Use a screen reader to create charts in word

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 Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to create and add a chart to your document. 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 also learn how to select an existing 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.

• To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft Office.

In this topic

• Add a basic chart

• Select a chart

Add a basic chart

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

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

2. Press Alt+N, C. You hear the name of the document name, followed by "Insert chart."

3. Press the Tab key. You hear "Chart types," followed by the currently selected chart type.

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 once and then press the Right or Left arrow key until you hear the style you want.

6. When you're done with your selections, press Enter. A chart in the selected type and style is inserted into your document. 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 Excel worksheet with your own data, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or Up or Down arrow key until you hear the cells you want to edit, and then type your data. Repeat this until you have entered your data and there are no placeholder values left. Word updates the chart based on the new values automatically as you type in Excel.

8. When you've entered your data, to close the Excel worksheet, press Alt+F4. The focus returns to the Word document body.

Select a chart

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

1. To move to the chart you want to modify, press Ctrl+Alt+5. The focus moves to the first floating shape in your document.

2. To cycle through the floating shapes, press the Tab key until you hear the chart you want, and then press Shift+Left or Right arrow key. The chart is now selected, and you can modify it.

3. To return to the normal navigation, press Esc.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

Use Word for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in MacOS screen reader, to create and add a chart into your document. You'll also learn how to select an existing 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 a chart

Add a basic chart

Choose the chart type and style, and then enter your data to an Excel worksheet for the chart to take shape.

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

2. Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab on the ribbon, for example, "Home tab."

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 "Chart menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Chart window, Column, submenu."

5. To select the chart type, press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear the type you want, for example, "Pie submenu."

6. To select the chart style, press the Right arrow key once, use the arrow keys until you hear the style you want, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar to select. A chart in the selected type and style is inserted into your document.

7. 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. To replace the placeholder values in the worksheet with your own data, use the arrow keys to navigate to the cell you want to edit, and then type your data. Repeat this until you have entered your data and there are no placeholder values left. Word updates the chart based on the new values automatically as you type in Excel.

8. When you have entered your data, to close the Excel worksheet, press Command+Q. The focus returns to the Word document.

Select a chart

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

1. On the document page that contains the chart, press F6 until you reach the page content area. VoiceOver announces, for example, "Page two content."

2. Press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you find the chart you want.

3. To start interacting with the chart area, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key. To navigate the elements within the chart area, press Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key.

4. To quickly edit your chart, press Control+Option+Shift+M to open the context menu. Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear the option you want, for example, "Change chart type, submenu" or "Edit data in Excel." To expand a submenu, press the Right arrow key. To select, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

5. To move the focus back to the document body, press Esc.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

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.