Use the built-in screen reader

Chromebooks have a built-in screen reader called ChromeVox, which enables people with visual impairments to use the Chrome operating system.

Turn screen reader on or off

You can turn ChromeVox on or off from any page by pressing Ctrl + Alt + z.

On tablets: Press and hold the volume down + volume up buttons for five seconds. While holding the buttons, you'll hear a sound to indicate that it's working. Keep holding the buttons, then ChromeVox will start speaking.

Read a page

Tip: To hear a description of your cursor's current position on a page, press Search + k. Or press Launcher + k.

Choose text with your cursor

You can have ChromeVox read the text under your cursor.

To open your ChromeVox options, press Search + o + o. Or press Launcher + o + o.
Turn on Speak text under the mouse.
Move your cursor around the screen and hear text spoken aloud.

Move to different tabs and windows

Open a new window	Ctrl + n
Open a new window in Incognito mode	Shift + Ctrl + n
Open a new tab	Ctrl + t
Open a file in the browser	Ctrl + o
Close the current tab	Ctrl + w
Close the current window	Shift + Ctrl + w
Reopen the last tab or window that you closed	Shift + Ctrl + t
Go to tabs 1–8 in the window	Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8
Go to the last tab in the window	Ctrl + 9
Go to the next tab in the window	Ctrl + Tab
Go to the previous tab in the window	Shift + Ctrl + Tab
Switch quickly between windows	Press and hold Alt, tap Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release.
Open the window least used recently	Press and hold shift + Alt, tap Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release.
Go to previous page in your browsing history	Alt + left arrow
Go to next page in your browsing history	Alt + right arrow
Open the web page in a new tab	Type a web address (URL) in the address bar, then press Alt + Enter
Dock a window on the left	Alt + [ (left square bracket)
Dock a window on the right	Alt + ] (right square bracket)
Maximise window	Alt + =
Minimise window	Alt + - (minus)
Switch windows between screens (when your Chromebook is connected to a monitor)	Search + Alt + m (or) Launcher + Alt + m
Open tabs menu	Press and hold Ctrl, tap Forward or Back until a tab is selected. Then press Search + shift + volume up . Or press Launcher + shift + volume up .

Move through a page with keyboard shortcuts

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the Search key or Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Next button	Search + b (or) Launcher + b
Previous button	Search + shift + b (or) Launcher shift + b
Next character	Search + shift + right arrow (or) Launcher + shift + right arrow
Previous character	Search + shift + left arrow (or) Launcher + shift + left arrow
Next tick box	Search + x (or) Launcher + x
Previous tick box	Search + shift + x (or) Launcher + shift + x
Next combo box	Search + c (or) Launcher + c
Previous combo box	Search + shift + c (or) Launcher + shift + c
Next editable text area	Search + e (or) Launcher + e
Previous editable text area	Search + shift + e (or) Launcher + shift + e
Next focusable item	Tab
Previous focusable item	Shift + Tab
Next form field	Search + f (or) Launcher + f
Previous form field	Search + shift + f (or) Launcher + shift + f
Next graphic	Search + g (or) Launcher + g
Previous graphic	Search + shift + g (or) Launcher + shift + g
Next group	Search + Ctrl + down arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + down arrow
Previous group	Search + Ctrl + up arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + up arrow
Next heading	Search + h (or) Launcher + h
Previous heading	Search + shift + h (or) Launcher + shift + h
Next level 1 heading	Search + 1 (or) Launcher + 1
Previous level 1 heading	Search + shift + 1 (or) Launcher + shift + 1
Next level 2 heading	Search + 2 (or) Launcher + 2
Previous level 2 heading	Search + shift + 2 (or) Launcher + shift + 2
Next level 3 heading	Search + 3 (or) Launcher + 3
Previous level 3 heading	Search + shift + 3 (or) Launcher + shift + 3
Next level 4 heading	Search + 4 (or) Launcher + 4
Previous level 4 heading	Search + shift + 4 (or) Launcher + shift + 4
Next level 5 heading	Search + 5 (or) Launcher + 5
Previous level 5 heading	Search + shift + 5 (or) Launcher + shift + 5
Next level 6 heading	Search + 6 (or) Launcher + 6
Previous level 6 heading	Search + shift + 6 (or) Launcher + shift + 6
Next landmark	Search + ; (semicolon) (or) Launcher + ; (semicolon)
Previous landmark	Search + shift + ; (semicolon) (or) Launcher + shift + ; (semicolon)
Next line	Search + down arrow (or) Launcher + down arrow
Previous line	Search + up arrow (or) Launcher + up arrow
Next link	Search + L (or) Launcher + L
Previous link	Search + shift + L (or) Launcher + shift + L
Next object	Search + right arrow (or) Launcher + right arrow
Previous object	Search + left arrow (or) Launcher + left arrow
Next table	Search + t (or) Launcher + t
Previous table	Search + shift + t (or) Launcher + shift + t
Next visited link	Search + v (or) Launcher + v
Previous visited link	Search + shift + v (or) Launcher + shift + v
Next word	Search + Ctrl + shift + right arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + shift + right arrow
Previous word	Search + Ctrl + shift + left arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + shift + left arrow
Go to top of page	Search + Ctrl + left arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + left arrow
Go to bottom of page	Search + Ctrl + right arrow (or) Launcher + Ctrl + right arrow
Start reading from current location	Search + r (or) Launcher + r
Jump to details	Search + a + j (or) Launcher + a + j

Move through a page with your touchscreen

Next word	Two-finger swipe right
Previous word	Two-finger swipe left
Go to top of page	Two-finger swipe up
Start reading from current location	Two-finger swipe down
Click focused item	Tap twice
Stop speech	Two-finger tap
Next line	Swipe down
Previous line	Swipe up
Next character	Swipe right
Previous character	Swipe left
Next word	Two-finger swipe right
Previous word	Two-finger swipe left
Open most recently visited menu	Four-finger tap
Next menu item	Swipe down within menus
Previous menu item	Swipe up within menus
Next menu heading	Swipe right within menus

Move to different cells in a table

You can move around tables using keyboard shortcuts. To start, make sure that your cursor is in the table.

To move your cursor from its current location in a table, press Search + Ctrl + Alt or press Launcher + Ctrl + Alt and use the arrow keys to move one cell up, down, left or right.

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

First cell in the table	Search + Alt + shift + left arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + left arrow
Last cell in the table	Search + Alt + shift + right arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + right arrow
First cell in current row	Search + Alt + shift + Ctrl + left arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + Ctrl + left arrow
Last cell in current row	Search + Alt + shift + Ctrl + right arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + Ctrl + right arrow
First cell in current column	Search + Alt + shift + Ctrl + up arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + Ctrl + up arrow
Last cell in current column	Search + Alt + shift + Ctrl + down arrow (or) Launcher + Alt + shift + Ctrl + down arrow

Select and click

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the Search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Move through selectable items, like links and tabs	Tab
Move backwards through selectable items	Shift + Tab
Click	Enter, or press Search + space (or) Enter, or press Launcher + space
Select text	Search + s. At the end of your selection, press Search + s again (or) Launcher + s. At the end of your selection, press Launcher + s again

Get information about a page or your Chromebook

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Hear title of current page	Search + a, then w (or) Launcher + a, then w
Hear URL of current page	Search + a, then u(or) Launcher + a, then u
Hear current date time	Search + a, then d(or) Launcher + a, then d
Hear how much battery your Chromebook has left	Search + o + b (or) Launcher + o + b

Use ChromeVox to read a PDF file

You can use ChromeVox to read PDF files in your Chromebook:

To turn on ChromeVox, press Ctrl + Alt + z.
Open Files .

Tip: If you encounter issues when you read a PDF file:

Reload the page.
Restart your Chromebook.
Open a PDF file on Chrome browser.

Change the voice or language

When you first turn on ChromeVox, it chooses a voice automatically, based on the language that you've chosen for your Chromebook. Learn how to change your language and voice settings.

Change language

Press and hold Search , then press the letter o twice. Or press Launcher , then press the letter o twice.
In the Voices section, select ChromeOS. Your default language shows on the button label.
Choose another language from the list. You'll hear the new language that you've selected.
When you've finished, press Ctrl + w.

Slow down, speed up or stop spoken feedback

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Slow down

Search + shift + [ (left square bracket) (or)

Launcher + shift + [ (left square bracket)

Speed it up

Search + [ (left square bracket) (or)

Launcher + [ (left square bracket)

Stop speaking

Ctrl

Change pitch of the ChromeVox voice

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Higher frequency

Search + ] (right square bracket)

Launcher + ] (right square bracket)

Lower frequency

Search + shift + ] (right square bracket)

Launcher + shift + ] (right square bracket)

Use ChromeVox keyboard shortcuts

Type shortcuts faster

To turn on sticky mode and avoid pressing the search key or Launcher key for each shortcut, quickly press the Search or Launcher key twice. You'll know it's on when you hear 'sticky mode enabled'. It will stay on until you press it twice again.

To stop holding down the Search or Launcher key, press the Search or Launcher key again twice. ChromeVox will say 'sticky mode disabled'.

Use the ChromeVox menu

To open the ChromeVox menu, press Search + . (full stop). Or, press Launcher

+ .(period). If you are on a touchscreen, you can tap the screen with four fingers.

You can press the left or right arrow to switch between the menus. If you are on a touchscreen, you swipe left or right.

To open a specific item from a list, press the up or down arrow and then press Enter.

Search: Type into the bar to find a list of results from any of the ChromeVox menus.
Jump: List of all the ChromeVox shortcuts.
Speech: List of speech shortcuts that includes how to increase or decrease the speech rate and pitch.
Tabs: List of all your open tabs.
ChromeVox: List of several ChromeVox shortcuts that includes the ChromeVox Tutorial and Learn Mode.
Actions: List of touch-specific options

You can use the ChromeVox menu lists to navigate a web page.

Heading: List of headings on the web page.
Landmark: List of landmarks on the web page.
Link: List of links on the web page.
Form controls: List of buttons or forms on a web page.
Table: List of tables on a web page.

Navigate the ChromeVox menu

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Turn braille captions on/off	Search + a, then b (or) Launcher + a, then b
Hide the ChromeVox menus	Esc
Show heading list	Search + Ctrl + h (or) Launcher + Ctrl + h
Show landmark list	Search + Ctrl + ; (semicolon) (or) Launcher + Ctrl + ; (semicolon)
Show links list	Search + Ctrl + L(or) Launcher + Ctrl + L
Show form list	Search + Ctrl + f (or) Launcher + Ctrl + f
Show table list	Search + Ctrl + t (or) Launcher + Ctrl + t

Change spoken feedback settings

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Open Search options	Search + o, then o (or) Launcher + o, theno
Find in page	Search + / (forward slash) (or) Launcher + / (forward slash)
Start reading from current location	Search + r (or) Launcher + r
Turn earcons on or off	Search + a, then e (or) Launcher + a, then e
Hear punctuation marks as you type them	Search + a, then p (or) Launcher + a, then p
Hear letters as you type them	Search + a, thent (or) Launcher + a, then t
Ignore the next key press	Search + shift + Esc (or) Launcher + shift + Esc

Learn more about ChromeVox

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Open the ChromeVox context menu	Search + m (or) Launcher + m
Open Search tutorial	Search + o, then t (or) Launcher + o, then t
Turn on Learn Mode (hear the names of the keys on your keyboard)	Search + o, then k. Your keyboard will say the name of any key or key combination that you press, and explain what the keyboard shortcut does. (or) Launcher + o, then k. Your keyboard will say the name of any key or key combination that you press, and explain what the keyboard shortcut does. Note: You can also use this with connected braille displays and touch gestures on a touchscreen to hear the names of the functions.
Turn off Learn Mode	Ctrl + w
Open update notes	Search + o, thenn(or) Launcher + o, then n

Take screenshots or record your screen

On your Chromebook, press Shift + Ctrl + .
To choose to capture the full screen, part of the screen or just a window, press Tab.
Make your selection and follow the ChromeVox instructions.

Tip: If you don't select a folder, screenshots and recordings are saved to your 'Downloads' folder by default.

Send feedback or get help using ChromeVox

Chat with other people: Join the ChromeVox-Discuss group
Send us feedback about ChromeVox: Turn on ChromeVox, press and hold Search, then press a + i. Or press and hold Launcher , then press a + i.