Use a screen reader to manage your contacts in microsoft teams

This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with the Office products and is part of the Office Accessibility content set. For more general help, see Office Support home.

Windows macOS Web



Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to add contacts to your directory, speed dial, or favorites. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to browse the list of contacts and remove contacts from your directory.

Notes: 

• 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 Office.

• Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.

In this topic

• Add a contact

• Add a contact to favorites

• Add a contact to speed dial

• Browse your contacts lists

• Remove a contact

Add a contact

The contacts from your organization are already part of Microsoft Teams, so you can easily add contacts to your personal directory in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add contact button, and press Enter.

4. Start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Press the Down arrow key until you find the right contact, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your contacts list.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. With NVDA, press the SR key+Spacebar, press B until you reach the Add contact button, and press Enter. With JAWS, press the Tab key until you reach the Add contact button, and press Enter.

4. Start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Press the Down arrow key until you find the right contact, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your contacts list.

Add a contact to favorites

You can add your contacts to your favorites group in the Chat view.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Ctrl+2.

2. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Chat." If you hear "Favorites" instead, you are already on the right tab. Skip ahead to step 4.

3. Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Chat button," and press Enter to open the menu. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts." Press Enter to select. The focus moves to the Favorites group on the Contacts tab.

4. Press Spacebar to open the More options menu. You hear: "Add a contact to this group." Press Enter to select.

5. Press the Tab key until you hear "Type a name," and start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Press the Down arrow key until you find the right contact, and press Enter.

6. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add button, and press Enter. The contact is added to your Favorites.

Add a contact to speed dial

You can add your contacts to speed dial in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key twice to reach the table listing the results. Press the Down arrow key until you find the right contact.

4. Press the Right arrow key until you hear "More options," and press Spacebar. You hear: "Add to speed dial." Press Enter to add the contact to your Speed dial.

   Tip: If you want to leave the More options menu without selecting anything, press Esc.

Browse your contacts lists

Browse your contacts list in the Chat or Calls view to quickly connect with the right person.

Browse your contacts in the Chat view

In the Chat view, you can browse, for example, contacts you've added to your favorites.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Ctrl+2.

2. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Recent tab."

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Contacts tab." Press Enter to select.

4. Press the Tab key. You hear: "Contact list tree view, Favorites." Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts. With JAWS, you may have to press Enter before using the Down and Up arrow keys.

Browse your contacts in the Calls view

In the Calls view's Contacts page, you can find your contacts combined into a single list. If you've added people to speed dial or favorites, they will appear here.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key twice to reach the table listing your contacts. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts.

Remove a contact

You can remove contacts from your directory in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key twice to reach the table listing your contacts. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts until you hear the contact you want to remove.

4. Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "More options." Press Spacebar to select.

5. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Remove contact." Press Enter to select. You hear: "Confirm button." Press Enter again to confirm the deletion.

   Tip: If you want to leave the More options menu without selecting anything, press Esc.

See also

Use a screen reader to search for a conversation, person, or file in Microsoft Teams

Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams

Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Office 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Microsoft Teams

Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in Mac OS screen reader, to add contacts to your directory, speed dial, or favorites. You can also browse the list of contacts and remove contacts from your directory.

Notes: 

• 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.

• For keyboard shortcuts, go to Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams.

• You can easily access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams. Press Command+E to go to the Search field, type /keys, and then press Return.

• This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.

In this topic

• Add a contact

• Add a contact to favorites

• Add a contact to speed dial

• Browse your contacts lists

• Remove a contact

Add a contact

The contacts from your organization are already part of Microsoft Teams, so you can easily add internal contacts to your personal directory in the Calls view. You can also add external contacts. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Command+5. You land on the Contacts option.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear: "Groups."

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "AZ." Press Return to select.

4. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add contact button and press Return.

5. Type the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. To browse the search results, press the Down arrow. When you hear the contact you want to add, press Return. You hear: "Add button."

6. Do one of the following:

   • If you're adding an internal contact, press Return. The contact is added to your contacts list.

   • If you're adding an external contact, press Return. A new dialog opens. Press the Tab key until you reach the Phone* text field. Type the contact's phone number and press Return.

Add a contact to favorites

You can add contacts to your favorites list in the Chat view.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Command+2.

2. Press Command+F6 until you hear: "Recent." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Contacts." Press Spacebar to select.

4. Press the Tab key until you hear "Favorites, expanded list box" and press Spacebar.

5. You hear: "Add a contact to this group." Press Return to select.

6. Type the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. To browse the search results, press the Down arrow. When you hear the contact you want to add to favorites, press Return.

7. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add button," and then press Return.

Add a contact to speed dial

You can add contacts to speed dial in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Command+5. You land on the Contacts option.

2. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add contact button.

3. Type the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. To browse the search results, press the Down arrow. When you hear the contact you want to add to speed dial, press Return.

Browse your contacts lists

Browse your contacts list in the Chat or Calls view to quickly connect with the right person.

Browse your contacts in the Chat view

In the Chat view, you can browse, for example, contacts you've added to your favorites or your contacts from Skype for Business.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Command+2.

2. Press Command+F6 until you hear: "Recent." Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Contacts." Press Return to select.

3. Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Favorites." Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the list of contacts.

Browse your contacts in the Calls view

In the Calls view's Groups page, you can find your contacts arranged into groups. If you've added people to speed dial or favorites, they will appear here. On the AZ page, you can find the contacts that you've added into your directory.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Command+5. You land on the Contacts option.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear: "Groups."

3. Do one of the following:

   • To browse the list on the Groups page, press Control+Option+Spacebar. Use the Tab key and arrow keys to browse the list.

   • To browse the list on the AZ page, press the Right arrow key once, and then press Return. Use the Tab key and the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the list of contacts.

Remove a contact

You can remove contacts from your directory in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Command+5. You land on the Contacts option.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear: "Groups."

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "AZ." Press Return to select.

4. Press the Tab key until you hear: "Add contact button."

5. Press the Tab key once. You land in the contacts list.

6. Press Down arrow until you hear the contact you want to remove.

7. Press Right arrow key until you hear: "More options." Press Spacebar to select.

8. Press the Down arrow key once. You hear: "Remove contact." Press Return to select.

9. The Confirm delete dialog opens. Press the Tab key until you hear "Confirm button," and then press Return.

See also

Use a screen reader to search for a conversation, person, or file in Microsoft Teams

Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams

Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Office 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Microsoft Teams

Use Microsoft Teams in your browser with your keyboard and a screen reader to add contacts to your directory, speed dial, or favorites. 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. You'll learn how to browse the list of contacts and remove contacts from your directory.

Notes: 

• 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 Office.

In this topic

• Add a contact

• Add a contact to favorites

• Add a contact to speed dial

• Browse your contacts lists

• Remove a contact

Add a contact

The contacts from your organization are already part of Microsoft Teams, so you can easily add internal contacts to your personal directory in the Calls view. You can also add external contacts. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add contact button, and press Enter.

4. Do one of the following:

   • If you're adding an internal contact, start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right result, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your contacts list.

   • If you're adding an external contact, type the full name of the contact and press Enter twice. A new dialog opens. Press the Tab key until you reach the Phone* text field. Type the contact's phone number, press the Tab key until you reach the Add button, and press Enter.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode, in JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode, and in Narrator it is called the scan mode.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. With JAWS and NVDA, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

   With Narrator, press B until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the SR key+Spacebar, press B until you reach the Add contact button, and press Enter.

4. Do one of the following:

   • If you're adding an internal contact, start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right result, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your contacts list.

     Tip: If you cannot browse the results with the Down and Up arrow keys, press the SR key+Spacebar and try again.

   • If you're adding an external contact, type the full name of the contact and press Enter twice. A new dialog opens. Press the Tab key until you reach the Phone* text field. Type the contact's phone number, press, the SR key+Spacebar, press B until you reach the Add button, and press Enter.

Add a contact to favorites

You can add contacts to your favorites list in the Chat view.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Ctrl+Shift+2.

2. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Chat." If you hear "Favorites" instead, you are already on the right tab. Skip ahead to step 4.

3. Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Chat button," and press Enter to open the menu. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts." Press Enter to select. The focus moves to the Favorites group on the Contacts tab.

4. Press Spacebar to open the More options menu. You hear: "Add a contact to this group." Press Enter to select.

5. Press the Tab key until you hear "Type a name," and start typing the name of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right result, and press Enter.

   Tip: If you cannot browse the results with the Down and Up arrow keys, press the SR key+Spacebar to switch navigation mode and try again.

6. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add button," and then press Enter. The contact is added to your Favorites.

Add a contact to speed dial

You can add contacts to speed dial in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5. You land on the Speed dial page.

2. Press the Tab key until you reach the Add speed dial button and press Enter.

3. Start typing the name or the phone number of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right result, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your Speed dial.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode, in JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode, and in Narrator it is called the scan mode.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5. You land on the Speed dial page.

2. Press B until you reach the Add speed dial button and press Enter. With NVDA, you may need to press the SR key+Spacebar first.

3. Start typing the name or the phone number of the contact. The search results are updated as you type. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to find the right result, and press Enter twice. The contact is added to your Speed dial.

   Tip: If you cannot browse the results with the Down and Up arrow keys, press the SR key+Spacebar and try again.

Browse your contacts lists

Browse your contacts list in the Chat or Calls view to quickly connect with the right person.

Browse your contacts in the Chat view

In the Chat view, you can browse, for example, contacts you've added to your favorites.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Chat view, press Ctrl+Shift+2.

2. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Chat list" (with Narrator) or "Recent tab, selected" (with JAWS and NVDA).

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Contacts." Press Enter to select.

4. Press the Tab key until you hear: "Favorites." Press the Up or Down arrow key to move through the list of contacts.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode, in JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode, and in Narrator it is called the scan mode.

1. To go to the Chat view, press Ctrl+Shift+2.

2. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Chat list" (with Narrator) or "Tab control, Recent tab selected" (with NVDA).

3. Press the Right arrow key once. You hear: "Contacts." Press Enter to select.

4. With Narrator, press the Tab key until you hear: "Favorites," then press the Up or Down arrow key to move through the list of contacts.

   With NVDA, press the Tab key once, then press the Up or Down arrow key to move through the list of contacts.

Browse your contacts in the Calls view

In the Calls view's Groups page, you can find your contacts combined into a single list. If you've added people to speed dial or favorites, they will appear here.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the table. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode, in JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode, and in Narrator it is called the scan mode.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. With JAWS and NVDA, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

   With Narrator, press B until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the table. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts.

Remove a contact

You can remove contacts from your directory in the Calls view. You need an Enterprise Voice license to have the Calls view available.

Focus navigation



• Screen reader navigation
• Focus navigation
• Virtual navigation

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the table. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts until you hear the contact you want to remove.

4. Press the Right arrow key until you hear "More options" and press Spacebar.

5. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Remove contact" and press Enter.

6. The Confirm delete dialog opens. Press the Tab key until you hear "Confirm button," and then press Enter.

Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode, in JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode, and in Narrator it is called the scan mode.

1. To go to the Calls view, press Ctrl+Shift+5.

2. With JAWS and NVDA, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

   With Narrator, press B until you hear: "Contacts," and press Enter. You hear: "Find a contact."

3. Press the Tab key until you reach the table. Use the Down and Up arrow keys to move through the list of contacts until you hear the contact you want to remove.

   Tip: With NVDA or Narrator, if you cannot browse the results with the Down and Up arrow keys, press the SR key+Spacebar and try again.

4. Press the Right arrow key until you hear "More options" and press Spacebar.

5. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Remove contact" and press Enter.

6. The Confirm delete dialog opens. Press Enter to remove the contact.

See also

Use a screen reader to search for a conversation, person, or file in Microsoft Teams

Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams

Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Microsoft Teams

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.