How do I insert a special character into a document?

1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Click the Font list, and then click the font you want to use.
3. Click the special character you want to insert into the document.
4. Click Select, and then click Copy.
5. Open your document and click the location in the document where you want the special character to appear.
6. Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.

   Tip

   • Many programs allow you to drag special characters into documents. To do this, click the character you want to copy. When the character appears enlarged, drag it into the open document.

How do I insert a private character into a document?

1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Click the Font list, and then click the font you've linked your private characters to.
3. Click the private character you want to insert into the document.
4. Click Select, and then click Copy.
5. Open the document and click the location in the document where you want the private character to appear.
6. Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.

   Notes

   • If you don't delete previously copied characters in the Characters to copy box, they're copied along with any new characters you select.

   • If a private character doesn't appear correctly in a document, select the character in the document and change its font so that it matches the font you linked it to in Character Map.

How do I search for a character by name?

1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Click the Font list, and then click the font you want to search in.
3. Select the Advanced view check box.
4. Click the Character set list, and then click the character set you want to search in.
   If the character set you want isn't available, choose a different font in the Font list.
5. In the Search for box, type all or part of the name of the character you're searching for. For example, to search for any Greek letter, type Greek, or to find all types of the Cyrillic character Zhe, type Zhe.
6. Click Search.
   Character Map displays the characters that match your search.
7. To start another search, click Reset.

   Tip

   • To view the name of a particular character and its associated hexadecimal code, point to the character. When you click on the character, this information is also displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the Character Map window, and it can serve as an example of search terms you can use for additional searches.

How do I search for a character by Unicode category?

Unicode categories are used to group similar types of characters available in a font. For example, the Currency Unicode category groups all of the currency symbols available for a font.
1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Click the Font list, and then click the font you want to search in.
3. Select the Advanced view check box.
4. Click the Group by list, and then click Unicode Subrange to open the Group By dialog box.
5. In the Group By dialog box, in the Unicode Subrange list, click the category of character you want to view.
   When you click a category, Character Map displays the characters that belong to that category.
6. Once you find the character you are looking for, click Select, and then click Copy.

How do I search for a character by Unicode value?

1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Click the Font list, and then click the font you want to search in.
3. Select the Advanced view check box.
4. Click the Character set list, and then click Unicode.
5. Click the Group by list, and then click All.
6. In the Go to Unicode box, type the four-character Unicode value of the character you are looking for.
   The character is automatically highlighted in the grid of characters.

   Tip

   • In Character Map, all the characters in a specific font are displayed in the order of their Unicode value. If you don't know the Unicode value of the character you're looking for, you can also scroll through the characters in the font to find it.

How do I search for a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean character by the way it sounds?

You can search for a character by the way it sounds in the following character sets: Japanese Kanji by Hiragana, Korean Hanja by Hangul, Simplified Chinese by PinYin, and Traditional Chinese by Bopomofo. To do so, the character sets must be installed on your computer. For more information, see Add or change an input language.

1. Click to open Character Map.
2. Select the Advanced view check box.
3. Click the Group by list, and then click one of the following character groupings to open the Group By box:
   • Japanese Kanji by Hiragana
   • Korean Hanja by Hangul
   • Simplified Chinese by PinYin
   • Traditional Chinese by Bopomofo
4. In the Group By box, click the character that corresponds to the sound you want to search for.
   Character Map displays the characters that start with the sound you selected.

Make items on the screen appear bigger (Magnifier)

Magnifier enlarges different parts of the screen. This is especially useful for viewing objects that are difficult to see, but also for seeing the whole screen more easily.

There are three modes:

• Full-screen mode. In full-screen mode, your entire screen is magnified. You can then have Magnifier follow the mouse pointer.
• Lens mode. In lens mode, the area around the mouse pointer is magnified. When you move the mouse pointer, the area of the screen that's magnified moves along with it.
• Docked mode. In docked mode, only a portion of the screen is magnified, leaving the rest of your desktop in a normal state. You can then control which area of the screen is magnified.

Note

• Full-screen mode and lens mode are only available as part of the Aero experience. If your computer doesn't support Aero, or if you're using a theme other than an Aero theme, Magnifier will only work in docked mode.

1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. On the Views menu, click the mode that you want to use.
3. Move the pointer to the part of the screen that you want to magnify.

   Notes

   • To exit Magnifier, press the Windows logo key +Esc.

   • When you're using full-screen mode, you can quickly preview your entire desktop by clicking the Views menu, and then clicking Preview full screen.

   • For a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use with Magnifier, see Keyboard shortcuts.

 To choose where Magnifier focuses

1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Click the Options button , and then select the option that you want:

   Option	Description
   Follow the mouse pointer	Displays the area around the mouse pointer in the Magnifier window. When you select this option, you can choose to have the Magnifier window move when the mouse pointer approaches or when the mouse pointer hits the edge of the Magnifier window.
   Follow the keyboard focus	Displays the area around the pointer when you press the Tab or arrow keys.
   Have Magnifier follow the text insertion point	Displays the area around the text that you're typing.

 To change the zoom level

1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Do one of the following:

   To	Do this
   Zoom in	Click Zoom in  or press the Windows logo key +Plus sign
   Zoom out	Click Zoom out  or press the Windows logo key +Minus sign

 To set the zoom increment

The zoom increment determines how quickly Magnifier zooms in and out.
1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Click the Options button  , and then move the slider to adjust the zoom increment. Moving the slider to the left causes Magnifier to zoom slower, with smaller changes between zoom levels. Moving the slider to the right causes Magnifier to zoom faster, with larger changes between zoom levels.

 To set the lens size

When you're using lens mode, you can adjust the size of the Magnifier lens.
1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Click the Options button , and then, under Magnifier Lens Size, move the sliders to adjust the size of the Magnifier lens. The lens size changes right away. Adjust the level until it's right for you.

   Notes

   • You must be using lens mode for the lens size options to appear.

   • You can quickly change the lens size by pressing Ctrl+Alt+R, and then moving the pointer up and down to change the height, and left and right to change the width.

 To turn on color inversion

Turning on color inversion increases the contrast between items on your screen, which can help make your screen easier to see.
1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Click the Options button , and then select the Turn on color inversion check box.

 To display the Magnifier toolbar

1. Click to open Magnifier.
2. Click the magnifying glass icon  or click Magnifier on the taskbar.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of two or more keys that, when pressed, can be used to perform a task that would typically require a mouse or other pointing device. Keyboard shortcuts can make it easier to interact with your computer, saving you time and effort as you work with Windows and other programs.

Most programs also provide accelerator keys that can make it easier to work with menus and other commands. Check the menus of programs for accelerator keys. If a letter is underlined in a menu, that usually means that pressing the Alt key in combination with the underlined key will have the same effect as clicking that menu item.

Pressing the Alt key in some programs, such as Paint and WordPad, shows commands that are labeled with additional keys that you can press to use them.

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your computer easier to use.

Press this key	To do this
Right Shift for eight seconds	Turn Filter Keys on and off
Left Alt+Left Shift+PrtScn (or PrtScn)	Turn High Contrast on or off
Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock	Turn Mouse Keys on or off
Shift five times	Turn Sticky Keys on or off
Num Lock for five seconds	Turn Toggle Keys on or off
Windows logo key +U	Open the Ease of Access Center

General keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains general keyboard shortcuts.

Press this key	To do this
F1	Display Help
Ctrl+C	Copy the selected item
Ctrl+X	Cut the selected item
Ctrl+V	Paste the selected item
Ctrl+Z	Undo an action
Ctrl+Y	Redo an action
Delete	Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
Shift+Delete	Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first
F2	Rename the selected item
Ctrl+Right Arrow	Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
Ctrl+Left Arrow	Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
Ctrl+Down Arrow	Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
Ctrl+Up Arrow	Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
Ctrl+Shift with an arrow key	Select a block of text
Shift with any arrow key	Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
Ctrl with any arrow key+Spacebar	Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop
Ctrl+A	Select all items in a document or window
F3	Search for a file or folder
Alt+Enter	Display properties for the selected item
Alt+F4	Close the active item, or exit the active program
Alt+Spacebar	Open the shortcut menu for the active window
Ctrl+F4	Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
Alt+Tab	Switch between open items
Ctrl+Alt+Tab	Use the arrow keys to switch between open items
Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel	Change the size of icons on the desktop
Windows logo key +Tab	Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
Ctrl+Windows logo key +Tab	Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
Alt+Esc	Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened
F6	Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F4	Display the address bar list in Windows Explorer
Shift+F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
Ctrl+Esc	Open the Start menu
Alt+underlined letter	Display the corresponding menu
Alt+underlined letter	Perform the menu command (or other underlined command)
F10	Activate the menu bar in the active program
Right Arrow	Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
Left Arrow	Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
F5	Refresh the active window
Alt+Up Arrow	View the folder one level up in Windows Explorer
Esc	Cancel the current task
Ctrl+Shift+Esc	Open Task Manager
Shift when you insert a CD	Prevent the CD from automatically playing

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for use in dialog boxes.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+Tab	Move forward through tabs
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Move back through tabs
Tab	Move forward through options
Shift+Tab	Move back through options
Alt+underlined letter	Perform the command (or select the option) that goes with that letter
Enter	Replaces clicking the mouse for many selected commands
Spacebar	Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
Arrow keys	Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
F1	Display Help
F4	Display the items in the active list
Backspace	Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that use the Windows logo key .

Press this key	To do this
Windows logo key	Open or close the Start menu.
Windows logo key +Pause	Display the System Properties dialog box.
Windows logo key +D	Display the desktop.
Windows logo key +M	Minimize all windows.
Windows logo key +Shift+M	Restore minimized windows to the desktop.
Windows logo key +E	Open Computer.
Windows logo key +F	Search for a file or folder.
Ctrl+Windows logo key +F	Search for computers (if you're on a network).
Windows logo key +L	Lock your computer or switch users.
Windows logo key +R	Open the Run dialog box.
Windows logo key +T	Cycle through programs on the taskbar.
Windows logo key +number	Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, switch to that program.
Shift+Windows logo key +number	Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Ctrl+Windows logo key +number	Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Alt+Windows logo key +number	Open the Jump List for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Windows logo key +Tab	Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
Ctrl+Windows logo key +Tab	Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
Ctrl+Windows logo key +B	Switch to the program that displayed a message in the notification area.
Windows logo key +Spacebar	Preview the desktop.
Windows logo key +Up Arrow	Maximize the window.
Windows logo key +Left Arrow	Maximize the window to the left side of the screen.
Windows logo key +Right Arrow	Maximize the window to the right side of the screen.
Windows logo key +Down Arrow	Minimize the window.
Windows logo key +Home	Minimize all but the active window.
Windows logo key +Shift+Up Arrow	Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Windows logo key +Shift+Left Arrow or Right Arrow	Move a window from one monitor to another.
Windows logo key +P	Choose a presentation display mode.
Windows logo key +G	Cycle through gadgets.
Windows logo key +U	Open Ease of Access Center.
Windows logo key +X	Open Windows Mobility Center.

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Windows Explorer windows or folders.

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Windows Explorer windows or folders.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+N	Open a new window
Ctrl+Shift+N	Create a new folder
End	Display the bottom of the active window
Home	Display the top of the active window
F11	Maximize or minimize the active window
Num Lock+Asterisk (*) on numeric keypad	Display all subfolders under the selected folder
Num Lock+Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad	Display the contents of the selected folder
Num Lock+Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad	Collapse the selected folder
Left Arrow	Collapse the current selection (if it's expanded), or select the parent folder
Alt+Enter	Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item
Alt+P	Display the preview pane
Alt+Left Arrow	View the previous folder
Right Arrow	Display the current selection (if it's collapsed), or select the first subfolder
Alt+Right Arrow	View the next folder
Alt+Up Arrow	View the parent folder
Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel	Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
Alt+D	Select the address bar
Ctrl+E	Select the search box

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.

Press this key	To do this
Windows logo key + Plus Sign or Minus Sign	Zoom in or out
Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar	Show the mouse pointer
Ctrl+Alt+F	Switch to full-screen mode
Ctrl+Alt+L	Switch to lens mode
Ctrl+Alt+D	Switch to docked mode
Ctrl+Alt+I	Invert colors
Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys	Pan in the direction of the arrow keys
Ctrl+Alt+R	Resize the lens
Windows logo key + Esc	Exit Magnifier

Remote Desktop Connection keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Remote Desktop Connection.

Press this key	To do this
Alt+Page Up	Move between programs from left to right.
Alt+Page Down	Move between programs from right to left.
Alt+Insert	Cycle through programs in the order that they were started in.
Alt+Home	Display the Start menu.
Ctrl+Alt+Break	Switch between a window and full screen.
Ctrl+Alt+End	Display the Windows Security dialog box.
Alt+Delete	Display the system menu.
Ctrl+Alt+Minus Sign (-) on the numeric keypad	Place a copy of the active window, within the client, on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing Alt+PrtScn on a local computer).
Ctrl+Alt+Plus Sign (+) on the numeric keypad	Place a copy of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing PrtScn on a local computer).
Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow	“Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.
Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow	“Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.

Note

• Ctrl+Alt+Break and Ctrl+Alt+End are available in all Remote Desktop sessions, even when you've set up the remote computer to recognize Windows keyboard shortcuts.

Paint keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Paint.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+N	Create a new picture
Ctrl+O	Open an existing picture
Ctrl+S	Save changes to a picture
F12	Save the picture as a new file
Ctrl+P	Print a picture
Alt+F4	Close a picture and its Paint window
Ctrl+Z	Undo a change
Ctrl+Y	Redo a change
Ctrl+A	Select the entire picture
Ctrl+X	Cut a selection
Ctrl+C	Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl+V	Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Right Arrow	Move the selection or active shape right by one pixel
Left Arrow	Move the selection or active shape left by one pixel
Down Arrow	Move the selection or active shape down by one pixel
Up Arrow	Move the selection or active shape up by one pixel
Esc	Cancel a selection
Delete	Delete a selection
Ctrl+B	Bold selected text
Ctrl++	Increase the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
Ctrl+-	Decrease the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
Ctrl+I	Italicize selected text
Ctrl+U	Underline selected text
Ctrl+E	Open the Properties dialog box
Ctrl+W	Open the Resize and Skew dialog box
Ctrl+Page Up	Zoom in
Ctrl+Page Down	Zoom out
F11	View a picture in full-screen mode
Ctrl+R	Show or hide the ruler
Ctrl+G	Show or hide gridlines
F10 or Alt	Display keytips
Shift+F10	Show the current shortcut menu
F1	Open Paint Help

WordPad keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with WordPad.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+N	Create a new document
Ctrl+O	Open an existing document
Ctrl+S	Save changes to a document
F12	Save the document as a new file
Ctrl+P	Print a document
Alt+F4	Close WordPad
Ctrl+Z	Undo a change
Ctrl+Y	Redo a change
Ctrl+A	Select the entire document
Ctrl+X	Cut a selection
Ctrl+C	Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl+V	Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Ctrl+B	Make selected text bold
Ctrl+I	Italicize selected text
Ctrl+U	Underline selected text
Ctrl+=	Make selected text subscript
Ctrl+Shift+=	Make selected text superscript
Ctrl+L	Align text left
Ctrl+E	Align text center
Ctrl+R	Align text right
Ctrl+J	Justify text
Ctrl+1	Set single line spacing
Ctrl+2	Set double line spacing
Ctrl+5	Set line spacing to 1.5
Ctrl+Shift+>	Increase the font size
Ctrl+Shift+<	Decrease the font size
Ctrl+Shift+A	Change characters to all capitals
Ctrl+Shift+L	Change the bullet style
Ctrl+D	Insert a Microsoft Paint drawing
Ctrl+F	Find text in a document
F3	Find the next instance of the text in the Find dialog box
Ctrl+H	Replace text in a document
Ctrl+Left Arrow	Move the cursor one word to the left
Ctrl+Right Arrow	Move the cursor one word to the right
Ctrl+Up Arrow	Move the cursor to the line above
Ctrl+Down Arrow	Move the cursor to the line below
Ctrl+Home	Move to the beginning of the document
Ctrl+End	Move to the end of the document
Ctrl+Page Up	Move up one page
Ctrl+Page Down	Move down one page
Ctrl+Delete	Delete the next word
F10	Display keytips
Shift+F10	Show the current shortcut menu
F1	Open WordPad Help

Calculator keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Calculator.

Press this key	To do this
Atl+1	Switch to Standard mode
Alt+2	Switch to Scientific mode
Alt+3	Switch to Programmer mode
Alt+4	Switch to Statistics mode
Ctrl+E	Open date calculations
Ctrl+H	Turn calculation history on or off
Ctrl+U	Open unit conversion
Alt+C	Calculate or solve date calculations and worksheets
F1	Open Calculator Help
Ctrl+Q	Press the M- button
Ctrl+P	Press the M+ button
Ctrl+M	Press the MS button
Ctrl+R	Press the MR button
Ctrl+L	Press the MC button
%	Press the % button
F9	Press the +/– button
/	Press the / button
*	Press the * button
+	Press the + button
-	Press the – button
R	Press the 1/× button
@	Press the square root button
0-9	Press the number buttons (0-9)
=	Press the = button
.	Press the . (decimal point) button
Backspace	Press the backspace button
Esc	Press the C button
Del	Press the CE button
Ctrl+Shift+D	Clear the calculation history
F2	Edit the calculation history
Up Arrow key	Navigate up in the calculation history
Down Arrow key	Navigate down in the calculation history
Esc	Cancel editing the calculation history
Enter	Recalculate the calculation history after editing
F3	Select Degrees in Scientific mode
F4	Select Radians in Scientific mode
F5	Select Grads in Scientific mode
I	Press the Inv button in Scientific mode
D	Press the Mod button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+S	Press the sinh button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+O	Press the cosh button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+T	Press the tanh button in Scientific mode
(	Press the ( button in Scientific mode
)	Press the ) button in Scientific mode
N	Press the ln button in Scientific mode
;	Press the Int button in Scientific mode
S	Press the sin button in Scientific mode
O	Press the cos button in Scientific mode
T	Press the tan button in Scientific mode
M	Press the dms button in Scientific mode
P	Press the pi button in Scientific mode
V	Press the F-E button in Scientific mode
X	Press the Exp button in Scientific mode
Q	Press the x^2 button in Scientific mode
Y	Press the x^y button in Scientific mode
#	Press the x^3 button in Scientific mode
L	Press the log button in Scientific mode
!	Press the n! button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+Y	Press the y√x button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+B	Press the 3√x button in Scientific mode
Ctrl+G	Press the 10x button in Scientific mode
F5	Select Hex in Programmer mode
F6	Select Dec in Programmer mode
F7	Select Oct in Programmer mode
F8	Select Bin in Programmer mode
F12	Select Qword in Programmer mode
F2	Select Dword in Programmer mode
F3	Select Word in Programmer mode
F4	Select Byte in Programmer mode
K	Press the RoR button in Programmer mode
J	Press the RoL button in Programmer mode
<	Press the Lsh button in Programmer mode
>	Press the Rsh button in Programmer mode
%	Press the Mod button in Programmer mode
(	Press the ( button in Programmer mode
)	Press the ) button in Programmer mode
|	Press the Or button in Programmer mode
^	Press the Xor button in Programmer mode
~	Press the Not button in Programmer mode
&	Press the And button in Programmer mode
A-F	Press the A-F buttons in Programmer mode
Spacebar	Toggles the bit value in Programmer mode
A	Press the Average button in Statistics mode
Ctrl+A	Press the Average Sq button in Statistics mode
S	Press the Sum button in Statistics mode
Ctrl+S	Press the Sum Sq button in Statistics mode
T	Press the S.D. button in Statistics mode
Ctrl+T	Press the Inv S.D. button in Statistics mode
D	Press the CAD button in Statistics mode

Windows Journal keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Windows Journal.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+N	Start a new note
Ctrl+O	Open a recently used note
Ctrl+S	Save changes to a note
Ctrl+Shift+V	Move a note to a specific folder
Ctrl+P	Print a note
Alt+F4	Close a note and its Journal window
Ctrl+Z	Undo a change
Ctrl+Y	Redo a change
Ctrl+A	Select all items on a page
Ctrl+X	Cut a selection
Ctrl+C	Copy a selection to the Clipboard
Ctrl+V	Paste a selection from the Clipboard
Esc	Cancel a selection
Delete	Delete a selection
Ctrl+F	Start a basic find
Ctrl+G	Go to a page
F5	Refresh find results
F5	Refresh the note list
F6	Toggle between a note list and a note
Ctrl+Shift+C	Display a shortcut menu for column headings in a note list
F11	View a note in full-screen mode
F1	Open Journal Help

Windows Help viewer keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with the Help viewer.

Press this key	To do this
Alt+C	Display the Table of Contents
Alt+N	Display the Connection Settings menu
F10	Display the Options menu
Alt+Left Arrow	Move back to the previously viewed topic
Alt+Right Arrow	Move forward to the next (previously viewed) topic
Alt+A	Display the customer support page
Alt+Home	Display the Help and Support home page
Home	Move to the beginning of a topic
End	Move to the end of a topic
Ctrl+F	Search the current topic
Ctrl+P	Print a topic
F3	Move the cursor to the search box

Change keyboard settings

Customizing your keyboard settings helps you work better and more efficiently. By customizing the settings, you can determine how long you must press a key before the keyboard character starts repeating, the speed at which keyboard characters repeat, and the rate at which the cursor blinks.

 To change the delay before keyboard characters repeat

1. Click to open Keyboard Properties.
2. Under Character repeat, move the Repeat delay slider to the left or right to increase or decrease how long you must hold down a key before the keyboard character repeats, and then click OK.

To change the speed at which keyboard characters repeat

1. Click to open Keyboard Properties.
2. Under Character repeat, move the Repeat rate slider to the left to make keyboard characters repeat more slowly, or move it to the right to make them repeat more quickly, and then click OK.

 To change the cursor blink rate

1. Click to open Keyboard Properties.
2. Move the Cursor blink rate slider to the right or left to increase or decrease the cursor blink speed, and then click OK. If you move the slider all the way to the left, the cursor will stop blinking.

Hear text read aloud with Narrator

Windows comes with a basic screen reader called Narrator, which reads text on the screen aloud and describes some events (such as an error message appearing) that happen while you're using the computer.

Narrator is not available in all languages, so if the link below doesn't work, Narrator is not available for your language.

1. Click to open Narrator.
2. Use the keyboard shortcuts in the following table to specify which text you want Narrator to read:

   Use this keyboard shortcut	To do this
   Ctrl+Shift+Enter	Get information about the current item
   Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar	Read the entire selected window
   Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar	Read the items that are selected in the current window
   Insert+Ctrl+G	Read a description of the items that appear next to the currently selected element
   Ctrl	Stop Narrator from reading text
   Insert+Q	Move the cursor backward to the beginning of any preceding text that has different formatting. For example, the cursor moves from a bold word to the beginning of a non-bold word that precedes it.
   Insert+W	Move the cursor to the beginning of any text that follows it that has different formatting. For example, the cursor moves from a bold word to the beginning of a non-bold word that follows it.
   Insert+E	Move the cursor back to the beginning of any text that has the same formatting. For example, the cursor moves from the middle of a bold word to the beginning of that word.
   Insert+R	Move the cursor to the end of any text that has the same formatting. For example, the cursor moves from the middle of a bold word to the end of that word.
   Insert+F2	Select all of the text that has the same formatting as the character at the cursor
   Insert+F3	Read the current character
   Insert+F4	Read the current word
   Insert+F5	Read the current line
   Insert+F6	Read the current paragraph
   Insert+F7	Read the current page
   Insert+F8	Read the current document

   Note

   • The Insert key is used for Narrator commands, so when you press Insert while Narrator is running, you won't be able to insert characters. To use the Insert key to insert characters while Narrator is running, press Insert+I and then the characters you want to add.

Choose which text Narrator reads aloud

1. Click to open Narrator.
2. Under Main Narrator Settings, do one or more of the following:
   • To hear what you type, select the Echo User's Keystrokes check box.
   • To hear background events, such as notifications, select the Announce System Messages check box.
   • To hear an announcement when the screen scrolls, select the Announce Scroll Notifications check box.

Change the Narrator voice

1. Click to open Narrator.
2. Click Voice Settings, and then make any of the following adjustments:
   • To select a different voice, click the voice you want to use in the Select Voice box.
   • For a faster voice, select a number in the Set Speed list. The higher the number, the faster the voice.
   • For a louder voice, select a number in the Set Volume list. The higher the number, the louder the voice.
   • For a higher-pitched voice, select a number in the Set Pitch list. The higher the number, the higher the pitch. A higher-pitched voice can be easier for some people to hear.

Start Narrator minimized

1. Click to open Narrator.
2. Select the Start Narrator Minimized check box.
   The next time you start Narrator, it will appear as an icon on the taskbar instead of being open on your screen.
   To restore the Narrator dialog box to its full size, click Narrator in the taskbar.

Text to speech: frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to common questions about text-to-speech programs.

Note

• Narrator is not available in all languages.

 Can on-screen text be read aloud to me?

Yes, Narrator and other programs read aloud text, buttons, menus, file names, and other items on the screen—even keystrokes. This can be helpful for people who don't see the screen or have difficulty seeing the screen.

 Does Windows include a text-to-speech program?

Yes. It's called Narrator. It's adjustable in many ways and can make the computer easier to use. For more information, see Hear text read aloud with Narrator.

 Are there other text-to-speech programs?

Yes, there are several. For a list of text-to-speech programs, go to the Microsoft Accessibility website.

I can't hear any text read aloud with Narrator

Note

• Narrator is not available in all languages.

Here are some things to try if you're having trouble hearing text read aloud by Narrator:

• Make sure that your speakers are connected properly. If you're not sure how to do this, check the information that came with your speakers.
• Make sure that the speaker volume is turned up sufficiently and your speakers aren't muted.
• Make sure that your sound card is properly installed and the drivers are updated.

  To check for a sound card

  1. Click to open Sound.
  2. Your sound card is listed on the Playback tab.
     If you don't have a sound card installed, you'll have to get one for Narrator to work.

  To determine if the sound card is working

  You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.
  1. Click to open Device Manager.‌  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers, and then do one of the following:
     • If the sound card has a yellow question mark next to it, the sound card might not be working. Try reinstalling the sound card driver. For more information, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly.
     • If the sound card appears twice in the list, you might have a ghost device. If so, delete the entry with the question mark.