A quick reference for people learning JAWS, the screen reader for Windows from Freedom Scientific. It covers everyday reading, web browsing and help commands using the desktop keyboard layout.
In this guide, Insert means the JAWS key. You can use either Insert key, including the one on the number pad. This guide uses the desktop layout, which assumes a keyboard with a number pad. If you use the laptop layout, Caps Lock is the JAWS key instead, and some reading commands change; we note the main ones below. To type a capital letter normally while Caps Lock is your JAWS key, press Caps Lock twice quickly to turn Caps Lock on or off.
Getting started
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Start JAWS (shortcut set up when JAWS is installed) | Control + Alt + J |
| Stop JAWS talking | Control |
| Shut down JAWS | Insert + F4 |
| Open the JAWS window | Insert + J |
| Open Quick Settings | Insert + V |
| Search for a JAWS command by name | Insert + Space, then J |
| Turn speech on or off (cycles full speech, speech on demand and mute) | Insert + Space, then S |
| Refresh the screen if JAWS isn't reading properly | Insert + Escape |
Reading text
On the laptop layout, Say All is Caps Lock + A and Say Line is Caps Lock + I.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Read everything from here onwards (Say All) | Insert + Down Arrow |
| Read the current line | Insert + Up Arrow |
| Read the next or previous line | Down Arrow or Up Arrow |
| Read the current word | Insert + Number Pad 5 |
| Read the next or previous word | Insert + Right Arrow or Insert + Left Arrow |
| Read the current character | Number Pad 5 |
| Read the next or previous paragraph | Control + Down Arrow or Control + Up Arrow |
| Read from the cursor to the end of the line | Insert + Page Up |
| Read selected text | Insert + Shift + Down Arrow |
| Hear the font and formatting | Insert + F |
Where am I?
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Hear the window title | Insert + T |
| Hear the item that has focus | Insert + Tab |
| Read the whole window or dialog from top to bottom | Insert + B |
| Read the bottom line of the window, often the status bar | Insert + Page Down |
| Hear the default button in a dialog | Insert + E |
| List open windows so you can switch between them | Insert + F10 |
| List icons in the system tray | Insert + F11 |
| Hear the time | Insert + F12 |
Web pages: moving around
These single-letter quick keys work when you are reading a web page with the virtual cursor. Add Shift to go backwards, for example Shift + H for the previous heading.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Move to the next heading | H |
| Move to the next heading at a certain level | 1 to 6 |
| Move to the next link you haven't visited | U |
| Move to the next form field | F |
| Move to the next button | B |
| Move to the next edit box | E |
| Move to the next table | T |
| Move to the next list | L |
| Move to the next region or landmark | R |
| Move to the main region | Q |
Web pages: lists and modes
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| List the headings on the page | Insert + F6 |
| List the links on the page | Insert + F7 |
| List the form fields on the page | Insert + F5 |
| Turn on forms mode to type in a field | Enter |
| Turn off forms mode | Number Pad Plus |
| Turn the virtual cursor off or on | Insert + Z |
| Find text on the page | Control + Insert + F |
| Find the next or previous match | F3 or Shift + F3 |
| Read the address bar | Insert + A |
Tables
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Move to the next table | T |
| Move to the next cell in the row | Control + Alt + Right Arrow |
| Move to the previous cell in the row | Control + Alt + Left Arrow |
| Move to the cell below | Control + Alt + Down Arrow |
| Move to the cell above | Control + Alt + Up Arrow |
| Hear all the table commands | Insert + Space, then T, then Question Mark |
Speech and privacy
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Make speech faster for now | Control + Alt + Page Up |
| Make speech slower for now | Control + Alt + Page Down |
| Speed up or slow down during Say All | Page Up or Page Down |
| Show speech history, to review what JAWS just said | Insert + Space, then H |
| Turn Screen Shade on or off, to make the screen black for privacy | Insert + Space, then F11 |
| Describe the current image with Picture Smart | Insert + Space, then P, then C |
Getting help
On the laptop layout, Hotkey Help is Caps Lock + Control + Shift + H and the JAWS window is Caps Lock + Control + Shift + J.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
| Turn keyboard help on or off | Insert + 1 |
| Get help for where you are now | Insert + F1 |
| Get JAWS help for the current app | Insert + F1, then F1 again quickly |
| List hotkeys for the current app | Insert + H |
| List Windows key shortcuts for the current app | Insert + W |
| Pass the next key straight to the app, ignoring JAWS | Insert + 3 |
Tip: press Insert + 1 to turn on keyboard help. Then press any key or combination to hear what it does, without it doing anything. Press Insert + 1 again to turn it off. If you can't remember a command, press Insert + Space, then J, and type a word like "heading" to search for it.
