Use braille keystrokes

Important: You don’t need BrailleBack to connect to a braille display.

You can use keystrokes for devices with braille input keys. Keystrokes might vary by braille display device. The keystrokes we provide are common to most displays. However, your display may have additional keystrokes not listed here. To determine the keystrokes for your specific braille display, go to TalkBack Settings Braille display Braille commands.

Customize braille display commands

Important: To change braille display commands, you have to connect a braille display and turn on TalkBack.

You can customize the braille display commands for your braille display. You can also reset a command to the default state, even if it’s currently unassigned.

To customize braille display commands:

1. Open the TalkBack menu.
2. Select TalkBack Settings Braille display Braille display commands.
3. Select a category.
   • Basic controls: Pan and activate
   • Navigation: Move between items
   • System actions: Back, home, notification, and more
   • Text editing: Move cursor and delete text
   • Web navigation: Shortcuts to move between web content, like headings
   • TalkBack features: TalkBack menus and settings
   • Braille settings: Braille language and settings
4. Under the category page, select the action you want to customize.
5. Select Change command.
6. Press the braille action you want to use as the new command.
7. To confirm the change, perform the same command again.

You can also reset or remove a command.

• To go back to the default command, select Reset to default.
• To remove command, select Remove command.

If you encounter errors while you customize commands:

• If the new command you select is currently used, select Replace.
• If the command you input doesn't match, to confirm the change, press the same command again.

Basic controls

Action	Keystroke
Activate	Cursor routing key or Enter button
Touch and hold	Press and hold the cursor routing key or the Space + Enter
Next item	Dots 4 and 8
Pan down	PanDown Keystroke can vary based on your braille display and screen reader.
Pan up	PanUp Keystroke can vary based on your braille display and screen reader.
Show recent device message	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 For the shortcut to work, turn on the relevant feature.

Navigation

Action	Keystroke
Previous item	Dots 1 and 7
Scroll forward	Dots 1, 3, 5, and 8
Scroll backward	Dots 2, 4, 6, and 7
Next reading control	Dots 5, 6, 7, and 8
Previous reading control	Dots 2, 3, 7, and 8
Move navigation focus forward or adjust reading control up	Dots 6 and 8
Move navigation focus backward or adjust reading control down	Dots 3 and 7
Top of page or beginning of text	Space + dots 1, 2, and 3
Bottom of page or end of text	Space + dots 4, 5, and 6
Next window	Dots 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8
Previous window	Dots 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Turn auto-scroll on or off	Space + dots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
Decrease the display duration	Dot 1 while auto-scroll is active
Increase the display duration	Dot 4 while auto-scroll is active

System actions

Action	Keystroke
Go back	Space + dots 1 and 2
Go home	Space + dots 1, 2, and 5
Open recent apps	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, and 5
Open notifications	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, and 5
Open Quick Settings	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Open all apps (on Android 11 and above)	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, and 4

Text editing

Action	Keystroke
Delete a word	Space + dots 2 and 7
Previous line (press again to go to previous line)	Space + dot 1 Keystroke may vary based on your braille display and screen reader.
Next line (press again to go to next line)	Space + dot 4 Keystroke may vary based on your braille display and screen reader.
Previous word	Space + dot 2
Next word	Space + dot 5
Previous character	Space + dot 3
Next character	Space + dot 6
Select previous word	Space + dots 2 and 8
Select next word	Space + dots 5 and 8
Select previous character	Space + dots 3 and 8
Select next character	Space + dots 6 and 8
Select all text	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8
Select from cursor to beginning of text box	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8
Select from the cursor to end of the text box	Space + dots 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8
Copy text	Space + dots 1, 4, and 8
Cut text	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8
Paste text	Space + dots 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8
Switch to next keyboard	Space + dots 1, 3, and 8
Delete	Dot 7

Web navigation

Action	Braille display keystroke in Browse mode	Keystroke outside of Browse mode
Enter and exit Browse mode	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, and 6	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, and 6
Next ARIA landmark	Dots 1, 4, and 5	Dots 1, 4, 5, and 8
Previous ARIA landmark	Dots 1, 4, 5, and 7	Dots 1, 4, 5, and 7
Next button	Dots 1 and 2	Dots 1, 2, and 8
Previous button	Dots 1, 2, and 7	Dots 1, 2, and 7
Next checkbox	Dots 1, 3, 4, and 6	Dots 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8
Previous checkbox	Dots 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7	Dots 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7
Next combo box	Dots 1 and 4	Dots 1, 4, and 8
Previous combo box	Dots 1, 4, and 7	Dots 1, 4, and 7
Next control	Dots 1, 2, and 4	Dots 1, 2, 4, and 8
Previous control	Dots 1, 2, 4, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 4, and 7
Next edit field	Dots 1 and 5	Dots 1, 5, and 8
Previous edit field	Dots 1, 5, and 7	Dots 1, 5, and 7
Next graphic	Dots 1, 2, 4, and 5	Dots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8
Previous graphic	Dots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7
Next heading	Dots 1, 2, and 5	Dots 1, 2, 5, and 8
Previous heading	Dots 1, 2, 5, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 5, and 7
Next heading level 1	Dot 2	Dots 2 and 8
Previous heading level 1	Dots 2 and 7	Dots 2 and 7
Next heading level 2	Dots 2 and 3	Dots 2, 3, and 8
Previous heading level 2	Dots 2, 3, and 7	Dots 2, 3, and 7
Next heading level 3	Dots 2 and 5	Dots 2, 5, and 8
Previous heading level 3	Dots 2, 5, and 7	Dots 2, 5, and 7
Next heading level 4	Dots 2, 5, and 6	Dots 2, 5, 6, and 8
Previous heading level 4	Dots 2, 5, 6, and 7	Dots 2, 5, 6, and 7
Next heading level 5	Dots 2 and 6	Dots 2, 6, and 8
Previous heading level 5	Dots 2, 6, and 7	Dots 2, 6, and 7
Next heading level 6	Dots 2, 3, and 5	Dots 2, 3, 5, and 8
Previous heading level 6	Dots 2, 3, 5, and 7	Dots 2, 3, 5, and 7
Next link	Dots 1 and 3	Dots 1, 3, and 8
Previous link	Dots 1, 3, and 7	Dots 1, 3, and 7
Next visited link	Dots 1, 2, 3, and 6	Dots 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8
Previous visited link	Dots 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7
Next unvisited link	Dots 1, 3, and 6	Dots 1, 3, 6, and 8
Previous unvisited link	Dots 1, 3, 6, and 7	Dots 1, 3, 6, and 7
Next list	Dots 1, 2, and 3	Dots 1, 2, 3, and 8
Previous list	Dots 1, 2, 3, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 3, and 7
Next list Item	Dots 2 and 4	Dots 2, 4, and 8
Previous list Item	Dots 2, 4, and 7	Dots 2, 4, and 7
Next radio button	Dots 1, 2, 3, and 5	Dots 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8
Previous radio button	Dots 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7	Dots 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7
Next table	Dots 2, 3, 4, and 5	Dots 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8
Previous table	Dots 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7	Dots 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7

TalkBack features

Action	Keystroke
Open TalkBack settings	Dots 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8
Open TalkBack menu	Space + dots 1, 3, and 4
Turn TalkBack speech on or off	Dots 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8
Open screen search	Space + dots 3 and 4
Edit custom label	Space + dots 1, 3, 4, and 8
Play or pause media	Space + dots 7 and 8

Braille settings

Action	Keystroke
Open braille display commands	Dots 1, 3, 7, and 8
Open braille display settings	Dots 1, 2, 7, and 8
Switch to the next typing language	Dots 2, 4, 7, and 8
Switch to the next reading language	Dots 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8
Switch between contracted and uncontracted	Space + dots 1, 2, 4, and 5
Turn off braille display	Dots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, then confirm

Table navigation

Action	Keystroke
Next column	Space + dots 5, 7, and 8
Previous column	Space + dots 2, 7, and 8
Next row	Space + dots 4, 7, and 8
Previous row	Space + dots 1, 7, and 8