Use a screen reader to set up your email account in mail

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.

Use Mail for Windows 10 with your keyboard and screen reader to set up your accounts. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll learn how to add several accounts to stay connected with your work, family, and friends.

Mail supports most types of email service. You can add any of the following Microsoft accounts: Exchange, Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live.com, and MSN.com. You can also add any of the following third party accounts: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, or an account with a POP or IMAP server.

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

• Set up your first account

• Add an additional account after the first set-up

Set up your first account

You can quickly set up your first account with a screen reader in Mail. The first account can be any supported account type. Since all email accounts are different, the instructions below provide general guidelines for setting up an account when you open Mail for the first time.

For detailed instructions on how to set up a Microsoft account as your first account, refer to Set up a Microsoft account as your first account.

1. Open Mail. The Welcome window opens. You hear: "Add an account."

2. To select the kind of email account you want to add, press the Down arrow key until you hear the one you want, then press Enter.

3. The sign-in window for the selected account opens and prompts you to enter the account sign-in info. The sign-in procedure depends on the account you selected.

   Press the Tab key until you hear the editable text fields for the required email address or password, which may or may not be entered in the same window. Enter the necessary information.

4. To move to any next step in the procedure, press the Tab key until you hear "Next button," and then press Enter.

5. When you've finished entering your credentials, press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in button," and then press Enter.

   Depending on the account, you might be asked to provide more information, such as sign in to Microsoft 365 or your organization network.

6. After a successful setup, you hear the account details and "Done button." Press Enter.

   The focus moves to the new Inbox.

Set up a Microsoft account as your first account

Use a screen reader to easily set up a Microsoft account as your first account.

1. Open Mail. The Welcome window opens. You hear: "Add an account."

2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the Microsoft account type you want, for example, "Outlook.com," and then press Enter.

3. You hear: "Enter your email, phone." Enter your Microsoft account email address, then press the Tab key until you hear "Next button," and press Enter.

4. You hear: "Enter the password for," followed by your email address." Enter your account password, and then press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in button," and press Enter.

5. You hear: "Done button." Press Enter to finish account creation. The focus moves to the Microsoft account Inbox.

Add an additional account after the first set-up

You can easily add additional email accounts after the initial email setup. The subsequent account can be any supported account type. Since all email accounts are different, the instructions below provide general guidelines for setting up an additional email account.

For instructions on how to set up a Gmail account after the first set-up, refer to Add a Gmail account after the first set-up.

1. In Mail, press the Tab key until you hear "Manage accounts button," and then press Enter. The Manage accounts pane opens.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add account button," and then press Enter. The Add an account window opens.

3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the account you want to add, and then press Enter. Follow the account set up flow on the screen and the general setup instructions described in Set up your first account from step 3 onwards.

Add a Gmail account after the first set-up

1. In Mail, press the Tab key until you hear "Manage accounts button," and then press Enter. The Manage accounts pane opens.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add account button," and then press Enter. The Add an account window opens.

3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Google," and then press Enter. The Google sign-in window opens. Enter your Gmail address.

4. Press the Tab key until you hear "Next button," and then press Enter.

5. Enter your Gmail password, then press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in button," and press Enter.

6. You are prompted to allow Windows to access your email and settings info from Google. Press the Tab key until you hear "Allow button" and then press Enter. If you're prompted about which name to use to send emails, type your name.

7. After a successful setup, you hear: "Done button." Press Enter. The focus returns to the account list in the Manage accounts pane.

8. To close the Manage accounts pane, press Ctrl+F6.

See also

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Calendar

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Mail

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.