Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Use a screen reader to add and format text in powerpoint

Screen reader content Screen reader content

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 Microsoft Support home.

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Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and a screen reader to add text and apply formatting to a presentation. Formatting the text in your PowerPoint presentation makes it easier to read. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to create bulleted or numbered lists to structure your presentations better or add hyperlinks to other sources of information.

Notes: 

In this topic

Add text to a slide

You can add content to a slide while in the Normal view.

  1. To go to the Normal view, press Alt+W, and then L. You hear "Slide pane," followed by the slide number. In JAWS, you hear: "Slide area."

  2. To select the slide in which you want to add text, press F6 until you are in the slide thumbnail pane. You hear "Thumbnails," followed by the slide number.

  3. To browse through the slides, press the Up or Down arrow keys, until you hear the number and title of the slide. If the slides are located within sections, use the Up or Down arrow keys to navigate the sections, and press the Right arrow key to expand the section.

  4. To move the focus to a slide editing area, press F6. In Narrator, you hear "Slide pane," followed by the slide number. In JAWS, you hear: "Slide area."

  5. Press the Tab key to move to a text placeholder. In Narrator, the placeholders are called text boxes, so you hear, for example: "Title text box." In JAWS, you hear: "Title placeholder."

  6. To replace the placeholder with your text, press Enter to go to editing mode and select all the text, then start typing.

  7. To move the insertion point to the next title or body text placeholder, press Ctrl+Enter.

    Note: You can also press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key to navigate the placeholders, and press the SR key+Enter to place the text insertion point at the end of the selected text box.

    Note: If there aren't any more text placeholders, in most cases, pressing Ctrl+Enter inserts a new slide with the same slide layout as the original slide and places the focus on the new slide's first placeholder. However, if the original slide has the "Title Slide" layout, the newly created slide will have "Title and Content" layout.

    Note: If you want to edit text that you've already added in a text field, press the Tab key to move to the text field, and then press F2 to select all text and start editing. To stop editing and move the focus back to the text box, press F2 again.

    Note: To learn how to apply character formatting using your keyboard, such as bold, underline, italics, subscript, or superscript, go to Format text in Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations.

Add bullets or numbers to text

You can create bulleted or numbered lists using keyboard shortcuts. You can turn existing lines of text into a list, change the bullet style, or make nested lists.

Add bullets or numbering to text

  1. In a text placeholder, select the text to which you want to add bullets or numbering.

    Tip: To learn more how to select text in PowerPoint using your keyboard, go to Select and edit text and objects in Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations.

  2. Choose what you want to do:

    • To add bullets, press Alt+H, and then U. Press the Tab key to browse through the bullet styles. You hear the bullet style description while browsing. To insert the style, press Enter.

    • To add numbering, press Alt+H, and then N. Press the Tab key to browse through the numbering styles. You hear the numbering style description while browsing. To insert the style, press Enter.

  3. To create additional list items, place the insertion point at the end of a list item, and press Enter.

  4. To stop creating the list, place the insertion point at the end of the last list item, and press Enter, and then Backspace.

Create a bulleted list as you type

  1. At the start of a new line, type * (asterisk), and then press Spacebar or the Tab key.

  2. Type any text that you want. A filled round bullet list item is automatically created after you press Enter.

  3. To create a new list item, press Enter.

  4. To stop creating the list, press Enter, and then Backspace.

Create a numbered list as you type

  1. At the start of a new line, type 1. (the number 1 followed by a period), and then press Spacebar or the Tab key.

  2. Type the text you want. A numbered list item is automatically created after you press Enter.

  3. To create a new list item, press Enter.

  4. To stop creating the list, press Enter, and then Backspace.

Indent items within a list

  1. Select the list items that you want to indent.

  2. Choose what you want to do:

    • To increase the indent, press Alt+H, and then A and I.

    • To decrease the indent, press Alt+H, and then A and O.

Change the color of text

You can change the color of specific parts of text in your presentation.

  1. Select the text that you want to color.

  2. To change the color, press Alt+H, and then F and C. You hear: "Theme colors."

  3. Press the Tab key until you hear the color and shade you want.

  4. To select the color, press Enter.

Change the color of hyperlink text

The color of hyperlink text can be changed across your entire presentation by applying changes to the Slide Master.

  1. To open the Slide Master, press Alt+W, then M.

  2. To change the Slide Master color scheme, press Alt+M, then T, C, and C.

  3. Press the Up arrow key until you hear: "Hyperlink." Press Enter to select.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear the color and shade you want. Then press Enter.

  5. To save the changes, press Alt+S.

  6. To leave the Slide Master view and return to Normal view, press Alt+W, and then L.

Highlight your text

You can highlight important parts of your presentation. Highlighted parts will catch the attention of your audience.

Highlight text

  1. Select the text you want to highlight.

  2. To open the highlight color menu, press Alt+H, T, and then C.

  3. Use the arrow keys to navigate the color options, and then press Enter to select a color.

Highlight text using text effects

  1. Select the text you want to highlight.

  2. To open the text effect menu, press Alt+J, then D, T, and X.

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Glow," and press Enter.

  4. To select the color and highlight variant, press the Tab key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint

Use a screen reader to share and co-author presentations in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create 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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to add and format text in your slides and provide the audience with a well-structured and easy-to-follow presentation with relevant linking to more information.

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.

  • 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

Open PowerPoint and sign in

If you want to save your presentations to OneDrive automatically, make sure you sign in to your Microsoft account when using PowerPoint. When you save your presentations to OneDrive, you can access them from any of your signed-in devices.

  1. On your Mac, press Command+Shift+A to open the Applications view in Finder.

  2. Press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow to enter the Applications group, then use the arrow keys to browse the applications.

  3. When VoiceOver announces "Microsoft PowerPoint application," press Control+Option+Spacebar to open PowerPoint.

  4. To sign in, press Shift+Tab repeatedly to go to the Sign in menu button. Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the button.

  5. The Sign in dialog opens. The focus is on a text field. Type the email address or the phone number associated with your Microsoft account. When done, press the Tab key.

  6. The focus is on the Next button. VoiceOver announces: "Link, Next." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the button.

  7. The Enter password dialog opens. The focus is on a text field. Type your Microsoft account password, and press the Tab key.

  8. The focus is on the Sign in button. VoiceOver announces: "Sign in button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to sign in.

You're signed in and the focus is on the Account Settings menu button in the PowerPoint_generic main view. To move to other items in the view, press the Tab key.

Tip:  PowerPoint keeps you signed in so you do not have to sign in the next time unless you choose to sign out separately.

Add text to a slide

When you first open PowerPoint, it opens in the Normal view. In the Normal view, the screen is split between the thumbnail pane on the left, the slide editing area in the middle, and the Notes pane down below the editing area.

  1. In the Normal view, press F6 repeatedly until you land on the thumbnail pane. VoiceOver announces: "Thumbnail Pane, list, 1 item selected."

  2. Press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow to enter the pane.

  3. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to browse the slides.

  4. When on the slide you want to add text to, press the Tab key until VoiceOver announces: "You are currently on a text area, inside of a text box." If the slide has a title text box, you're in it.

  5. To add text, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key and start typing. If the text area contains placeholder text, you may need to remove it first. When done, press Esc.

  6. To move to the next text box on the slide, press the Tab key.

  7. To add text, start typing. When done, press Esc.

Add bullets or numbers to the text

You can create bulleted or numbered lists using a screen reader. You can turn existing pieces of text into a list or create lists as you type.

  1. Select the piece of text you want to format as a list.

  2. Press Control+Option+M to go to the menu bar. Press the Right arrow repeatedly until VoiceOver announces: "Format." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the menu.

  3. Press the Down arrow key three times. VoiceOver announces: "Bullets and Numbering, ellipsis." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

  4. The Bullets and Numbering dialog opens with the Bullets tab selected. To go to the Numbering tab, press the Right arrow key once, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to open it.

  5. To browse the options, use the Tab key. VoiceOver announces the options as you move.

  6. When on an option you want to use, press Control+Option+Spacebar, and then press the Tab key repeatedly until VoiceOver announces: "OK, default, button."

  7. To insert the bullets or numbers, press Control+Option+Spacebar. The selected text is transformed into a list and the focus remains on the list.

Create a bulleted list as you type

  1. Place the cursor where you want to start the list.

  2. Type * (asterisk) and press Spacebar.

  3. Type the list item text. Press Enter to add a new list item.

    PowerPoint starts a bulleted list automatically.

Create a numbered list as you type

  1. Place the cursor where you want to start the list.

  2. Type 1. (number one and a period) and press Spacebar. PowerPoint starts an ordered list automatically.

  3. Type the list item text. Press Enter to add a new list item.

Highlight text using Text Effects

You can draw attention to the important points in your presentation by highlighting text in PowerPoint using text effects, such as shadow, reflection, or glow.

  1. Select the text you want to highlight.

  2. Press Command+Shift+1 to open the Format Shape pane.

  3. Press Tab repeatedly until VoiceOver announces: "Shape Options." Press the Right arrow key to move to Text Options, and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

  4. Press Tab once, and then the Right arrow key once. VoiceOver announces: "Text Effects, tab." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the tab.

  5. Press the Right arrow key until VoiceOver announces: "Scroll area." Press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key to enter the pane.

  6. Browse the options in the menu using the arrow keys. VoiceOver announces the items as you move.

  7. When you're on an option you want to use, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

    The text effect is applied to the piece of text you selected.

  8. To close the Format Shape pane and return to your presentation, press Control+Option+Shift+Up arrow key once, and then press Shift+Tab repeatedly until VoiceOver announces: "Close Format Shape, button." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint

Use a screen reader to insert audio or video in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create 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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to add and format text on your slides and provide the audience with a well-structured and easy-to-follow presentation with relevant linking to more information.

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 touch capabilities in PowerPoint, go to PowerPoint for iPhone touch guide.

  • This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.

In this topic

Add text to a slide

When you first open PowerPoint, the screen is split between the thumbnail pane on the left (if you hold your phone in landscape orientation) or on the bottom (if you hold your phone in portrait orientation), the slide editing area in the middle, and the Notes field down below the editing area.

  1. In your presentation, select the slide to which you want to add text. To select a slide, swipe right or left until you hear "Slide <slide number> of <total number of slides>," and then swipe right or left until you hear the slide you want to select. The slides are announced as you move. Then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Selected."

  2. When on the slide you want to add text to, swipe right or left until you hear the text box type and "Text box, text field." If the text box already contains text, VoiceOver also reads the text to you. To select the text box, double-tap the screen.

  3. To add text, double-tap the screen again. Then type the text using the on-screen keyboard. To go to the keyboard, swipe right until you hear: "Q." To close the keyboard, swipe left until you hear: "Hide keyboard." Double-tap the screen.

  4. To browse to the next text box swipe left until you hear the text box.

Add bullets or numbers to text

You can create bulleted or numbered lists using a screen reader.

  1. Go to the slide where you want the list to start.

  2. To go to the ribbon, swipe right until you hear: "Show ribbon." Double-tap the screen.

  3. To go to the Home tab on the ribbon, swipe right or left until you hear a ribbon tab name and "Tab." Double-tap the screen. To browse to the Home tab, swipe right or left until you hear: "Home tab." To select, double-tap the screen.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • To create a bulleted list, swipe right until you hear: "Bullets, button." Double-tap the screen. The Bullets menu opens.

    • To create a numbered list, swipe right until you hear: "Numbering, button." Double-tap the screen. The Numbering menu opens.

  5. To browse the options in the Bullets and Numbering menu, swipe right. VoiceOver announces the options as you move. When on an option you want to use, double-tap the screen to select. The bullets or numbers are inserted.

  6. To close the ribbon, swipe right until you hear: "Hide ribbon, button." Double-tap the screen.

  7. The ribbon closes and the focus moves to the list. The on-screen keyboard becomes available and you can type the text.

Create a bulleted list as you type

  1. Select the text box where you want to start the list.

  2. Navigate to * (asterisk) on the on-screen keyboard. Double-tap the screen to select it. Then navigate to space and double-tap the screen.

  3. Type the list item text using the on-screen keyboard. When done, navigate to the return key, and double-tap the screen to select it.

    PowerPoint starts a bulleted list automatically.

Create a numbered list as you type

  1. Select the text box where you want to start the list.

  2. Using the on-screen keyboard, type 1. (number one and a period). Then navigate to space and double-tap the screen.

  3. Type the list item text using the on-screen keyboard. When done, navigate to the return key, and double-tap the screen to select it.

    PowerPoint starts a numbered list automatically.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint

Use a screen reader to read or add speaker notes and comments in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create 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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint for Android with TalkBack, the built-in screen reader for Android, to add text and hyperlinks to a presentation. You can also create bulleted or numbered lists to structure your presentations better.

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 touch capabilities in PowerPoint for Android, go to PowerPoint for Android touch guide.

  • This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.

In this topic

Add text to a slide

  1. While you have a presentation open in PowerPoint and the focus is on a slide, double-tap the screen. You hear: "Edit button." Double-tap the screen.

  2. Swipe right until you find the text box where you want to add text. Double-tap the screen to open the text box for editing.

  3. Swipe right until you hear "Edit text button," and then double-tap the screen.

  4. Use the on-screen keyboard to type your text.

  5. Swipe down-then-left to close the keyboard.

    The cursor stays in the text box. Swipe down-then-left again to return to the slide selection view.

Add bullets or numbers to text

You can add a bulleted or numbered list to any text box in your presentation.

  1. While you have a presentation open in PowerPoint and the focus is on a slide, double-tap the screen. You hear: "Edit button." Double-tap the screen.

  2. Swipe right until you find the text box where you want to add bullets or numbers. Double-tap the screen to edit the text box.

  3. To add bullets or numbering:

    • To add a bulleted list item, swipe right until you hear "Not checked, bullets, switch, double-tap to toggle," and then double-tap the screen.

    • To add a numbered list item, swipe right until you hear "Not checked, numbering, switch, double-tap to toggle on," and then double-tap the screen.

    Note: The text box may already be set to contain a list in the PowerPoint template you use. In that case, you hear "Checked" instead of "Not checked."

  4. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the list item.

  5. To add another list item, slide your finger around the bottom right corner of the screen until you hear: "Enter." Lift your finger to insert a new list item, and use the keyboard to type.

  6. When your list is ready, swipe down-then-left to close the keyboard.

    The cursor stays in the text box. Swipe down-then-left again to return to the slide selection view.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create 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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to add text and hyperlinks to your presentation. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

Notes: 

  • If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Office for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

  • 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.

  • When you use PowerPoint for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because PowerPoint for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you'll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not PowerPoint for the web.

In this topic

Add text to a slide

  1. In Editing View in PowerPoint for the web, press Ctrl+F6 repeatedly until you hear the number of the current slide. The focus is in the thumbnail pane.

  2. To browse through the slides, press the Up or Down arrow keys until you hear the number of the slide you want to edit.

  3. Press Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Slide panel."

  4. To move the focus to the first placeholder, press the Tab key. Narrator announces the placeholder.

  5. To replace the placeholder with your text, press Enter and start typing. When done, press F2. You hear: "Slide panel."

  6. To move to the next placeholder, press the Tab key. Narrator announces the placeholder. To start adding text, press Enter and type. When finished, press F2.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint

Use a screen reader to insert and edit pictures and tables in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

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.

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