Collaborate & comment with a screen reader

Important: Before following the steps below, make sure you've turned on Docs screen reader support.

Share a file

  1. Open the File menu using the shortcut key for your browser:
    • Windows, using Chrome: Alt + f
    • Windows, using other browsers: Alt + Shift + f 
    • Chrome OS: Alt + f
    • Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + f 
  2. Select Share, then add people using the sharing dialog.

Learn more about sharing files.

Work with other people in real time 

Tip: Real-time collaboration is available for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings, but not for forms.
If you're editing a shared file, your screen reader announces when other people enter or exit the file. In documents, presentations, and drawings, you'll hear a notification if you're near text or an image that another person is editing. 

Google Docs

To find out who's currently working in the document and hear a description of collaborators’ edits in real-time:

To follow the edits of all your collaborators:

  1. Make sure you've turned on screen reader support. 
  2. Use the shortcut key to find the live edits of all your collaborators:
    • Windows and Chrome OS: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r
    • Mac: ⌘+Option+Shift+r

To follow the edits of a single collaborator:

  1. Make sure you've turned on screen reader support.
  2. Move to the menu bar using the shortcut key for your browser:
    • Windows, using Chrome: Alt + f
    • Windows, using other browsers: Alt + Shift + f 
    • Chrome OS: Alt + f
    • Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + f 
  3. Press Shift + Tab until you reach "Collaborators." 
  4. Press Enter on a collaborator’s name in the list. The collaborator must be active to follow their live edits.

To move through previous edits of a single collaborator or multiple collaborators, use the following keys:

  • Move up or down by one change: Up or Down arrow
  • Move up or down by 10 edits: Page Up or Page Down
  • Move to the first or last edit in the list: Home or End
  • Jump to the editing area where a change took place: press Enter on the change.

Tips:

  • Suggested edits and comments in a document won't be listed as a change. 
  • If a document is restored to a previous version, the list of changes will be lost. 
  • To open a chat window where you can chat with other people, press Shift + Escape.

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings

To find out who's currently working in the file:

  1. Move to the menu bar using the shortcut key for your browser:
    • Windows, using Chrome: Alt + f
    • Windows, using other browsers: Alt + Shift + f 
    • Chrome OS: Alt + f
    • Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + f 
  2. Press Shift + Tab until you reach "Collaborators."
  3. To jump to a person's location in the file, press Enter on that person's name in the list.

To open a chat window where you can chat with other people, press Shift + Escape.

Turn off collaborator announcements

In documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, you can turn off the screen reader announcements about other people entering, editing, or leaving the file.

  1. In the Tools menu, select Accessibility settings.
  2. Deselect Turn on collaborator announcements.
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