The Movies & TV app works with Narrator, a built-in screen reader that reads text on your screen aloud and describes events, so you can use your PC with partial or no vision. There are also keyboard shortcuts to help you do common actions.
In this topic
Start Narrator
Press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter to start Narrator. Press these keys again to stop Narrator. On many keyboards, the Windows logo key is located on the bottom row of keys, to the left or right of the Alt key.
For more info about how to use Narrator in Windows, see Complete guide to Narrator.
Download and open the Movies & TV app
The Movies & TV app is available for free on the Microsoft Store. To download the app, press the Tab key until you hear "Search," then enter Movies & TV into the Search field, and press Enter. When the search has returned suggestions, press the down arrow key until you hear "Movies & TV, app," and press Enter to go to the app page. Press the Tab key until you hear "Download," and press Enter.
To open Movies & TV, press the Windows logo key , type "movies & TV," and then press Enter. To close the app, press Alt + F4.
Landmarks
The Movies & TV app contains the following landmarks:
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Navigation for main app areas. There are three main app areas: The first is Explore, where you can shop for new movies and TV shows to buy or rent from the Microsoft Store; second is Purchases, a place to find movies or TV shows you've already bought or rented; third is Personal, which allows you to browse personal videos you've stored on your device.
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Search box. The search box lets you search your collection or the Microsoft Store for content.
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Sign in. Use this to sign in to your Microsoft account.
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Store. Use this to shop for more content in the Microsoft Store.
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More. Open a menu for more options.
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Main. This is the main content area, where you can explore new movies and TV shows that you buy or rent in the Microsoft Store, content you've already purchased, or your personal videos.
Keyboard shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are available in the app.
|
Press this key |
To do this |
|---|---|
|
Ctrl + Q |
Move focus to the Search box |
|
Shift + F10 |
Open a context menu (when available), such as when focus is on a content item in the Movie gallery |
|
Alt + Enter |
Enter full-screen mode (when watching a video) |
|
Esc |
Leave full-screen mode (when watching a video) |
|
Enter |
Select something that's in focus |
|
Spacebar or Ctrl + P |
Play or pause (when watching a video) |
|
Alt + Left arrow key or Backspace |
Go back |
|
Ctrl + T |
Turn repeat on or off (when watching a video) |
|
F7 |
Mute the sound (when watching a video) |
|
F8 |
Volume down (when watching a video) |
|
F9 |
Volume up (when watching a video) |
Common tasks
Find a movie, TV show, or personal video and start playing it
Press the Tab key or Shift + Tab to navigate to the Search box, and then type the name of the movie or TV show you want and press Enter to search. Search results for videos you already own or have rented will be displayed first. To see results for content that you can rent or buy from the Microsoft Store, press Shift + Tab and then Enter. Then use the arrow keys to browse through the search results.
When you find the title you want, press Enter to select it.
-
If the selected item is a personal video, it'll start playing immediately.
-
For commercial movies that you own, use the Tab key to move to the Play button, and then press Enter or Spacebar to start playing.
-
For a TV series that you own, focus is on the Play button for the first episode in the series, or the first episode that you have not watched yet. If you'd like a different episode, use the Tab key to move to the Episodes list, and then use the down arrow key to move to the episode you want. Then press the Tab key to get to the Play button, and press Enter.
-
For a movie or TV show that you have to buy or rent first, pressing Enter opens that title in the Microsoft Store. Follow the instructions to buy or rent it. When you complete the transaction, the Buy or Rent button will change to Play or Owned. Make sure that a button is selected and press Enter to switch the focus back to the Movies & TV app. If necessary, use the Tab key to move to the Play button, and then press Enter.
Control video playback
When your video is playing, here is how to control playback.
-
To pause or play the video, press Spacebar.
-
To skip forward 30 seconds, starting at the Play or Pause button, press the Tab key to get to the Skip forward button, then press Enter.
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To skip backward 30 seconds, starting at the Play or Pause button, press Shift + Tab to arrive at the Skip back button, then press Enter.
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To change audio or closed caption options, starting at the Play or Pause button, press Shift + Tab twice to get to Show menu for subtitles and audio, then press Enter. Use the arrow keys and Enter to choose the options you want.
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To mute the volume, press F7.
-
To turn the volume down, press F8.
-
To turn the volume up, press F9.
Turn on closed captions
Subtitles or closed captions are available for most movies and TV shows. Here's how to turn them on.
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After you open a video and start playing it, select Pause or press Spacebar to pause it.
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Press Shift + Tab twice to get to the Show menu for subtitles and audio button, press Enter, and then use the up or down arrow keys to select a language, and press Enter.
-
Press Spacebar to resume the video, now with closed captions.
-
To change the appearance of closed captions to make them easier to read:
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Press the Windows logo key + U to open Accessibility settings.
-
Press the Tab key once to get to Narrator 1 of 7, then press the down arrow key three times to get to Closed captions, and then press Enter.
-
Select the option you want from each of the eight drop-down menus. For example, you might change the Caption color to yellow, and the Background color that appears behind closed captions to black.
-
For support for Narrator or other Microsoft assistive technology, contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.
In this topic
Start Narrator
Press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter to start Narrator. Press these keys again to stop Narrator. On many keyboards, the Windows logo key is located on the bottom row of keys, to the left or right of the Alt key.
For more info about how to use Narrator in Windows, see Complete guide to Narrator.
Download and open the app
The Movies & TV app is available for free on the Microsoft Store. To download the app, press the Tab key until you hear "Search," then press Enter and enter Movies & TV into the Search field. Then press the down arrow key until you hear "Movies & TV, app," and press Enter to go to the app page. Press the Tab key until you hear "Download," and press Enter.
To open Movies & TV, press the Windows logo key , type "movies & TV," and then press Enter. To close the app, press Alt + F4.
Landmarks
The Movies & TV app contains the following landmarks:
-
Navigation for main app areas. There are three main app areas: The first is Explore, where you can shop for new movies and TV shows to buy or rent from the Microsoft Store; second is Purchases, a place to find movies or TV shows you've already bought or rented; third is Personal, which allows you to browse personal videos you've stored on your device.
-
Search box. The search box lets you search your collection or the Microsoft Store for content.
-
Sign in. Use this to sign in to your Microsoft account.
-
Store. Use this to shop for more content in the Microsoft Store.
-
More. Open a menu for more options.
-
Main. This is the main content area, where you can explore new movies and TV shows that you buy or rent in the Microsoft Store, content you've already purchased, or your personal videos.
Keyboard shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are available in the app.
|
Press this key |
To do this |
|---|---|
|
Ctrl + Q |
Move focus to the Search box |
|
Shift + F10 |
Open a context menu (when available), such as when focus is on a content item in the Movie gallery |
|
Alt + Enter |
Enter full-screen mode (when watching a video) |
|
Esc |
Leave full-screen mode (when watching a video) |
|
Enter |
Select something that's in focus |
|
Spacebar or Ctrl + P |
Play or pause (when watching a video) |
|
Alt + Left arrow key or Backspace |
Go back |
|
Ctrl + T |
Turn repeat on or off (when watching a video) |
|
F7 |
Mute the sound (when watching a video) |
|
F8 |
Volume down (when watching a video) |
|
F9 |
Volume up (when watching a video) |
Common tasks
Find a movie, TV show, or personal video and start playing it
Press the Tab key or Shift + Tab to navigate to the Search box, and then type the name of the movie or TV show you want and press Enter to search. Search results for videos you already own or have rented will be displayed first. To see results for content that you can rent or buy from the Microsoft Store, press Shift + Tab and then Enter. Then use the arrow keys to browse through the search results.
When you find the title you want, press Enter to select it.
-
If the selected item is a personal video, it'll start playing immediately.
-
For commercial movies that you own, use the Tab key to move to the Play button, and then press Enter or Spacebar to start playing.
-
For a TV series that you own, focus is on the Play button for the first episode in the series, or the first episode that you have not watched yet. If you'd like a different episode, use the Tab key to move to the Episodes list, and then use the down arrow key to move to the episode you want. Then press the Tab key to get to the Play button, and press Enter.
-
For a movie or TV show that you have to buy or rent first, pressing Enter opens that title in the Microsoft Store. Follow the instructions to buy or rent it. When you complete the transaction, the Buy or Rent button will change to Play or Owned. Make sure that a button is selected and press Enter to switch the focus back to the Movies & TV app. If necessary, use the Tab key to move to the Play button, and then press Enter.
Control video playback
When your video is playing, here is how to control playback.
-
To pause or play the video, press Spacebar.
-
To skip forward 30 seconds, starting at the Play or Pause button, press the Tab key to get to the Skip forward button, then press Enter.
-
To skip backward 30 seconds, starting at the Play or Pause button, press Shift + Tab to arrive at the Skip back button, then press Enter.
-
To change audio or closed caption options, starting at the Play or Pause button, press Shift + Tab twice to get to Show menu for subtitles and audio, then press Enter. Use the arrow keys and Enter to choose the options you want.
-
To mute the volume, press F7.
-
To turn the volume down, press F8.
-
To turn the volume up, press F9.
Turn on closed captions
Subtitles or closed captions are available for most movies and TV shows. Here's how to turn them on.
-
After you open a video and start playing it, select Pause or press Spacebar to pause it.
-
Press Shift + the Tab key twice to get to the Show menu for subtitles and audio button, press Enter, and then use the up or down arrow keys to select a language, and press Enter.
-
Press the Spacebar to resume the video, now with closed captions.
-
To change the appearance of closed captions to make them easier to read:
-
Press the Windows logo key + U to open Ease of Access settings.
-
Press the Tab key once to get to Narrator 1 of 7, then press the down arrow key three times to get to Closed captions, and then press Enter.
-
Select the option you want from each of the eight drop-down menus. For example, you might change the Caption color to yellow, and the Background color that appears behind closed captions to black.
-
For support for Narrator or other Microsoft assistive technology, contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.
