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
- 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
- Select Share, then add people using the sharing dialog.
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:
- Make sure you've turned on screen reader support.
- 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:
- Make sure you've turned on screen reader support.
- 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
- Press Shift + Tab until you reach "Collaborators."
- 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:
- 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
- Press Shift + Tab until you reach "Collaborators."
- 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.
- In the Tools menu, select Accessibility settings.
- Deselect Turn on collaborator announcements.
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