F7 (Links tab) |
| List headings | NVDA + F7 (Headings tab) |
Settings and help
| Task | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open NVDA menu | NVDA + N |
| Help submenu | NVDA + N, then H |
| Open settings | NVDA + Ctrl + G |
| Keyboard shortcuts dialog | NVDA + Ctrl + K |
Get started with NVDA
New to NVDA? This video walks you through setting it up and testing your first page.
Next step: full manual testing
This guide shows the process: what to check, in what order.
Printable version
Print this quick guide and keep it next to your keyboard while you test.
Keep learning, one topic a month
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