Use a screen reader to explore and navigate To Do
Applies ToMicrosoft To Do

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 To Do with your keyboard and a screen reader to explore and navigate the different views and move between them. 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.

In this topic

Navigate the To Do main view

The To Do main view has the following areas:

  • The sidebar menu on the left side of the screen, which includes the following elements:

    • The user menu button to access your account and the app settings.

    • The Search text field to search for tasks and lists.

    • The list of task lists containing the My Day, Important, Planned, Tasks, and any lists you have either activated or created yourself, followed by the New List button and the button for creating new groups.

  • The main content area, which contains the currently selected task list. When the focus is on a task in a list, and you press Enter, the task detail view opens to the right of the screen.

To move between the sidebar menu and the main content area, press F6.

To navigate within the main view, press the Tab key (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward). To navigate inside the sidebar menu, press the Up or Down arrow key.

Navigate to the To Do settings

  1. To access the To Do settings, press the Tab key until you hear "User menu button," and then press Enter.

  2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Settings," and then press Enter.

  3. To navigate the Settings window, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or the Down or Up arrow key.

  4. To exit the Settings window, press Shift+Tab or the Tab key until you hear "Go back button," and then press Enter.

Navigate the task list view

The main content area in the To Do main view contains the task list view which shows the tasks in the currently selected list, either a built-in list such as My Day, Important, Planned, or Tasks, or a list you have activated or created yourself. For more information on lists, refer to Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do.

The task list view in the main content area has the following elements:

  • The emoji button for adding or changing an emoji for a list (for user-created lists only).

  • The list name text field.

  • The Share list button (for user-created lists only).

  • The Keep on top button to pin the To Do app window to the top in every view.

  • The Suggestions button to open the Suggestions pane (for the My Day list only).

  • The List options button which lets you access additional options such as Rename list, Remove from group, and Delete list. The available options depend on the selected list.

  • The Completed button to show or hide completed tasks.

  • List of tasks, each task line starting with a Complete task radio button and ending in a Mark as important checkbox.

  • The Add a task text field.

To navigate between the elements, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. To navigate between tasks in a task list, press the Up or Down arrow key.

Navigate the detail view

  1. To open the detail view for a task, press Enter when the focus is on the task in the task list.

  2. To navigate in the detail view, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or the Up or Down arrow key.

  3. To exit the detail view, press the Tab key until you hear "Dismiss detail view," and then press Enter.

For more information about working with tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

Navigate the Suggestions pane

The Suggestions pane includes a list of suggested tasks you can add to the My Day list.

  1. To open the Suggestions pane, with the My Day list selected, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Suggestions, button," and then press Enter.

  2. To browse the list of suggestions, press the Up or Down arrow key.

  3. To exit the Suggestions pane, press Esc.

For more information on suggestions, refer to Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

Use a screen reader to move tasks between or within lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with multiple accounts in To Do

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use To Do for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to explore and navigate the different views and move between them.

  • 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 macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.

In this topic

Navigate the To Do main view

The To Do main view has the following elements:

  • The sidebar menu on the left side of the screen, which includes the following elements:

    • The user menu button to access your account and the app settings.

    • The Search text field to search for tasks and lists.

    • The list of task lists containing the My Day, Important, Planned, Tasks, and any lists you have either activated or created yourself, followed by the New List button and the button for creating new groups.

  • The main content area, which contains the currently selected task list. When the focus is on a task in a list, and you press Return, the task detail view opens to the right of the screen.

To navigate between the elements in the main view, press the Tab key (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward).

Navigate the list of task lists in the sidebar menu

  1. To move the focus to the list of task lists, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear: "Entering lists table, lists table."

  2. To enter the list, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key. You hear: "In lists table."

  3. To browse the available tasks lists, press the Up or Down arrow key.

  4. To exit the list, press Control+Option+Shift+Up arrow key. You hear: "Out of lists table."

Navigate to the To Do settings

  1. To access the To Do settings, press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Photo of you," followed by your username, and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. The menu is expanded, and the focus is on the Preferences button.

  2.  To open the app preferences dialog box, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

  3. To navigate the app preferences dialog box, press the Tab key, Shift+Tab, or the Right or Left arrow key.

  4. To exit the app preferences dialog box, press Command+W.

Navigate the task list view, tasks table, and a task row

Learn how to navigate the task list view and how to move around within the tasks table and each task row.

Navigate the task list view

The main content area in the To Do main view contains the task list view which shows the tasks in the currently selected list, either a built-in list such as My Day, Important, Planned, or Tasks, or a list you have activated or created yourself. For more information on lists, refer to Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do.

A task list view in the main content area has the following elements:

  • The list name text field.

  • The Share list button (for user-created lists only).

  • The Suggestions button to open the Suggestions pane (for the My Day list only).

  • The List options button which lets you access additional options such as Rename list, Remove from group, and Delete list. The available options depend on the selected list.

  • The tasks table showing all tasks in the selected list, each task row starting with a Complete task radio button and ending in a Mark as important checkbox.

  • The Add a task text field.

To navigate between the elements in the task list view, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

Navigate the tasks table and within a task row

  1. To enter the tasks table, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key.

  2. To navigate between tasks in a task list, press the Up or Down arrow key. When the focus is on a task, the detail view of the task is displayed automatically.

  3. To enter a single task row in the task table, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key. Now you can, for example, mark the task as completed or important.

  4. To exit a task row or a task table, press Control+Option+Shift+Up arrow key.

Navigate the detail view

The detail view for a task is displayed on the right side of the screen automatically when the focus is on the task.

  1. To move the focus from the task to the detail view, press the Tab key until you hear "Complete task" or "Uncomplete task," followed by the task name.

  2. To navigate in the detail view, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

  3. To exit the detail view, press the Tab key until you hear "Dismiss detail view button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.

For more information on working with tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

Navigate in the suggestions pane

The suggestions pane includes a list of suggested tasks you can add to the My Day list.

  1. To open the suggestions pane, with the My Day list selected, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Suggestions, collapsed, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. The suggestions pane opens to the right of the screen and the focus moves to the pane.

  2. To enter the list of suggestions, press Control+Option+Shift+Down arrow key.

  3. To browse the suggestions, use the Up and Down arrow keys.

  4. To exit the suggestions pane, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Suggestions, expanded, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

For more information on suggestions, refer to Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

See also

Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

Use a screen reader to move tasks between or within lists in To Do

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use To Do for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to explore and navigate the different views and move between them.

  • 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

Navigate the My Day view

When you open To Do for the first time, the My Day view is displayed. To navigate between elements in the My Day view, swipe right or left until you hear the element you want, and then double-tap the screen to select it.

To access To Do settings, swipe left until you hear your name, followed by "Opens your account settings," then double-tap the screen. To exit the Settings view, swipe left or right until you hear "Done," and double-tap the screen.

Navigate the suggestions view

To go to the suggestions view, in the My Day view, swipe left or right until you hear "Access suggested tasks via suggestions," and then double-tap the screen. To move in the list of suggestions, swipe left or right. VoiceOver announces the status of each item on the list. To exit the suggestions view, swipe left until you hear "Done," and double-tap the screen. For more info on what you can do with suggestions, refer to Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do.

Navigate the sidebar view

To navigate to the sidebar view, in the My Day or task list view, swipe left until you hear "Sidebar," and then double-tap the screen. A menu displaying all your task lists opens. To move in the menu, swipe left or right. To select a list, double-tap the screen. To add a new list, swipe right until you hear "New list," and then double-tap the screen. To learn more about lists, refer to Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do.

Navigate the task list view

To navigate to the task list view, in the sidebar view, swipe left or right until you hear the name of the task list you want to edit and then double-tap the screen.

To move through the tasks in the task list, swipe left or right. VoiceOver announces the tasks and their statuses. To open the detail view of a task, double-tap the screen. To navigate the detail view, swipe left or right until you hear what you want, then double-tap the screen. To exit the detail view, swipe left until you hear "Dismiss detail view," and double-tap the screen. To learn more about tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

Use a screen reader to move tasks between or within lists in To Do

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use To Do for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to explore and navigate the different views and move between them.

  • 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 Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.

In this topic

Navigate the My Day view

When you open To Do for the first time, the My Day view is displayed. To navigate between elements in the My Day view, swipe right or left until you hear the element you want, and then double-tap the screen to select it.

Navigate the suggestions view

To go to the suggestions view, swipe left or right until you hear "For today," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Suggestions." To move in the list of suggestions, swipe left or right. TalkBack announces the status of each item on the list. For more info on what you can do with suggestions, refer to Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do.

Navigate the sidebar view

To navigate to the sidebar view, in the My Day or task list view, swipe left until you hear "Sidebar," and then double-tap the screen. A menu displaying all your task lists opens. To move in the menu, swipe left or right. To select a list, double-tap the screen. To add a new list, swipe right until you hear "New list" and then double-tap the screen. To learn more about lists, refer to Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do.

To access To Do settings, swipe right in the sidebar until you hear the currently selected user account, then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Manage accounts and go to settings." Swipe right until you hear "Settings," and double-tap the screen. To exit the Settings view, swipe left or right until you hear "Navigate up," and double-tap the screen.

Navigate the task list view

To navigate to the task list view, in the sidebar view, swipe left or right until you hear the list you want to edit and then double-tap the screen.

To move through the tasks in the task list, swipe left or right. TalkBack announces the tasks and their statuses. To open the detail view of a task, double-tap the screen. To navigate the detail view, swipe left or right. To exit the detail view, swipe left until you hear "Dismiss detail view, and double-tap the screen." To learn more about tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

Use a screen reader to move tasks between or within lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with multiple accounts in To Do

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use To Do for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to explore and navigate the different views and move between them. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

  • 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.

  • When you use To Do for the web with Narrator, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser.

  • When you use To Do for the web with a screen reader, switch to focus navigation.

In this topic

Navigate the To Do for the web main view

To cycle between the areas in the To Do for the web main view, press the Tab key (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward).

The To Do for the web main view has the following areas:

  • The title banner at the top of the screen, which contains the App Launcher button for launching other applications, the Search text field, and buttons for accessing the app settings, help, and your account info. You hear "Banner, App launcher" when the focus is on the title banner. To navigate the title banner, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

  • The lists menu on the left side of the screen. To navigate inside the lists menu, press the Up or Down arrow key. The sidebar includes the following elements:

    • The Lists menu button for showing or hiding the lists menu.

    • The list of task lists containing the My DayImportantPlannedTasks, and any lists you have either activated or created yourself.

    • The New list button and the button for creating new groups.

    • The navigation bar at the bottom of the sidebar menu with buttons to switch between the Outlook on the web Mail, Calendar, and People views and To Do for the web app.

  • The main content area, which contains the task list view and shows the tasks in the currently selected task list. When the focus is on a task in a list, and you press Enter, the task detail view opens to the right of the screen.

Navigate to the To Do for the web settings

  1. To access To Do settings, press the Tab key until you hear "Settings button," and then press Enter.

  2. Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Outlook, link, To Do settings," and then press Enter. The Settings window opens.

  3. To navigate within the Settings window, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

  4. To exit the Settings window and return to the To Do main view, press Esc.

Navigate the task list view

The main content area in the To Do for the web main view contains the task list view which shows the tasks in the currently selected list, either a built-in list such as My DayImportantPlanned, or Tasks, or a list you have activated or created yourself. For more information on lists, refer to Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do.

The task list view in the main content area has the following elements:

  • The list name text field.

  • The List options button which lets you access additional options such as Rename listRemove from group, and Delete list. The available options depend on the selected list.

  • The Sort button for sorting the tasks based on, for example, importance or due date.

  • The Suggestions button to open the Suggestions pane (for the My Day list only).

  • The Share button (for user-created lists only).

  • The Add a task text field.

  • The Completed button to show or hide completed tasks.

  • List of tasks, each task line starting with a Complete task radio button and ending in a Mark as important checkbox.

To navigate between the elements in the task list view, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

Navigate to a task

  1. To navigate to the task list you want to edit in the task list view, press the Tab key until you hear "Lists," followed by the name of the currently selected task list. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the name of the task list you want, and then press Enter. The task list opens in the task list view. The focus moves to the Add a task text field.

  2. To navigate through the list, press the Tab key. Your screen reader announces the items on the list and their statuses.

To learn how to open the detail view of a task, refer to Navigate the detail view.

To learn more about tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

Navigate the detail view

In the detail view, you can, for example, set reminders or write notes to a task. 

  1. In the task list view, to open the detail view of a task, press the Tab key until you hear "Task," followed by the name of the task you want, and then "Button." Press Enter. The detail view opens on the right side of the screen. You hear "Details for task," followed by the name of the task. The focus moves to the detail view.

  2. To move between the fields in the detail view, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab.

  3. To close the detail view, press Esc.

To learn more about tasks, refer to Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do.

Navigate the Suggestions pane

The Suggestions pane includes a list of suggested tasks you can add to the My Day list.

  1. The Suggestions pane opens automatically when you navigate to and select the My Day list. If you've closed the pane with the focus on the My Day list, to open it again, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Suggestions, button," and then press Enter.

  2. To move the focus to the Suggestions pane, press the Tab key until you hear: "This is a list of tasks you've created that you can mark as complete or add to My Day."

  3. To browse the list of suggestions, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. Your screen reader announces the status of each item on the list.

  4. To exit the Suggestions pane, press Esc.

For more info on what you can do with suggestions, refer to Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do.

See also

Use a screen reader to work with lists in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with tasks in To Do

Use a screen reader to add steps and set importance to a task in To Do

Use a screen reader to work with suggestions in To Do

Use a screen reader to move tasks between or within lists in To Do

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.

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