JAWS Screen Reader for Windows:
Included in this website page are the following sections. About JAWS Screen Reader. Shared Licenses. Online Resources to Learn JAWS. The JAWS Menu. Changing the JAWS Voice. Using JAWS with Vision. Managing your JAWS Account. JAWS Key Commands. Turn JAWS on or off. Open the JAWS Menu. Basic JAWS Key Commands. Managing Windows with JAWS. Managing Internet Browser Tabs with JAWS. Navigating the Internet Browser with JAWS. Editing Text with JAWS. Reading Text with JAWS. JAWS OCR Key Commands. End of list. Last Updated February 16th, 2026.
About JAWS Screen Reader:
Job Access with Speech (JAWS) is a screen reader software for Windows computers from a manufacturer called Freedom Scientific. JAWS can be used with JAWS keyboard commands, Windows keyboard commands, and hearing what the mouse pointer is on. For the Home Annual License (U.S. only) of JAWS, the cost is $104.50 per year. The annual license is automatically renewed and is managed using the Vispero Portal. Free alternative screen readers include the built-in screen reader Narrator and Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA).
Shared Licenses:
Some jobs and schools have shared licenses that individuals can use.
Online Resources to Learn JAWS Screen Reader:
The JAWS Menu:
The JAWS Menu is used to change the JAWS settings.
Changing the JAWS Voice:
To change the JAWS voice, open the JAWS Menu then go to the Options section, then go to the Voices section, and then select Voice Adjustment. From this menu, you can change the speaking volume and speaking rate.
To add or remove a voice profile, go to Add / Remove Voices in the Voices section. From this menu, you can change the language, add new voice profiles, and delete voice profiles.
To add a new voice profile, use the Space key to select a voice then move to the Play Sample button, and then move to the Install Selected Voices button. To remove a voice profile, go to the Remove a Voice button. To start using a newly selected voice profile, go to the Select a Voice Profile section of the Voices section.
Using JAWS with Vision:
Enhancing visual aspects such as colors and mouse size as well as using the Magnifier Feature may help those with low vision see details on the screen and while hearing them read aloud with JAWS. A visual highlight can also be added by opening the JAWS Menu, then going to Utilities, then going to Settings Center, and then going to Visual Tracking. The level of visibility of the visual highlight can be adjusted including multiple color options to find the ideal high contrast color.
Managing your JAWS Account:
Check for software updates by going to the JAWS Toolbar, select Help, and then select Check for Updates. If a new JAWS version is available, it will be added as a new icon on the desktop.
JAWS Key Commands:
JAWS has two main keyboard layout options, desktop and laptop. JAWS is in desktop layout by default. To change the keyboard layout, go to the JAWS Menu then select Options then select Basics.
Turn JAWS on or off:
To turn on JAWS with the desktop keyboard from the desktop, type Insert, then the letter J, and then Enter.
To turn on JAWS with the laptop keyboard from the desktop, type CapsLock, then Control, then Shift, then the letter J, and then Enter.
Alternatively you can type Windows, spell out J-A-W-S, and type Enter.
To have JAWS automatically start before or after logging in, go to the JAWS Menu, then select Options, then select Basics, and Select Automatically Start JAWS.
To turn off JAWS with a desktop keyboard from the desktop, type Insert, then F4, and then Enter.
To turn off JAWS with the laptop keyboard from the desktop, type CapsLock, then F4, and then Enter.
Open the JAWS Menu:
To open the JAWS Menu with the desktop keyboard, type Insert, then the letter J. Then type Alt to navigate to the JAWS Menu bar.
To open the JAWS Menu with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock, then Control, then Shift, then the letter J. Then type Alt to navigate to the JAWS Menu bar.
Basic JAWS Key Commands:
Use the arrow keys and the Tab key to move around the screen.
Use the Control Key with the arrow keys to move word-by-word or section-by-section.
To select something, type Enter.
Type Control to pause speech.
To go back to the desktop, type Windows then the letter D.
To go to the taskbar items at the bottom of the screen, type Windows then the letter T.
To go to the system tray located at the bottom right corner of the screen, type Windows then the letter B.
To hear the time with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then F12. To hear the time with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then F12.
To hear the date with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then F12 two times quickly. To hear the date with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then F12 two times quickly.
To hear the battery percentage with the desktop keyboard, type Insert, then Shift, then the letter B. To hear the battery percentage with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock, then Shift, then the letter B.
Managing Windows with JAWS:
Switch between open windows such as the JAWS Menu and Google Chrome, press and hold the Alt key then press the Tab key.
To minimize a window, type Windows then down arrow key. To fully minimize the window, type Windows then down arrow key again.
To maximize a window, type Windows then up arrow key.
To close a window, type Control then letter W.
Managing Internet Browser Tabs with JAWS:
To hear the tab title with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then the letter T. To hear the tab title with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter T.
To hear the address bar, type Insert then the letter A.
To open a new tab, type Control then the letter T key.
To switch between open tabs, type Control then Tab.
Close current tab, type Control then the letter W.
To close all open tabs, type Alt then F4.
To go back to the last website page, type Alt then the left arrow key.
To go forward a website page, type Alt then the right arrow key.
To refresh a website page, type F5.
To bookmark a website page, type Control then the letter D key.
Navigating the Internet Browser with JAWS:
To go to the address bar, type Control then the letter L key.
To go to the main region of a website page, type Shift then letter Q key.
To go to the next region of a website page, type Shift then letter R key.
To go to the bookmark manager, type Control, then Shift, then the letter O key.
To go to downloads, type Control then the letter J key.
To go to the Google Chrome Menu or Microsoft Edge Menu, type Alt then the letter F key.
Editing Text with JAWS:
To move to the next available edit text location such as a search feature, type Shift then the letter E key.
To delete the character to the left of the text cursor, type Backspace.
To delete the character to the right of the text cursor, type Delete.
To copy the highlighted text, type Control then the letter C key.
To paste the last item from the clipboard, type Control then the letter V key.
To open the Clipboard Menu, type Windows then the letter V key.
To paste the text as plain text, type Control, then Shift, then the letter V key.
To apply the bold format to highlighted text, type Control then the letter B key.
To find text, type Control then the letter F key.
To find and replace text, type Control then the letter H key.
To highlight all text, type Control then the letter A key.
To highlight one character at a time, hold down the Shift key and use the left or right arrow key.
To highlight one word at a time, hold down the Shift key and the Control key then use the left or right arrow key.
To move the text cursor to in front of the first character, type the Home key.
To move the text cursor to after the last character, type the End key.
To highlight one section such as a paragraph at a time, place the text cursor in front of the first character or after the last character. Hold down the Shift key and the Control key then use the up or down arrow key.
To highlight the current text line from the beginning, place the text cursor in front of the first character then hold down the Shift key and type the End key.
To highlight the current text line from the end, place the text cursor after the last character then hold down the Shift key and type the Home key.
Reading Text with JAWS:
To read word-by-word or section by section, type Control then left or right arrow key.
To read character-by-character, use the left or right arrow keys.
To have JAWS say the character phonetically with the desktop keyboard, type the number pad five twice quickly. To have JAWS say the character phonetically with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock the Comma twice quickly.
To have JAWS spell the word with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then number pad five twice quickly. To have JAWS spell the word with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter K key twice quickly.
To have JAWS say the line with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then Up Arrow key. To have JAWS say the line with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter I key.
To have JAWS spell the line with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then Up Arrow key twice quickly. To have JAWS spell the line with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter I key twice quickly.
To have JAWS say the prior line with the desktop keyboard, use the Up Arrow key. To have JAWS say the prior line with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter U key.
To have JAWS say the next line with the desktop keyboard, use the Down Arrow key. To have JAWS say the next line with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter O key.
To have JAWS say the sentence with the desktop keyboard, type Alt then Number Pad five. To have JAWS say the sentence with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter H key.
To have JAWS say the prior sentence with the desktop keyboard, type Alt then the Number Pad minus key. To have JAWS say the prior sentence with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter Y key.
To have JAWS say the next sentence with the desktop keyboard, type Alt then the Number Pad plus key. To have JAWS say the next sentence with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter N key.
To move heading-by-heading, type the letter H key.
To move to the previous or next paragraph with the desktop keyboard, type Control then up arrow key or down arrow key. To move to the previous or next paragraph with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock, Control, letter U key or letter O key.
To read all starting from the beginning with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then the down arrow key. To read all starting from the beginning with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then letter A key. Use the Control key to stop reading.
To have JAWS say from the text cursor with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then the Page Up key. To have JAWS say from the text cursor with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock, Shift, then the letter L key.
To have JAWS say to the text cursor with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then the Home key. To have JAWS say to the text cursor with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock, Shift, then the letter J key.
To have JAWS say all with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then down arrow key. To have JAWS say all with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the letter A key.
To have JAWS say the color with the desktop keyboard, type Insert then the number five key. To have JAWS say the color with the laptop keyboard, type CapsLock then the number five key.
To rewind during Say All, use the left arrow key.
To fast forward during Say All, use the right arrow key.
JAWS Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Key Commands:
An example of a compatible OCR device to use with JAWS is the PEARL Reading Camera from Freedom Scientific.
Task: Get an image from a camera or scanner.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter A.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter A.
Task: Recognize currently selected image file.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter F.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter F.
Task: Recognize current PDF document.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter D.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter D.
Task: Recognize current application window.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter W.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter W.
Task: Recognize the entire screen.
Desktop Keys Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter S.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter S.
Task: Recognize currently selected control.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter C.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter C.
Task: Cancel recognition while in progress.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter Q.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then the letter Q.
Task: Announce help message for OCR commands.
Desktop Key Command: Insert, then Space, then the letter O, and then Question Mark.
Laptop Key Command: CapsLock, then Space, then the letter O, and then Question Mark.