Use a screen reader to create charts in powerpoint

Screen reader content

This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with 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 a chart in your presentation and to select a chart so you can work with it. 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.

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 basic chart

• Select and edit a chart

Add a basic chart

Choose the chart type and style, and then insert your data in the embedded Excel worksheet for the chart to take shape.

1. In your presentation, place the cursor where you want to add the chart.

2. Press Alt+N, C. With Narrator, you hear: "Insert chart window." With JAWS and NVDA, you hear: "Insert chart dialog."

3. Press the Tab key. With Narrator and NVDA, you hear "Chart types," followed by the currently selected chart type. With JAWS, you hear: "Column button selected."

4. To select the chart type, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the type you want.

5. To select the chart style, press the Tab key and then press the Right or Left arrow key until you hear the style you want.

6. Once you're done with your selections, press Enter. A chart in the selected type and style is added in your presentation.

   An embedded Excel worksheet shows the placeholder data used to make up the chart. The focus is in a cell in the Excel worksheet.

7. To replace the placeholder values in the worksheet with your own data, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or the arrow keys until you hear the cell you want to edit, and then type your data. Repeat this until you have replaced all placeholder values. To update the values in the PowerPoint chart, press Enter or move the cursor to another cell.

8. To close the worksheet, press Alt+F4.

Select and edit a chart

To make changes to an existing chart, you need to select the chart first.

1. Navigate to the slide content area, and press the Tab key until your screen reader announces the chart.

2. To access the Chart Design tab on the ribbon, press Alt+J, C. You hear: "Chart tools." Press the Tab key until you hear the menu option you want, and then press Enter to select it and open further options.

See also

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

Use a screen reader to add and format text 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 a chart in your presentation and to select a chart so you can work with it.

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

• Add a basic chart

• Select and edit a chart

Add a basic chart

Choose the chart type and style, and then insert your data in the embedded Excel worksheet for the chart to take shape.

1. In your presentation, place the cursor where you want to add the chart.

2. Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon.

3. Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

4. Press the Tab key until you hear: "New slide menu button."

5. Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Chart menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Chart window, Column, submenu."

6. To select the chart type, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the type you want, for example, "Pie submenu." Then press the Right arrow key. The submenu expands.

7. To select the chart style, press the arrow keys until you hear the style you want, for example, "3-D pie." Press Spacebar to select. A chart in the selected type and style is added to your presentation.

   An Excel worksheet opens and shows the placeholder data used to make up the chart. The focus is in a cell in the Excel worksheet.

8. To replace the placeholder values in the worksheet with your own data, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or the arrow keys until you hear the cell you want to edit. Type your data, and then press Enter. Repeat this until you have replaced all placeholder values. PowerPoint updates the new values automatically in the chart as you type.

9. To close the worksheet, press Command+Q.

Select and edit a chart

1. On the slide with the chart, press F6 until you hear: "Slide editor pane, layout area."

2. Press the Tab key until you hear the name of the chart, followed by "You are currently on a chart."

3. Press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key to start interacting with the chart area.

4. To access the chart editing options, do one of the following:

   • To quickly edit your chart, press Control+Option+Shift+M to open the context menu. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, for example, "Change chart type" or "Edit data in Excel." Then press Control+Option+Spacebar to open further options.

   • To go to the Chart Design tab on the ribbon, press Control+Option+I to open Item Chooser. Type chart design. You hear: "One item, Chart Design tab." Press Return to select, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the Chart Design tab. Press the Tab key until you hear the menu option you want, and then press Spacebar to select it and open further options.

See also

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

Use a screen reader to add and format text 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

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.