Microsoft Office Tutorials: Use a screen reader to add content and text to an accessible sharepoint page

Decorative icon. 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.

Use your keyboard and a screen reader to insert various web parts for adding text, links, and file viewers to your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page. 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 also learn how to add other content, such as Bing maps and highlights.

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.
Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365.

Add a text web part

To add text to your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page, start by adding a text web part and continue with inserting text.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the text web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the Text web part option. Press Enter to select. The text web part is added to the page.
You can now start typing. When done, press Esc twice to close the edit mode and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Add a link web part

Using a link web part you can add a link along with a preview of the linked page, video, or image.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the link web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type link and press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list." Press Enter.
A link web part is added to the page. The focus is in the link field, and you can paste or type the address you want to link to.

After you've inserted the address, a preview of the linked page appears below the link text. To hear the content of the preview, press the Down arrow key repeatedly.
To stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page, press Esc twice.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Tip: To add a hyperlink to a text web part while typing, press Ctrl+K. The Insert link dialog box opens. Type or paste the address, and then press Enter. The link is added and you can continue typing.

Add a file viewer web part

Add a file viewer web part to embed Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Visio documents into your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the file viewer web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type file viewer, press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list," and then press Enter. A dialog box opens with focus on Recent documents.
To move down on the list of options, press the Down arrow key. To select an option, press Enter. Once you've found the option you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Open, button," and press Enter.
The file viewer web part is added to your page. Press Esc twice to stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Add a highlighted content web part

Start by adding the highlighted content web part to your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page, and then select the filtering criteria for the content you want to highlight.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the highlighted content web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type highlighted content, press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list," and then press Enter. The web part is added to the page. The focus moves to the web part title field.
The default title is Most recent documents. Type a new title if needed.
Press Alt+F10 to go to the toolbar. You hear: "Edit web part, button." Press Enter.
The Highlighted content pane opens. To navigate the pane, press the Tab key. To change the selection for an item, press Enter, and then use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate the options. When on an option you want to select, press Enter. To close the pane, press Esc.
The highlighted content web part is added to your page. Press Esc twice to stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Add a document library web part

The document library web part displays the documents in the document library you select. Users with appropriate permissions can view and edit the files directly through the web part.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the document library web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type document library, press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list," and then press Enter. The web part is added to the page.
Press Enter and then press the Tab key to move to the list of libraries. Use the Down arrow key to move down on the list.
When you're on the library you want to add, press Enter. Press Esc twice to stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Add quick links

With the quick links web part you can pin links to your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page for easy access.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the quick links web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type quick links, press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list," and then press Enter. The web part is added to the page. The focus moves to the web part title field.
Type a title for the quick links web part.
To add an item, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Add links." Press Enter.
A dialog box opens with the Recent group selected. To hear the other options, press the Down arrow key. To select an option, press Enter.
To move to the list of items to link, press the Tab key once, and then use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate the list. The item is focus is selected automatically.
When on an item you want to add, press Enter. The Quick links pane opens.
If you want to change the link title, press the Tab key until you hear "Title," and type another title.
When done, press Esc.
The link is added to the Quick links web part on your SharePoint page. Press Esc twice to stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

Add a Bing maps web part

With a Bing maps web part you can define a location you want to show on a map on your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 page.

Go to the SharePoint page where you want to add the Bing maps web part.
To switch to the edit mode, press the Tab key until you hear: "New, menu item." Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Edit page, menu item." Press Enter to select.
Do one of the following:
- To add the web part inside a section, press the Tab key until you find the section you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
- To add the web part outside a section, press the Tab key until you hear "Add a new web part," followed by the column number where you want to add the web part.
Press Enter. A dialog box for searching or selecting the web part opens.
Type Bing maps, press the Tab key until you hear: "Featured list, use right and left arrow keys to move within a list," and then press Enter. The web part is added to the page.
Press Enter to start editing the web part.
The focus is in the title field and you hear: "Add a title, editing." Type the title. When done, press the Tab key.
Type the address or location for which you want to show the map, such as, "1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington" or "Marymoor Park," and press Enter.
The Bing Maps pane opens. The focus is on the Show pin label on map switch. By default, the label is shown on the map. If you do not want to show the label, press Enter to switch it off. To edit the text on the pin label, press the Tab key once and type another label. To exit the pane, press Esc.
The map is added to your SharePoint page. Press Esc twice to stop editing the web part and to return to the SharePoint page.
In the edit mode, your page is automatically saved every 5 seconds. If you want to save the page and exit the edit mode, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Command bar," use the Left arrow key until you reach the Save as draft menu item, and press Enter.

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.

Microsoft Office Tutorials

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Use a screen reader to add content and text to an accessible sharepoint page