This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to move around and do basic tasks on the home page. 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.
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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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When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
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Some functionality in SharePoint in Microsoft 365 is introduced gradually to organizations that have opted in to the First Release program. Organizations that do not participate in the First Release program may see a different user interface than the one described in this topic.
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Select sites to follow
The Suggested group on the main page includes a list of sites recommended for you. From this list, you can select sites you want to add to the Following group in the left pane.
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On the SharePoint home page, press the Tab key until you reach the Suggested group. You hear: “Use the arrows to navigate to the Follow this site check box.”
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To move to a different suggested site, press the Right or Left arrow key.
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To move the focus to the Follow this site check box, press the Up or Down arrow key. You hear: “Follow site” followed by the name of the selected site; for example, “Follow site: Team site.”
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To select the Follow this site check box, press Spacebar.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore Following and Recent sites list in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to do basic tasks. 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'll learn how to open and sign in to SharePoint in Microsoft 365, search for and select sites you want to follow, create and remove document libraries or pages, and more.
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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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When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
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Open SharePoint Online
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Go to https://www.office.com.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Sign in to your account," and then press Enter. The Pick an account window opens.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the account or user name you want to use to sign in, and then press Enter. You hear: "Enter password."
If you don't hear the account you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Use another account, button" and then press Enter. Type the email or phone number of the account, and then press Enter.
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Type your password, and then press Enter. You hear: "Microsoft Office, home."
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To open SharePoint in Microsoft 365, press the Tab key until you hear "Go to SharePoint," and then press Enter. SharePoint in Microsoft 365 opens to the main view.
Search for sites, document libraries, or pages
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In the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 main view, press the Tab key until you hear: "Search box."
: To search the contents of a specific site only, you need to move to that site first.
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Start typing your search words, for example, the subject or theme of the site, document library, or page. The search results list is updated as you type.
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To navigate through the search results list, press the Up or Down arrow key. When you hear the site you want, press Enter.
Follow or unfollow a site
You can add interesting sites to your Following list and remove sites from the list when they are no longer needed.
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Do one of the following:
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To follow a site, in the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear "Follow this site, button, follow," and then press Spacebar.
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To unfollow a site, in the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear "Follow this site, button, stop following," and then press Spacebar.
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Create a new document library to a site
In a document library, you can store, for example, files related to a specific project or client. You and your co-workers can also work on the files together and access them from any device at any time.
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In the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear "New," and then press Enter. The menu item expands.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Document library," and then press Enter. You hear: "Dialog, Create a document library." The focus is in the Name text field.
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Type a name for the new document library.
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Press the Tab key. You hear: "Description."
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Type a description for the document library.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Create button," and then press Enter.
The new document library is now ready for you to start adding content to it. For instructions, go to Use a screen reader to create a new document in a document library in SharePoint Online, Use a screen reader to upload files to a document library in SharePoint Online, or Use a screen reader to create a folder in a document library in SharePoint Online.
Add a new page to a site
You can use a page to share ideas using, for example, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, images, and more.
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In the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear "New," and then press Enter. The menu item expands.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Page," and then press Enter. You hear: "Press Enter to change the page name and optionally the title background image."
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Type a title for the new page, and then press Esc.
You can now add content to your page. For instructions, go to Use a screen reader to add content and text to an accessible SharePoint page or Use a screen reader to add images and media to a SharePoint page.
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Do one of the following:
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To publish the new page, press the Tab key until you hear "Save and close," then press the Right arrow key until you hear "Publish," and then press Enter.
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To save and close the new page without publishing, press the Tab key until you hear "Save and close," and then press Enter. You can always publish the page later once you're ready.
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Delete a document library or page
To delete a document library or page permanently, you first need to move it to the Recycle bin, and then empty the Recycle bin.
Move a document library to the Recycle bin
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In the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear the current selection in the navigation pane or "Entering navigation control," followed by the current selection in the navigation pane.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Site contents," and then press Enter. The site contents page opens.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "List of contents within this site," and then press the SR key+Right or Left arrow key until you hear the document library you want to delete.
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To open the context menu, press Shift+F10. You hear: "Menu."
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In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Remove," and then press Enter. You hear: "Delete."
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To move the document library to the Recycle bin, press the Tab key until you hear "Delete button," and then press Enter.
Move a page to the Recycle bin
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In the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear the current selection in the navigation pane or "Entering navigation control," followed by the current selection in the navigation pane.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Pages," and then press Enter. The Site Pages page opens. The focus is on the first item in the list of pages.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the page you want to delete, and then press Shift+F10. The context menu opens. You hear: "Preview button." If you hear "Pop up, Select all," press Esc to move the focus to the correct context menu.
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In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete," and then press Enter. You hear: "Dialog, Delete," followed by the name of the page.
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To move the page to the Recycle bin, press the Tab key until you hear "Delete button," and then press Enter.
Empty the Recycle bin
Once you empty the Recycle bin, the items in it are deleted permanently.
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In the site home page, press the Tab key until you hear the current selection in the navigation pane or "Entering navigation control," followed by the current selection in the navigation pane.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Recycle bin,," and then press Enter. The Recycle bin page opens.
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To select all items in the Recycle bin, press the Tab key until you hear "Column headers," and then press Spacebar. You hear: "Checked."
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Press Shift+F10. The context menu opens. You hear: "Menu." If you hear "Pop up, Select all," press Esc to move the focus to the correct context menu.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear Delete," and then press Enter. You hear: "Dialog, delete."
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To delete all items in the Recycle bin permanently, press the Tab key until you hear "Delete button," and then press Enter.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a team or communication site in SharePoint
Use a screen reader to add images and media to a SharePoint page
Use a screen reader to add content and text to an accessible SharePoint page
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 app for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to do basic tasks. You can open and sign into the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 app, search for sites and people, work with files, and more.
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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 access SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with iOS, you must install and use the Microsoft SharePoint app from the App store.
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Open the app and a SharePoint site
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To open the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 app, navigate to the app on your phone, and then double-tap the screen.
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To sign in, swipe right until you hear “Sign in to SharePoint Online, button, “ and then double-tap the screen. You hear: “Text field, is editing, someone@example.com.” The focus moves to the user name text field.
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Double-tap the screen to activate the field, and then use the on-screen keyboard to type your Microsoft 365 user name.
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Next, button" and then double-tap the screen. You hear: “Cancel button.”
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Swipe right until you hear "Password, secure text field," and then double-tap the screen.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type your password.
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Swipe left until you hear "Sign in, button," and then double-tap the screen.
If you hear "SharePoint would like to send you notifications," swipe right until you hear the response you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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The focus moves to the Frequent list on the Sites tab. To open a site, slide one finger down the screen until you hear the name of the site you want, and then double-tap the screen.
Search for sites
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On the Sites tab, swipe left or right until you hear "Search, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type your search words. The list of search results is updated as you type.
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Swipe left or right to hear the search results.
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By default, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 only lists the most relevant results based on your search words. To hear the hidden results if there are any, keep swiping left or right until you hear "More results, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the selected search category, for example, "Selected, People pivot."
To go to the Sites category, swipe left or right until you hear "Sites pivot," and then double-tap the screen. Slide one finger down the screen to hear the extended search results.
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Once you hear the search result you want, double-tap the screen to go to the site.
Find people
You can use the People tab or Search to find people in SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Find a colleague
To quickly find a person you're working with, use the People tab.
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In a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 site, swipe right until you hear "People, tab," and then double-tap the screen. The People tab opens. People you work with are listed by default.
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To move through the list of contacts, swipe left or right until you hear the contact name.
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To open the person’s profile, double-tap the screen. You hear: “Back, button."
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Swipe right to move down in the list of details. You hear the details as specified for your organization, for example, a person's title, department, contact info, and the name of each file that the person has been recently working on.
Search for contacts
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On the Sites or People tab, swipe left or right until you hear "Search, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name of the contact. The list of search results is updated as you type.
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Swipe left or right to hear the search results.
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By default, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 only lists the most relevant results based on your search words. To hear the hidden results if there are any, keep swiping left or right until you hear "More results, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the selected search category, for example, "Selected, Sites pivot."
To go to the People category, swipe left or right until you hear "People pivot," and then double-tap the screen. Slide one finger down the screen to hear the extended search results.
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Once you hear the search result you want, double-tap the screen to go to the site.
Check the site activity details
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In a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 site, swipe left or right until you hear "Menu, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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In the menu, swipe left or right until you hear "Activity," and then double-tap the screen.
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In the site, swipe right until you hear: "Activity, section." By default, the Activity list includes the most recent activity.
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To move in the list, swipe left or right, or slide one finger down the screen. You hear the names of the files in the list and the dates when the files were modified or uploaded as you move through the list.
List and work with recent files
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In a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 site, swipe left or right until you hear “Menu, button,” and then double-tap the screen.
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In the menu, swipe left or right until you hear “Recent files,” and then double-tap the screen. You hear: “Recent files, Back button.”
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To move in the list of recent files, swipe left or right. VoiceOver announces the file names and when the files were modified or uploaded as you move through the list.
Open a recent file
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In the list of recent files, swipe left or right until you hear the file you want, and then double-tap the screen. The files open in the app in which it was created.
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To return to SharePoint in Microsoft 365, swipe left until you hear "Back button," and then double-tap the screen.
Check the details of a recent file
Install OneDrive on your phone and listen to VoiceOver read more detailed info about a file.
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In the list of recent files, swipe left or right until you hear the file you want, and then double-tap and hold. A context menu opens. You hear "Alert," followed by the name of the file.
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Swipe left or right until you hear "Details, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Back button." The focus moves to OneDrive.
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To move in the list of files, swipe left repeatedly. VoiceOver announces the file details as you move.
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To return to SharePoint in Microsoft 365, slide one finger across the top left corner of the screen until you hear "Return to SharePoint, button," and then double-tap the screen.
Browse all files in OneDrive
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In the list of recent files, swipe right until you hear "Open documents in OneDrive, button," and then double-tap the screen. The focus moves to OneDrive.
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To explore the list of files, slide one finger across the screen. VoiceOver announces the file names as you move through the list.
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To return to SharePoint in Microsoft 365, slide one finger across the top of the screen until you hear "Return to SharePoint, button," and then double-tap the screen.
Check your SharePoint Online profile
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In a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 site, swipe left or right until you hear "Me, tab," and then double-tap the screen. The Me tab opens.
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Swipe left until you hear "My profile, button," and then double-tap the screen. The profile page opens, and the focus moves to the Back button.
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Swipe right to move down in the list of profile details. VoiceOver announces the details as you move in the list.
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To return to the Me tab, swipe left until you hear "Back button," and then double-tap the screen.
Modify your account settings
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In a SharePoint in Microsoft 365 site, swipe left or right until you hear "Me, tab," and then double-tap the screen. The Me tab opens.
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Swipe or right until you hear "Settings, button," and then double-tap the screen. The Settings page opens, and the focus moves to the Back button.
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Swipe right to move down in the list of settings. VoiceOver announces each setting as you move in the list.
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To open and modify a setting, double-tap the screen.
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To navigate the options for the setting, swipe left or right until you hear the option you want. To activate an option or toggle a switch button, double-tap the screen.
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To save your changes and return to the Settings page, swipe left until you hear "Done, button," and then double-tap the screen.
See also
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
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.
