NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free Windows-only screen reading software for blind and vision impaired users. NVDA can read text from most applications.
Installation
- Click to download NVDA.
- Run the downloaded file (nvda-20174-win.exe).
Note: NVDA will begin reading aloud during the installation process.
- Press Tab to move to the I agree check box.
- Press Space bar to check the box.
- Press Tab to Install NVDA on this computer.
- Press Enter to accept the license agreement.
- Tab to the Continue button in the Install NVDA dialog box.
- Click OK or press Enter after NVDA has been installed.
- In the Please Donate dialog box, select Donate or Not Now.
- Choose to Download and install any updates.
- The keyboard layout, default key and startup options can be selected in the Welcome to NVDA dialog box.
Using NVDA
Note: The Insert key (main or numpad) is the default NVDA key.
- The first time a PDF is opened in Adobe Reader while NVDA is running, the Accessibility Setup Assistant will open to set up preferences for reading PDFs.
- WebAIM's Keyboard Shortcuts for NVDA include shortcuts for voice rate and for reading text, headings, lists, tables, forms and links. Learn more about WebAIM shortcuts for NVDA.
- NVDA reads aloud Windows with keystroke and mouse navigation through the Windows desktop, Start menu and File Explorer, and can read aloud from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs and most browsers.
- NVDA can convert text to braille and load onto a USB drive for portability.
For more information and instructions, visit the NVDA User Guide.