This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use new Outlook with your keyboard and a screen reader to do the essential basic tasks with Mail. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can create and send new emails, read and reply to received emails, search emails, work with attachments, and more.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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This topic assumes that the Reading pane is off.
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With NVDA, when you are in a text box, you might need to switch to focus mode manually to be able to type text.
In this topic
Read and reply to, or forward an email in new Outlook
Use your screen reader and keyboard shortcuts to read and respond to emails. You hear a sound when a new email has arrived.
Tip: It is easier to navigate the messages if you do not use the Conversation view. For instructions, go to Toggle off the conversation view.
Read an email
Navigate to an email in the message list in new Outlook, and hear your screen reader read the email and its details.
Note: The reading pane must be off before you follow these instructions. For instructions, go to Toggle off the reading pane.
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In the new Outlook main view, press F6 or Shift+F6 until you hear: “Message list.”
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Press the Down or Up arrow keys until you find the email you want, and then press Enter to open the message in the content pane.
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To read through the whole email with Narrator, press Narrator+Ctrl+R or Narrator+Down arrow key. With JAWS and NVDA, the message will automatically read aloud upon opening. To reread the message from the beginning with JAWS and NVDA, press Ctrl+Home, then press Screen Reader key+Down arrow key. To stop reading, press Ctrl. To close the email and return to the message list, press Esc.
Reply to an email
Use your screen reader to promptly respond to your emails in new Outlook.
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In an email or when on an email on the message list, press Ctrl+R. If you want to reply to all, press Ctrl+Shift+R. You hear: "Message body."
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Type your reply.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Forward an email
You can easily forward an email using keyboard shortcuts and your screen reader.
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In an email or when on an email on the message list, press Ctrl+F. You hear: "To, edit." The focus is on the To field of the email.
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Type the name or email address of the recipient. When you start writing, new Outlook offers you matching suggestions. To browse the suggestions, press the Down arrow key. If you find the right persons among the suggestions, press Enter to add them to the To field.
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Press the Tab key until you hear: "Message body."
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Type your message.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Create and send an email in new Outlook
Let your screen reader help you create a new email and get your message out there.
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In the new Outlook main view, press Ctrl+N. With Narrator, you hear: "new Outlook window, To, edit." With JAWS and NVDA, you hear: "New mail." The focus is on the To field of the new email.
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Type the name or email address of the recipient. When you start writing, new Outlook offers you matching suggestions. To browse the suggestions, press the Down arrow key. If you find the right persons among the suggestions, press Enter to add them to the To field.
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If you want to send a copy of the email to someone, press the Tab key once. You hear: "Cc, edit." Type the email address of the copy recipient.
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Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Add a subject." Type a subject for the email.
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Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Message body."
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Type your message.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Search for an email in new Outlook
Waste no time digging through lists or archives for that important email. Use search to quickly find what you're looking for.
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In the new Outlook main view, press Ctrl+E. With Narrator, you hear: "Banner, Search, edit." With JAWS, you hear: "Search, edit." With NVDA, you hear: "Banner landmark, Search landmark."
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Type your search words and browse suggestions with the Down arrow key, and then press Enter.
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When the search results are displayed, you hear: you hear: "Message list, no conversations selected." Then you proceed to hear the first search result.
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Use the Down and Up arrow keys to browse the list. You hear the results as you move in the list.
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To clear the search words and return to the new Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear "Mail toggle, button," press Shift+Tab until you hear "Exit search, button," and then press Enter.
Add attachments in new Outlook
You can send files like resumes, newsletters, or cute kitty cat pics as copies or as OneDrive files.
Add a file as a OneDrive link
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When you're composing a new mail, press F6 to go to the ribbon tab. You hear the currently selected tab.
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Insert tab."
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Press the Tab key until you hear: "Attach file, button." Press Enter.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Browse cloud locations," and then press Enter. The focus is on your OneDrive Recent folder. To change to a different folder, press Shift+Tab until you hear "Select files from," and then use the Down and Up arrow keys to browse the folders. Press Enter to select.
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In the file list, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the file you want to attach, and then press Enter.
The link to the OneDrive file is added to the message.
Add a local file from your computer
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When you're composing a new mail, press F6 to go to the ribbon tab. You hear the currently selected tab.
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Insert tab."
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Press the Tab key until you hear: “Attach file, button.” Press Enter.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Browse this computer," and then press Enter. The Windows Open file dialog box opens.
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Use the Tab key and arrow keys to navigate to the file you want to attach, and press Enter.
Print an email in new Outlook
You can print your email on paper or to a file.
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In the reading pane, on the email, press the Shift+Tab key until you hear: "Message actions tool bar."
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear "More actions," and then press Enter.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Print, menu item," and then press Enter. The Print dialog box opens.
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Select the printing options. To navigate between the options, press the Tab key. To expand option menus, press Spacebar. To move between radio buttons, use the Down and Up arrow keys. To select an option, press Enter.
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To print, press the Tab key until you hear “Print button,” and then press Enter.
Modify settings in new Outlook
Turn off the Conversation view in new Outlook
It's easier to navigate the messages if you don't use the Conversation view.
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In new Outlook, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear, "Settings button," and then press Enter to open the Settings pane.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Search settings, edit.” Then press the Down arrow key until you hear “Mail tab,” and then press Enter.
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Press the Tab key once and you hear, “Layout tab, selected.”
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Press the Tab key to navigate the Layout settings. Do one of the following:
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With Narrator and NVDA, press the Tab key until you hear “How do you want your messages to be organized?” Then confirm the radio button has Show email grouped by conversation selected. Press the Tab key once more and hear “Arrange the reading pane.” Then press the Down arrow key to move to the radio button to the Show each message separately setting. The radio button will automatically be selected as you navigate to it.
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With JAWS, press the Tab key until you hear “Show email grouped by conversation, radio button, checked.” Keep the Show email grouped by conversation radio button selected. Press the Tab key once more and hear “Newest on top” or “Newest on bottom,” then press the Down arrow key to move to the radio button to the Show each message separately setting. The radio button will automatically be selected as you navigate to it.
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Press Tab until you hear, “Save button,” and press Enter to save your settings changes.
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Press Esc to close the Settingspane.
Turn off the reading pane in new Outlook
The instructions in this topic assume that the Reading pane is off.
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Press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear, "Settings button," and then press Enter to open the Settings pane.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Search settings, edit.” Then press the Down arrow key until you hear “Mail tab,” and then press Enter.
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Press the Tab key once and you hear, “Layout tab, selected.” Keep that selection.
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Press the Tab key once to navigate the Layout settings. Do one of the following:
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With Narrator and NVDA, press the Tab key until you hear “Where do you want the reading pane to appear?” Then press the Down arrow key until you move to the Hide reading pane radio button. The radio button will automatically be selected as you navigate to it.
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With JAWS, press the Tab key until you hear “On the right” or “At the bottom,” then press the Down arrow key until you hear "Hide reading pane radio button." The radio button will automatically be selected as you navigate to it.
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Press Tab until you hear, “Save button,” and press Enter to save your settings changes.
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Press Esc to close the Settingspane.
Use Dark mode in new Outlook
If you are using new Outlook in a dark room, using the Dark mode puts less strain on your eyes.
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In the new Outlook main view, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear, "Settings button," and then press Enter to open the Settingspane.
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Search settings, edit.” Then press the Down arrow key until you hear “General tab,” and then press Enter.
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Press the Tab key once and you hear, “Language and time tab, selected.” Press the Down arrow key once to move to the Appearance tab, and press Enter.
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Press the Tab key once to navigate the Appearance settings.
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Press the right arrow key until you hear, “Dark radio button,” followed by the state of the switch.
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Press Tab until you hear, “Save button,” and press Enter to save your settings changes.
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To close the Settings pane, press Esc.
See also
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook
Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook
Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use the email in classic Outlook with your keyboard and a screen reader to do the essential basic tasks. We've tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can create and send new emails, read and reply to received emails, search, filter, and print emails, work with attachments, and more.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Read and reply to, or forward email in classic Outlook
Use your screen reader and keyboard shortcuts to read and respond to emails. You hear a sound when a new email has arrived.
Open and read an email
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In Inbox, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the first mail in the message list. Your screen reader indicates if the email is unread, then announces the sender, subject, and received date and time.
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To browse the message list, press the Up or Down arrow key.
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To open an email, press Enter.
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To read the email from top to bottom, press the SR key+Ctrl+R.
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To stop reading, press Ctrl.
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To move to the next email, press Alt+5.
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To move to the previous email, press Alt+4.
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When you are finished reading the email, to return to Inbox, press Esc.
Reply to an email
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In an email or on an email in Inbox, do one of the following:
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To reply to just the original sender, press Ctrl+R. You hear "Re," followed by the message subject.
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If the message has multiple recipients and you want to reply to all, press Ctrl+Shift+R.
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A new email opens with the same subject and set to reply to either just the sender or everyone included in the original email. The focus is on the body of the message. Type your message.
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When you are finished composing the message, press Alt+S to send the email.
Forward an email
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In an email or on an email in Inbox, press Ctrl+F. You hear "Forward," followed by the message subject.
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The focus is on the To field. Type the names of the recipients.
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If you want to include a message, press the Tab key until you hear "Forward," followed by the message subject, and "Message editing," and then type your message.
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When you are finished composing the message, press Alt+S to send the email.
Create and send email in classic Outlook
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In Inbox, press Ctrl+N. You hear "Untitled, message," followed by the message format, and "Window, To, editing."
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The focus is on the To field. Type the names of the recipients.
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To send a copy, press the Tab key. You hear: "Cc, edit." Type the names of contacts who receive a copy.
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To send a hidden copy, press the Tab key. You hear: "Bcc, edit." Type the names of contacts who receive a copy.
If you don't hear "Bcc, edit," the Bcc field is hidden. To unhide it, press Alt+P, B.
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To add a subject for the email, press the Tab key until you hear "Subject, edit," and then type your message.
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To add your message, press the Tab key until you hear the subject of the email, followed by "Message, editing," and then type your message.
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When you are finished composing the message, press Alt+S to send the email.
Work with Focused inbox in classic Outlook
Focus on the emails that matter the most to you. By default, Outlook creates a Focused inbox and an Other inbox. Your most important emails are sorted into the Focused inbox while the rest remain easily accessible, but out of the way, in the Other inbox.
Switch between the Focused and Other inboxes
By default, Outlook opens the Focused inbox.
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In Inbox, press Shift+Tab until you hear "Other button," and then press Enter.
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To move back to the Focused inbox, press Shift+Tab until you hear: "Focused button." To select, press Enter.
Move an email from the Other inbox to the Focused inbox
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In your Other inbox, navigate to the email you want to move to the Focused inbox.
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To move the email, press Shift+F10, V.
Hide the Focused inbox
You can hide the Focused inbox and work with a single list of messages.
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To check if the Focused inbox is shown or already hidden, press F6 until you reach the contents of your inbox.
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Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Sort, arrange, or filter messages, button," then press Shift+Tab once. If you hear "Other," the Focused inbox is already hidden. If not, press Alt+V, W to hide it.
Use search and filter to find email in classic Outlook
Waste no time excavating through lists or archives for that important email. Use search and filter to quickly find what you're looking for.
Search for an email
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In Inbox, press Ctrl+E. The focus moves to the Search text field. You hear: "Search, edit box."
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To change the folder which you want to search, press Shift+Tab until you hear "Current mailbox," and then press Spacebar. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Spacebar.
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Type your search words.
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To browse through the suggestions, press the Down arrow key. To select a suggestion, press Enter. The search results are displayed in the message list.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the first message. To browse through the list, press the Down arrow key. To open an email, press Enter.
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To clear the search results list, press Esc.
To return to Inbox from an open email and clear the search results list, press Esc twice.
Use a filter to find an email
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In the Inbox, press Alt+H, L. The focus moves to the first item in the filter options list.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter. You hear either "No results found," or "Found," followed by the number of emails matching the filter.
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To move to the list of emails matching the filter, press the Tab key until you hear the first message. To browse through the list, press the Down arrow key. To open an email, press Enter.
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To clear the results list and the filter, press Esc.
To return to Inbox from an open email and clear the search results list, press Esc twice.
Open or add attachments in classic Outlook
You can open and add attachments in your emails in Outlook.
Open attachments
When you receive an email, your screen reader announces if the email has attachments and the number of attached files.
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Open an email with an attachment. The focus is on the message body.
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Press Shift+Tab until you hear the attachment details, including the file name and type.
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To open the attachment, press Enter. The file opens in a compatible application.
Add attachments
You can send files like resumes, newsletters, or pictures as copies or as OneDrive files.
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In an email, press Alt+N, A, F. A context menu opens.
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Do one of the following:
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To attach a recent file, press the Down arrow key until you hear the file, and then press Enter.
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To attach a file from a web location, press W. You hear the first online location, for example, "OneDrive." To select, press Enter. The Insert File dialog box opens. Press the Tab key and the arrow keys until you hear the file you want, and then press Alt+S.
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To attach a file from local storage, for example, your hard drive, press B. The Insert File dialog box opens. Press the Tab key and the arrow keys until you hear the file you want, and then press Alt+S.
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Print an email in classic Outlook
You can print your email on paper or to a file.
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In an email or on an email in Inbox, press Ctrl+P. The Print dialog box opens.
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To print using the default settings, press Alt+P, P.
Turn visual or audio notifications on or off in classic Outlook
Sound or visual effects can notify you when a new email message arrives. If you need to work uninterrupted, you can turn the notifications off.
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In Inbox, press Alt+F, T. The Outlook Options window opens, the focus is on the General tab.
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Press M. The Mail tab opens.
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Press the Tab key, and then press P. You hear "Play a sound, checkbox," followed by either: "Checked" or "Unchecked." To select or deselect this option, press Spacebar.
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To go through the other notification options, press the Tab key. To select or deselect an option, press Spacebar. When you hear "Conversation clean up," there are no more notification options to select.
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To confirm your selections and exit the Outlook Options window, press the Tab key until you hear "OK button," and then press Enter.
See also
Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook
Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook
Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use the email in Outlook for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to do the essential basic tasks. You can create and send new emails, read and reply to received emails, search and filter emails, and work with Focused messages and attachments.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this topic
Read and reply to or forward an email
Read an email
By default, the Outlook app lists the newest email first.
Tip: When you are in the message list and on an email, swipe up or down to hear message-related actions you can take. To take an action, double-tap the screen as soon as you hear the option.
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To hear VoiceOver read the emails in your Inbox, in the message list, swipe right or slide your finger down through the list. You hear, for example, the following:
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The name of the sender
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The subject of the email
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The sending date
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Attachments (if any)
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The first few lines of the email message
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The number of messages in a conversation
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To open a single email or an email conversation containing several messages, double-tap the screen.
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To read an email or messages in a conversation, swipe right or slide your finger from the top of the screen down the list of emails. You hear the subject, sender name, the message, and how many messages there are in a conversation.
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If the conversation is long, you may need to open the full message to hear it. After the first message is read, swipe right. If you hear "Open full message button," there is more text to the conversation. To open, double-tap the screen.
To return to the collapsed message view, swipe left until you hear "Close button," and then double-tap the screen.
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To quickly move to the next email, swipe left until you hear "Next message, button," and then double-tap the screen. To move to the previous email, swipe left until you hear "Previous message, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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When you are finished reading the message, to return to the Inbox, swipe left until you hear "Back button," and then double-tap the screen.
Reply to an email
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In an email, swipe left or right until you hear "Reply options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Reply." Double-tap the screen.
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You hear "Reply box expanded," and the focus moves to the body of the reply message. To edit the message recipients, swipe left until you hear "Reply options," and double-tap the screen, then swipe right until you hear "Edit or view recipient," and double-tap the screen. The focus moves to the To field of the reply message. Edit the list of recipients using the on-screen keyboard, then swipe right until you hear: "Message body."
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Type your message using the on-screen keyboard.
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When you are finished composing the message, swipe left until you hear "Send button," and then double-tap the screen.
Forward an email
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In an email, swipe right until you hear "Reply options, button," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Forward," and double-tap the screen.
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You hear: "To, text field, is editing." The focus is in the To field, and the on-screen keyboard is in the bottom half of the screen. Type the name of each recipient.
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If you want to include a message, swipe right until you hear "Multiline text field," and then double-tap. Type your message.
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When you are finished composing the message, swipe right until you hear "Send button," and then double-tap the screen.
Work with Focused messages
Focus on the emails that matter most to you. By default, Outlook creates a Focused inbox and an Other inbox. Your most important emails are sorted into the Focused inbox while the rest remain easily accessible, but out of the way, in the Other inbox.
By default, Outlook opens the Focused inbox. To switch to the Other inbox:
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Other inbox," and then double-tap the screen.
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To move back to the Focused inbox, swipe left or right until you hear "Focused inbox," and double-tap the screen.
To move an email from the Other inbox to the Focused inbox:
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Navigate to the message you want to move, and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe left until you hear "More conversation actions," and then double-tap screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Move to focused inbox, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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You hear an alert. Swipe right until you hear the option you want, and then double-tap the screen.
To disable the Focused inbox and work with a single list of messages:
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Swipe left until you hear "Menu," followed by the name of your email account, then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Settings, button" and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Focused inbox, On," and then double-tap the screen. Outlook now presents a single inbox.
Create and send email
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In the message list, swipe left or right until you hear "Compose button, and then double-tap the screen.
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The New Message window opens, the focus is on the To field, and the on-screen keyboard is at the bottom half of the screen. Type the names of the recipients.
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To send a copy or hidden copy, swipe right until you hear "Show Cc and Bcc, button," and then double-tap the screen. The focus moves to the Cc field. Type the names of contacts who receive a copy.
To send a hidden copy, swipe right. You hear: "Bcc, text field." Double-tap the screen and then type the contact names.
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To type a subject for the email, swipe right until you hear "Subject, text field," double-tap the screen, and then type your message.
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To type your message, swipe right until you hear "Multiline text field," and then double-tap the screen.
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When you are finished composing the message, swipe left until you hear "Send button," and then double-tap the screen.
Use search and filter to find an email
Waste no time excavating through lists or archives for that important email. Use search and filter to quickly find what you're looking for.
Search for an email
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In the message list, swipe left or right until you hear "Search button," and then double-tap the screen.
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The focus moves to the Search Mail field. Start typing your search words. The search results list updates as you type.
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To browse through the search results, swipe right. VoiceOver reads the details and the message as you move through the list.
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When you hear an email you want to open, double-tap the screen.
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To exit Search, swipe left until you hear "Cancel button," and then double-tap the screen.
Use a filter to find an email
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In the message list, swipe left or right until you hear "Filter button," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear the filtering option you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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To browse through the emails matching the filter, swipe right. VoiceOver reads the details and the message as you move through the list.
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When you hear an email you want to open, double-tap the screen.
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To remove the filtering option, in the inbox, swipe left or right until you hear "Filter button," and then double-tap the screen.
Open or add attachments
You can open and add attachments in your emails in Outlook for iOS.
Open an attachment
VoiceOver announces if a received email has attachments.
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Open the email with one or more attachments.
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Swipe right until you hear the attachment file type, followed by "Attachment," and the file name and size, and then double-tap the screen. The attachment opens in a supported app.
Add an attachment
You can send files like resumes, photos, or meeting invitations as attachments.
Attach a file
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear "Attach a file or a photo, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Attach file." Double-tap the screen.
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Browse to the file you want, and then double-tap the screen to select.
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Swipe right until you hear "Attach file," and then double-tap the screen.
Attach a photo
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear "Attach a file or a photo, button," and then double-tap the screen.
To take photo with device camera to attach:
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Swipe right. You hear: "Take photo, button."
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Double-tap the screen. The camera activates.
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Swipe right until you hear "Take picture, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Use photo," and then double-tap the screen.
To attach the last photo taken, swipe right until you hear "Use last photo taken," and then double-tap the screen.
To attach an image from Photos:
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Swipe right until you hear "Choose photo from library," and then double-tap the screen.
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Browse for the image you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Attach a meeting invitation
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear "Attach meeting, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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You hear: "Send availability, button." To send your first available time slot for a meeting, double-tap the screen.
Alternatively, to create a new invitation, swipe right until you hear "Create invitation, button" and then double-tap the screen. A new Outlook Calendar event window opens. For instructions on how to create meeting invitations, refer to Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook.
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When you're done scheduling the meeting, in the Calendar event window, swipe left or right until you hear "Done button," and then double-tap the screen.
Set up the Play My Emails (PME) feature
Listen and respond to email messages and manage your activities by knowing the changes in your schedule and adjusting your calendar. You can set up this feature on your device in Outlook for iOS.
By default, Outlook opens the Focused inbox. To set up the Play My Emails:
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From the top left corner of the device, slide you finger downwards until you hear: "Expand the folder menu, button."
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Double-tap the screen. VoiceOver announces the name of the email account.
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Slide your finger down the left side of the screen until you hear: "Play my emails, button."
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Double-tap the screen. The Play My Emails dialog box opens. Slide your finger slightly down until you hear the name of the email account.
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Double-tap the screen to open the email account dialog box. You hear: "Account heading."
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Slide your finger down until you hear the name of the email account. Slide your finger towards the right until you hear: "Switch, button."
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Double-tap the screen to turn on the play my email option. The Play My Emails page opens. Slide your finger down until you hear: "Try now, button."
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Double-tap the screen. The Cortana Voice Features page opens. Slide down until you hear: "Agree, button."
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Double-tap the screen. The Safety First dialog box opens. Slide down slightly until you hear: "Got it." Double-tap the screen. The Outlook Would Like to Access the Microphone dialog box opens.
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Slide down slightly towards the right side until you hear: "OK." Double-tap the screen to complete the setup process. Cortana starts reading out the emails in your Focused inbox.
To know about more features and options in the Play My Emails, refer to Accessibility features in Play My Emails.
See also
Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook
Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use the email in Outlook for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to do the essential basic tasks. You can create and send new emails, read and reply to received emails, search and filter emails, work with Focused messages and attachment, and more.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
Read and reply to, or forward an email
Read an email
By default, the newest emails are listed first.
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Swipe left or right or slide your finger down to listen to TalkBack read the emails. You hear information about each email, including:
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Sender name
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Date or time the message was received
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Subject
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First few lines of the email contents
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To open an email, double-tap the screen. TalkBack automatically starts to read the message from the beginning.
Alternatively, to listen TalkBack read an email message from top to bottom, swipe down-and-right. The Global Context Menu opens. Swipe right until you hear "Read from top," and then double-tap the screen.
To quickly skim through the message, slide your finger down from the top of the screen.
To scroll down the message, swipe up with two fingers. To scroll up, swipe down with two fingers.
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When you've finished reading the message, to return to the inbox, swipe left or right until you hear "Close button," and then double-tap the screen.
Reply to an email
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With the email open, swipe right until you hear "Reply options," double-tap the screen and do one of the following:
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To reply to just the original sender, swipe left or right until you hear "Reply button," and then double-tap the screen.
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If the message has multiple recipients and you want to reply to all, swipe left or right until you hear "Reply all button," and then double-tap the screen.
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A new email opens with the same subject and is set to reply to the sender or everyone included in the original email. The focus is on the body of the message. Double-tap the screen to activate the on-screen keyboard and type your message.
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When you've finished composing the message, swipe left until you hear "Send," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Sent, Outlook, keyboard hidden."
Forward an email
You can easily forward an email using TalkBack.
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With the email message open, swipe right until you hear "Reply options," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Forward," and double-tap the screen. A new email opens with the same subject.
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Swipe right until you hear "Edit box, To field," and double-tap the screen. Type the name of each recipient. The recipients are added automatically as you complete typing the email address or select it from the matching options available. You can add multiple recipients in the To field.
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To type a message, swipe right until you hear "Double-tap to edit," and then double-tap the screen. Type your message.
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When you've finished composing the message, swipe left until you hear "Send," and then double-tap the screen.
Work with Focused messages
Focus on the emails that matter most to you. By default, Outlook creates a Focused inbox and an Other inbox. Your most important emails are in the Focused inbox while the rest remain easily accessible, but out of the way, in the Other inbox.
By default, Outlook opens the Focused inbox. To switch to the Other inbox:
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Toggle to Other mails, switch," and then double-tap the screen.
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To move back to the Focused inbox, swipe left or right until you hear "Toggle to Focused inbox, switch," and double-tap the screen.
To move an email from the Other inbox to the Focused inbox:
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Navigate to the message you want to move, and then double-tap the screen. You hear "Selected," followed by the message details.
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Swipe left until you hear "More options button," and then double-tap screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Move to focused inbox, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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You hear an alert. Swipe right until you hear the option you want, and then double-tap the screen.
To disable the Focused inbox and work with a single list of messages:
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Swipe right until you hear "Open navigation drawer," and double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Settings," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Toggle the Focused inbox setting, On," and then double-tap the screen. Outlook now presents a single inbox.
Create and send email
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In the message list, swipe right until you hear "Compose button," and then double-tap the screen. The New message window opens.
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Swipe right until you hear "Edit box, To field," and double-tap the screen.
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Type the names or email addresses of the recipients. The list of matching contacts updates as you type.
Note: Depending on the device, you may have to swipe right until you hear "Search directory," and then double-tap the screen to look for a contact.
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To select a contact, swipe right until you hear the name you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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To send a copy of the message to other recipients, swipe right until you hear "Cc field," and then double-tap the screen. Add the recipients as instructed in the previous step.
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To send a hidden copy to other recipients, swipe right until you hear "Bcc field," double-tap the screen, and add the recipients.
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To add a subject for the email, swipe right. You hear: "Subject, edit box." Double-tap the screen, and type a subject.
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To type your message, swipe right. You hear: "Double-tap to edit text." Double-tap the screen, and type your message.
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When you've finished composing the message, swipe left until you hear "Send," and then double-tap the screen.
Use search and filter to find email
Waste no time excavating through lists or archives for that important email. Use search and filter to quickly find what you're looking for.
Search for an email
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In the message list, swipe right until you hear "Search, tab" and then double-tap the screen. The Search window opens.
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Swipe left until you hear "Search mail, events, contacts, files," and double-tap the screen. Start typing your search words. The search results list updates as you type.
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To browse through the search results, swipe right. TalkBack reads the details and the message as you move through the list.
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When you hear an email you want to open, double-tap the screen.
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To leave the list of search results, swipe left until you hear "Close button," and then double-tap the screen to return to the Search window.
Use a filter to find an email
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In the message list, swipe left or right until you hear "Filter button," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear the filtering option you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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To browse through the emails matching the filter, swipe right. TalkBack reads the message details as you move through the list.
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When you hear the email you want to open, double-tap the screen.
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To remove the filtering option, and review all emails in the message list, swipe left or right until you hear "Clear messages filter button," and then double-tap the screen.
Open or add attachments
You can open and add attachments in your emails in Outlook for Android.
Open an attachment
TalkBack announces if a received email has attachments.
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Open the email with one or more attachments.
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Swipe left until you hear the file type, name, and size, and then double-tap the screen. If you hear "Open with," swipe right until you hear the option you want, and then double-tap the screen to select.
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To open the attachment in the selected app, double-tap the screen.
Add an attachment
You can send files like resumes, photos, or meeting invitations as attachments.
Attach a file
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear "Attach files," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Choose from files."
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To add a file from Outlook, swipe right until you hear "Files," and then double-tap the screen. To add a file from your device, swipe right until you hear "Device," and then double-tap the screen.
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Browse to the file you want, and then double-tap the screen to select and attach it.
Attach a photo
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear: "Attach files."
To take a photo with the device camera to attach:
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Swipe right. You hear: "Take a photo, button."
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Double-tap the screen. The camera activates.
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Swipe right until you hear "Capture button," and then double-tap the screen. The photo is captured.
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Swipe right until you hear "Done button," and double-tap the screen.
To attach an image from Photos:
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Double-tap the screen, then swipe right until you hear "Choose from photo library," and then double-tap the screen.
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Browse to the image you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Depending on the device, you may need to browse to the location where the photo is saved first.
Attach a meeting invitation
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When you're composing a message, swipe right until you hear "Attach meeting," and then double-tap the screen.
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You hear: "Send availability." To send your first available time slot for a meeting, double-tap the screen.
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To create a new invitation, swipe right until you hear "Create an invitation," and then double-tap the screen. The Outlook Calendar opens. For instructions on how to create meeting invitations, refer to section "Schedule a new appointment or meeting" in Use a screen reader to schedule appointments or meetings in Outlook.
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When you're done scheduling the meeting, in the Calendar event window, swipe left or right until you hear "Done," and then double-tap the screen.
Play My Emails
With the Play My Emails (PME) feature, you can listen and respond to email messages while multitasking. It notifies you of changes in your schedule and any time-conflicts due to changes in meeting timings. Play My Emails reads out emails received within 72 hours by default. It reads out new emails with details of the sender, time, names of all the recipients, and included attachments. You can reply to, skip, flag, archive, or delete the email. Alternatively, you can tap the screen to mark an email as read or swipe to go to the next email.
You can activate the Play My Emails feature on your device with a Google voice command "Hey Google, Play My Emails in Outlook.” For more information and instructions on how to use Play My Emails, refer to Accessibility features in Play My Emails.
See also
Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook
Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in Outlook
Use a screen reader to schedule appointments or meetings in Outlook
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Outlook on the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to do the essential basic tasks with Mail. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can create and send new emails, read and reply to received emails, search, filter, and print emails, work with attachments, and more.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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We're currently updating Outlook.office.com (Outlook on the Web). Some people are already using the new Outlook, and for others the classic version will be the default experience until we complete the update. For more information, go to Get help with the new Outlook on the web. Since the instructions in this topic apply to the new experience, we recommend that you switch from the classic experience to the new Outlook. To switch to the new Outlook, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Command, Try the new Outlook," and then press Enter. If you hear "Command toolbar" instead of "Command, Try the new Outlook," you're already using the new Outlook.
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This topic assumes that the Reading pane is off.
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When you use Outlook on the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Outlook on the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Outlook on the web.
In this topic
Read and reply to or forward an email
Use your screen reader and keyboard shortcuts to read and respond to emails. You hear a sound when a new email has arrived.
Tip: It's easier to navigate the messages if you don't use the Conversation view. To turn it off, press Alt+Q, press the Tab key until you hear "Settings, button," and press Enter to open the Settings menu. Press the Tab key until you hear "Conversation view," followed by the currently selected option. If it's not "Off," press the Down arrow key until you hear "Selected, off," and press Esc to close the Settings menu.
Read an email
Navigate to an email in the message list in Mail, and hear your screen reader read the email and its details.
Note: The reading pane must be switched off before you follow these instructions. To confirm this, press Alt+Q, press the Tab key until you hear "Settings, button," and press Enter to open the Settings menu. Press the Tab key until you hear "Reading pane," followed by the currently selected option. If you hear "Show on the right" or "Show on the bottom," press the Down arrow key until you hear "Hide," and press Esc to close the Settings menu.
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In the Mail main view, press Ctrl+F6 or Shift+Ctrl+F6 until you hear “Message list, region landmark,” and press the Tab key until you hear "Message list," followed by the title of an email in your inbox.
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Press the Down or Up arrow key until you find the email you want, and then press Enter to open the message in the content pane.
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To read through the whole email, press the SR key+R. To stop reading, press Ctrl. To close the email and return to the message list, press Esc.
Reply to an email
Use your screen reader to promptly respond to your emails in Outlook on the web.
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In an email or when on an email on the message list, press Ctrl+R. If you want to reply to all, press Ctrl+Shift+R. You hear: "Message body, editing."
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Type your reply.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Forward an email
You can easily forward an email using keyboard shortcuts and your screen reader.
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In an email or when on an email on the message list, press Ctrl+Shift+F. You hear: "Content pane, edit." The focus is on the To field of the email.
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Type the name or email address of the recipient. When you start writing, Outlook on the web offers you matching suggestions. To browse the suggestions, press the Down arrow key. If you find the right persons among the suggestions, press Enter to add them to the To field.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Message body, editing," and then type your message.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Create and send an email
Let your screen reader help you create a new email and get your message out there.
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In the Mail main view, press Ctrl+N. You hear: "Content pane, edit." The focus is on the To field of the new email.
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Type the name or email address of the recipient. When you start writing, Outlook on the web offers you matching suggestions. To browse the suggestions, press the Down arrow key. If you find the right persons among the suggestion, press Enter to add them to the To field.
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If you want to send a copy of the email to someone, press the Tab key until you hear: "Editable combo box." Type the email address of the copy recipient.
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Press the Tab key. You hear: "Add a subject." Type a subject for the email.
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Press the Tab key. You hear: "Message body, editing."
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Type your message.
Tip: To move to the message formatting options, press the Tab key until you hear: "Formatting options." To move on the formatting options menu, press the Left or Right arrow keys. To select or to expand submenus, press Spacebar.
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To send the email, press Ctrl+Enter.
Use search and filter to find an email
Waste no time digging through lists or archives for that important email. Use search and filter to quickly find what you're looking for.
Search for an email
Use search to find specific emails in no time.
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In the Mail main view, press Alt+Q. You hear: "Search, edit."
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Type your search words, and then press Enter. The focus moves to a list of search results. You hear "Message list," followed by the number of found items.
Tip: You can search by email subject, sender, or date.
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To navigate between search results, press the Up or Down arrow key. You hear the results as you move in the list.
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To clear the search words and return to the Mail main view, press Shift+Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Banner, Search landmark," press the Tab key once so you hear "Exit search," and press Enter.
Tip: You can also use the Microsoft Edge search to find specific text in an open email. In any view in Mail, press F3. You hear: "Find in page," followed by the title of the open page. Type your search words and press Enter.
Filter your emails
To list your emails in a more purposeful way, you can filter or sort them, for example, by date, mentions, or sender.
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In the message list, press Shift+Tab until you hear: "Filter button." Press Spacebar to open the filter menu.
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To move in the menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the option you want to select. To expand menu options, press Spacebar. To select an option, press Spacebar.
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To remove a filter, in the message list, press Shift+Tab until you hear the current filter. Press Spacebar to remove the filter.
Download or add attachments
You can download and add attachments in your emails in Outlook on the web.
Download an attachment
When your screen reader reads an email in the message list and in the reading pane, you hear an announcement if the email contains attachments.
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In the reading pane, on the email, press the Tab key until you hear the attachment name.
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Press the Tab key once. You hear: "Download, button." Press Enter.
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When your screen reader announces a new notification, press Alt+N to move the focus there. Then press the Tab key or Shift+Tab to browse the options, and press Enter to make a selection.
Add an attachment
You can send files like resumes, newsletters, or cute kitty cat pics as copies or as OneDrive files.
Add a file from OneDrive
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When you're composing a new mail, press the Tab key until you hear "Attach, collapsed, menu item," and then press Spacebar to open the menu.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Browse cloud locations," and press Enter. The focus is on your OneDrive folder.
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In the file list, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the file name you want to attach. The file is automatically selected.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Next, button," and then press Enter. You hear: "Switch to tile view."
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To attach the file as a copy or share it as a OneDrive link, press the Tab key until you hear the option you want to select, and then press Enter.
Add a local file from your computer
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When you're composing a new mail, press the Tab key until you hear "Attach, collapsed, menu item," and then press Spacebar to open the menu. You hear: "Browse this computer." Press Spacebar. The Windows Open file dialog box opens.
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Use the Tab key and arrow keys to navigate to the file you want to attach, and press Enter.
Print an email
You can print your email on paper or to a file.
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In the message list, on the email you want to print, press Shift+F10 to open the context menu.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Print, menu item" and then press Enter. The print dialog box opens.
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In the dialog box, select printing options. To navigate between the options, press the Tab key. To expand option menus, press Spacebar. To select an option, press Enter.
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To print, press the Tab key until you hear "Print button," and then press Enter.
Use Dark mode
If you are viewing Outlook on the web in a dark room, using the Dark mode puts less strain on your eyes.
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In the Mail main view, press Alt+Q, press the Tab key until you hear "Settings, button," and press Enter to open the Settings menu.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Off, Dark mode," and press Enter to turn the mode on or off.
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To close the Settings menu, press Esc.
See also
Basic tasks using screen reader with email in Outlook for Mac
Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook
Basic tasks using a screen reader with the calendar in Outlook
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.