NVDA Keyboard Shortcuts for Different User Needs

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is the free screen reader that’s been helping people who are blind and vision-impaired navigate the web since 2006. Created by NV Access, it’s completely open source and works well with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Getting started is simple: Visit http://www.nvaccess.org/download/. The download is free; a donation is optional.

Now, here’s what you need to remember: every NVDA command you’re about to learn comes with an asterisk. Sometimes they work perfectly. Sometimes they don’t work at all. The difference isn’t random – it’s predictable, and understanding why shortcuts fail is just as important as memorising the keys themselves.

Let’s start with that. 

When NVDA keyboard shortcuts stop working, the problem often lies not with the screen reader or the user, but with the underlying code of the website. A working code is one of three conditions that need to be filled in order for everything to work as it should. The other two are a bit easier to fix, but if any of those aren’t fulfilled, you might as well be pressing keys into the void.

Let’s take a closer look. 

NVDA speaks two dialects – desktop and laptop.

Important note: Throughout this article, when you see “NVDA” in a keyboard shortcut like “NVDA+1” or “NVDA+F7”, it refers to whichever modifier key your layout uses. So “NVDA+1” means:

Not sure which you’re using? Press NVDA+1 for a quick test. This activates Input Help mode, and NVDA will announce which modifier key you’re currently set to use.

Did you know? Laptop users often hit another snag: function keys. That NVDA+F7 command everyone raves about? On many laptops, you’ll need Fn+NVDA+F7 instead. Your F7 key might be controlling screen brightness by default, not sending F7 to NVDA.

This takes some getting used to.

NVDA has two distinct personalities:

By default, you’ll hear beeps when NVDA switches between modes. A low beep means Browse mode; a high beep signals Focus mode. Some users find these confusing, but thankfully, you can switch to voice announcements instead through NVDA’s Browse mode settings (NVDA+Control+B).

Now, as good as the automatic switch between modes, it fails spectacularly on poorly coded sites. You can override it manually by using NVDA+Space, but ideally, you shouldn’t have to. 

The markup of a website, i.e., its underlying HTML code, determines whether NVDA users can navigate efficiently or get stuck on your site. For example, why does pressing H find every heading on Wikipedia but nothing on your company’s internal portal?

Simple. Wikipedia uses actual <h1> through <h6> tags. Your portal probably uses <div class="heading"> styled to look like headings.

Quick quality check: press NVDA+F7 on any page. This opens the Elements List – a complete inventory of headings, links, and landmarks. Empty categories? That’s missing semantic markup.

Sites built by developers trained in semantic HTML don’t have these problems. Every shortcut works because the foundations are solid.

Before diving into the shortcut reference table below, here are the critical NVDA commands that reveal whether your code is genuinely accessible. Test these on every component you build.

This single shortcut provides a complete accessibility audit.

Opens a dialogue showing:

Empty categories in this list = missing semantic markup in your code.

Think of it as your instant quality report. One keystroke tells you exactly what NVDA users will and won’t be able to find on your page.

Tests whether your interactive widgets properly trigger focus mode.

Custom components should:

If mode switching fails, your ARIA roles or keyboard handling are incorrect.

Quick test: tab to your custom dropdown. Does NVDA switch to focus mode? Can users type to filter options? If not, you’ve probably missed role="combobox" or proper focus management.

When shortcuts don’t work, they pinpoint exact code issues.

When these shortcuts fail, you’ve created genuine barriers that prevent efficient navigation.

The comprehensive tables below show all NVDA shortcuts, but master these essential ones first. They’re your quality checklist for accessible implementations.

Now that you know what to test for, here’s the complete reference. The full list of NVDA’s keyboard commands can be found in the official NVDA User Guide.

When developers use divs instead of headings, create fake buttons, or mismanage focus, they’re actively blocking NVDA users from navigating efficiently.

Think about it: every <div onclick="..."> you write is a potential dead end for the B key. Every heading styled with CSS instead of HTML tags is invisible to the H command. You’re creating a maze where the usual navigation tools simply don’t work.

That’s why training is so important. When developers complete courses like The A11Y Collective’s offerings, they learn to build sites where:

For example, our ‘Accessible code‘ course teaches developers to build with semantic HTML where NVDA shortcuts work by default. No hacks needed. Meanwhile, ‘ARIA explained‘ takes it further, showing how to enhance complex interactions without breaking navigation.

So, if your team is tired of treating accessibility as an afterthought, this training can help you turn it into a natural part of your development workflow. In the end, NVDA shortcuts will become your testing checklist, not your debugging nightmare.