This minHour teaches you how to turn off and then disable the built-in screen reader on a Windows computer.
Turning Off Narrator
Use the shortcut key combination.
If you have a keyboard shortcut enabled for Narrator (this setting is enabled by default), you can turn off Narrator when it’s on by holding down Ctrl and ⊞ Win while pressing ↵ Enter. You should hear the Narrator voice say “Exiting Narrator”.
- If the keyboard shortcut doesn’t work for you, proceed with the rest of this method.
Exit the Narrator window.
If Narrator is enabled, you can exit it by clicking at the bottom of the Narrator window (or by clicking the in the top-right corner of the window).
Force-quit Narrator.
If Narrator won’t stop reading on-screen text long enough to allow you to do anything, you can force it to quit by doing the following:
- Press to bring up the Task Manager program.
- Find and click the Screen Reader option in the list of programs on the Processes tab.
- Double-click End task in the bottom-right corner of the window.
Disabling Narrator
Open Start.
Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- If Narrator is currently running, opening Start will cause Narrator to read aloud different options, including Cortana’s name. This can trigger Cortana to start listening for audio input, so it’s best to turn off Narrator before this point.
Open the Ease of Access Center.
Type in ease of access, then click at the top of the Start window.
Click the Use the computer without a display link.
It’s directly under the “Explore all settings” heading in the middle of the page.
Uncheck the “Turn on Narrator” box.
This option is near the top of the window. Doing so indicates that you no longer want Narrator to turn on whenever you sign in.
Click Apply.
It’s at the bottom of the page. This applies your settings.
Click OK.
Doing so confirms your changes and exits the menu. Narrator should no longer turn on when you log into your computer.
Tips
- In most cases, you can disable Narrator by pressing the Ctrl+⊞ Win+↵ Enter key combination.
- On Windows tablets, you’ll press the ⊞ Win button and the Volume Up button at the same time to exit the Narrator.
Warnings
- If you don’t begin typing into Start quickly enough while Narrator is enabled, Narrator can inadvertently open Cortana by saying her name.