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 Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to search for posts, persons, and files. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
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.
Search for a conversation, person, or file
You can quickly search for a message, contact, or file.
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To go to the Search box, press Ctrl+E.
Note: For JAWS Spanish users, Ctrl+E is a JAWS command for selecting content, so this keyboard shortcut does not work as expected. In this case, you can navigate to the Search box by pressing Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Look for messages, files and more."
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Do one of the following:
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To search for a conversation or a contact, type your search words. The search results list is updated as you type.
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To search for a file, type /file and press Enter. The list of files opens. To narrow down the number of results, start typing the name of the file.
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To move in the search results list, press the Up or Down arrow key. The screen reader announces the search result details.
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To select a search result, press Enter.
See also
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to check recent activity in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in Mac OS screen reader, to search for messages, persons, and files in the Microsoft Teams on Mac team collaboration app. The search results are distributed onto the Messages, People, and Files tabs and sub-tabs, if applicable.
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 macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
Use a screen reader to search for a conversation, person, or file
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To go to the Search box, press Option+E.
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Type your search words and press Enter.
You hear the number of matches, and the name of the currently selected tab or sub-tab.
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To navigate between the tabs or sub-tabs, press the Left or Right arrow keys. To select a tab, press Enter.
To navigate back up to a main tab from a sub-tab, press Shift+Tab.
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To navigate to the list of search results, press Tab until you hear the first result.
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To move in the search results list, press the Right or Left arrow key. VoiceOver announces the message, person, or file details as you reach them.
Tip: To filter the search results, press Tab until you hear: "Filter," and then press Enter. To navigate the fields in the dialog that opens, press Tab or Shift+Tab. To expand a list for selecting an option, press Spacebar. To select an option, press Enter. When you're done, press Tab until VoiceOver announces: "Filter." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to select the button and apply the filtering criteria.
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To further explore an individual search result:
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On the Messages tab, press Enter on a search result to open the conversation containing the search result in the main view.
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On the People tab, press Enter on a search result to open the person's page in the main view.
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On the Files tab, press Enter to open the file. Depending on the file, it can open, for example, in the Microsoft Teams File Viewer or in the default browser.
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See also
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to check recent activity in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to search for posts, persons, and files in the Microsoft Teams for iOS team collaboration app. In Microsoft Teams for iOS, the whole team can work together in real time using team channels for posts, file sharing, 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.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
Use a screen reader to search for a conversation, person, or file
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Swipe left until you hear "Search," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Search field."
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Swipe right until you hear the first character on the on-screen keyboard.
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To type your search words, slide one finger on the keyboard until you hear the character you want, and then double-tap the screen. The character is added in the Search field.
Note: To search for files, type the word "file" in the Search field.
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The search starts automatically as you type. Search results are displayed on two tabs: Messages and People.
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To check the search results on the Messages tab, which is displayed at the top, swipe right until you hear the first result. VoiceOver reads the contents and details of the message. To open the whole conversation, double-tap the screen.
The Messages tab lists the search results for files as well.
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To check the search results on the People tab, swipe left or right until you hear "People," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear the first result.
VoiceOver reads the contact name, availability status, and email address. To go to the contact details, double-tap the screen.
See also
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to search for posts, persons, and files in the Microsoft Teams for Android team collaboration app. In Microsoft Teams for Android, the whole team can work together in real time using team channels for posts, file sharing, 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.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
Search for a conversation, person, or file
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Swipe right until you hear "Search," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Search open."
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Use the on-screen keyboard to type your search word.
Note: To search for files, type the word "file" in the Search field.
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The search starts automatically as you type. Search results are displayed on two tabs: Messages and People.
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To check the search results on the Messages tab, swipe right until you hear the first result. If the first result is not the one you seek, keep swiping right. To open the whole conversation, double-tap the screen.
Note: The Messages tab also lists the search results for files.
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To check the search results on the People tab, after typing your search word, swipe right until you hear "People tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear the first result. If the first result is not the one you seek, keep swiping right. To go to the contact details, double-tap the screen.
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To close the search and return to the view you were in, swipe down-then-left twice.
See also
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Teams on the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to search for posts, persons, and files. 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.
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.
Search for a conversation, person, or file
-
To go to the Search field, press Ctrl+E.
Note: For JAWS Spanish users, Ctrl+E is a JAWS command for selecting content, so this keyboard shortcut does not work as expected. In this case, you can navigate to the Search box by pressing Ctrl+F6 until you hear: "Look for messages, files and more."
-
Do one of the following:
-
To search for a conversation or a contact, type your search words. The search results list is updated as you type.
-
To search for a file, type /file and press Enter. The list of files opens. To narrow down the number of results, start typing the name of the file.
-
-
To move in the search results list, press the Up or Down arrow key. The screen reader announces the search result details.
-
To select a search result, press Enter.
See more
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to check recent activity in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
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.
