Google Accessibility Help Page Links

• Google Accessibility Help Main Page

• Connect with an Accessibility Community

• Contact the Google Disability Support Team

General Google Workspace Accessibility Resources

Information in the resources below will apply to more than one Google Workspace application

Additionally, all resources below are related to use of Google Workspace on a computer, not a mobile device.

• Google Workspace User Guide to Accessibility

• Belonging: Explore Google's Accessibility Features and Products

• Accessibility Features in Google Workspace for Education

• Use Google Editors with a Screen Reader

• Use a braille display with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Vids and Drawings

• Collaborate and Comment with a Screen Reader in Google Editors

• California School for the Blind SRT Website: What are Google Keyboard Shortcuts
  Contains links to four lessons on Google Workspace keyboard shortcuts

Other Google Workspace Accessibility Resources

Following are resources from Google related to other Workspace applications not listed on the Accessibility Resources for Mainstream Software and Programs Main Page.

• Getting Started with Gmail using a Screen Reader

• Keyboard Shortcuts for Gmail

• Edit Drawings with a Screen Reader

• Edit Google Forms with a Screen Reader

• Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Forms

Turning on Screen Reader Support

When using Google Editors with any screen reader, the user must enable screen reader support. There are several ways to do this that are outlined below for both Windows and Mac machines. 

Note that screen reader support is automatically enabled on ChromeOS when the user is running ChromeVox and there is no need to turn it on.

Enable Screen Reader Support on a Windows Machine

When in any Google Editor application, press Alt + Control + Z 

Alternatively, when in any of the Google Editors, follow the instructions below:

1. Open the Tools menu by pressing Alt + Shift + T

2. Arrow down to Accessibility Settings and press Enter

3. Use Tab to locate the Turn on Screen Reader Support checkbox and press Space to ensure it is checked.

4. Press Enter to close the dialog box.

Enable Screen Reader Support on a Mac

When in any Google Editor application, press Command + Option + Z 

Alternatively, when in any of the Google Editors, follow the instructions below:

1. Open the Tools menu by pressing Control + Option + T

2. Arrow down to Accessibility Settings and press Enter

3. Use Tab to locate the Turn on Screen Reader Support checkbox and press Space to ensure it is checked.

4. Press Enter to close the dialog box.

Specific Screen Reader Commands

The more important thing to remember is that since Google Workspace is being accessed on a browser (whether it is Chrome, Edge, or Firefox), the screen reader will often default to navigating the page as though it were a standard website. Of course, Google Workspace and other web applications are more complex and must be managed differently. The easiest explanation is to say the screen reader must be “reminded” they are in Google Workspace. 

JAWS:

For best results when editing content, ensure that JAWS Virtual PC Cursor is off. When the Virtual PC Cursor is turned off, JAWS is not attempting to navigate the Google application as a webpage (such as trying to jump to headings, links, buttons, etc.) while the user is entering text. 

To toggle the Virtual PC Cursor on and off, press JAWS + Z. JAWS will announces “use virtual PC cursor off.”

Depending on JAWS' Forms Mode configuration, this can be required more than once. 

NVDA:

Focus Mode generally provides a better experience for editing content than Browse Mode.

To toggle between focus and browse modes, press NVDA + Space.

Please note that there is a keystroke conflict between Windows and Google Workspace when NVDA is installed on the computer. This means that the same keystroke used to do one thing in Windows (in this case launching NVDA from anywhere) performs a different action in Google.

If NVDA is installed on the computer, whether or not it is being used to access Google Workspace, the user will need to ensure that that the Control + Alt + N keyboard shortcut is not used for the NVDA Desktop Shortcut. NVDA will relaunch if it is in use or if another screen reader is being used to access Google Workspace, NVDA will launch and there will be two screen reading programs running simultaneously. 

To change the NVDA keyboard shortcut:

1. From the context menu on the NVDA desktop shortcut, open Properties.

a. The Context Menu can be opened by pressing Insert + F10 or the application Key on the keyboard if one is present

2. Open the Shortcut Tab, edit the Shortcut key so it doesn't conflict with any shortcut in Google Editors. A good suggestion is Alt + Control + Slash.

3. Once finished, press Enter to close the dialog box.

VoiceOver on a Mac:

• Ensure Quick Nav is turned off by press the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys at the same time until VoiceOver announces “Quick Nav off.”

• If VoiceOver doesn't automatically focus on the correct part of the page, like if a dialog window appears, press Escape to return focus to the editing area.

• To return to the editing area Press VoiceOver + Shift + Down Arrow.

Important: Keyboard Shortcuts Conflicts in VoiceOver

The default VoiceOver keyboard shortcut, Control + Option, conflicts with Google editors menu shortcuts. There are two ways to avoid this conflict:

1. Change the VoiceOver modifier to use only the Caps Lock key:

   • To open the VoiceOver Utility, press VoiceOver + F8.

   • Tab to “Keys to use as the VoiceOver modifier.”

   • Press down arrow until the Caps Lock option is in focus (or choose any that omits Control + Option).

   • To close the Utility: press Command + Q.

2. If the user does not expect to use the menus frequently:

   • Use the VoiceOver pass-through command, which is VoiceOver + Tab before using Control + Option to open a menu in Google Workspace. The pass-through command tells VoiceOver to ignore the next key press and allow any other running application to use it.
     Example: if utilizing this method to open the Tools Menu, press VoiceOver + Tab, then press Control + Option + T and the Tools Menu will open.

   • To avoid opening the menus themselves, the user may search the menus by pressing Option + Slash and type the menu item in the search field. Press Enter to activate the item.