Use a screen reader to name a cell or data range in Excel
Applies ToExcel for Microsoft 365 Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac Excel 2024 Excel 2024 for Mac Excel 2021 Excel 2021 for Mac Excel 2019 Excel 2016

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 Excel with your keyboard and a screen reader to name cells and data ranges in a worksheet. 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 use the name in a formula and make your formula much easier to understand and maintain. 

Notes: 

Name a cell or a data range

  1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to name.

  2. Press Alt+M, M, D. With Narrator and NVDA, you hear: "New name window." With JAWS, you hear: "Name, colon, edit." The focus is on the Name: field.

  3. Type the cell or data range name.

    Note: The name needs to start with a letter or underscore and cannot contain spaces.

  4. Press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and then press Enter. The focus returns to the spreadsheet.

See also

Use a screen reader to sort or filter a table in Excel

Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet

Keyboard shortcuts in Excel

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Excel

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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