Some of the commands in this guide will not work in the laptop keyboard layout. Most of the commands that use the numeric keypad (which may not be present on a laptop) go beyond the basic commands required for screen reader testing.

Choose the desktop (default) Keyboard Layout, even if you are using a laptop.

When NVDA runs for the first time, a dialog appears with a few options. Once you have NVDA downloaded and installed, you can start running the program by holding Ctrl + Alt + N. During installation, keep the option to create a desktop shortcut selected but uncheck the option to start NVDA automatically when logging in to your computer. You can download NVDA for free (Windows only).

Remember that many screen reader users do not use a mouse, so try using only the keyboard as you become more comfortable with NVDA. Slow down the reading speed and take your time. Don't get discouraged if things still seem confusing after only a few minutes. If you are new to screen readers, plan on spending some time (perhaps a few hours) becoming comfortable using NVDA. For a more detailed information on using NVDA, see our list of NVDA keyboard shortcuts or the NVDA User Guide. This article is designed to help new or novice NVDA users learn how to test web content. NVDA is a free screen reader for Windows computers.

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