Navigate the screen using the screen reader¶
Warning
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS might present some challenges when using the screen reader. If you experience difficulty, refer to Improve screen reader usability.
Where am I?¶
Orca provides context-sensitive commands that describe the active window and the active object on the screen.
Window information¶
Find out which window is active.
Present the title bar:
CapsLock+/
Insert+Enter on the numeric keypad
Present the status bar:
CapsLock + double-press /
Insert + double-press Enter on the numeric keypad
Basic information¶
You can ask Orca for the basic Where Am I with any object on the screen. For most widgets, Orca at least tells you the label or name, the type or role of the widget, and the mnemonic or accelerator key if they exist.
For example, in tables, basic Where Am I gives you details about the table cell that you are in. In text, it presents the current line along with any text which is selected.
Perform basic Where Am I:
CapsLock+Enter
Insert+Enter
Detailed information¶
Only certain objects provide the detailed Where Am I information. These objects contain a lot of information that you may wish to know, but only on demand.
For example, if you are in the spell checker of an application where Orca provides enhanced support, the basic Where Am I repeats the spelling error. The detailed Where Am I presents the full details of the error. The detailed Where Am I also tells you the position in a progress bar, the status of check boxes and radio buttons, the children in a tree object, the type of a link or the cell coordinates in a table.
Perform detailed Where Am I:
CapsLock + double-press Enter
Insert + double-press Enter
Examine a window¶
With the Flat Review feature, you can review the text and widgets of the active window. In this mode, Orca treats the window as a two-dimensional sheet of text. It browses the objects in the foreground, ignoring widget hierarchy or other logical grouping within the window. It can’t access window elements that are currently off-screen.
You can navigate the “flattened” content by line, by word, by character, and by object. You can also perform a left-click or right-click on the selected object.
When you enter Flat Review mode, it captures the state of the window at that moment. If the content of the window changes, Flat Review doesn’t update automatically. You can refresh the Flat Review context by toggling Flat Review off and back on.
If you use the application’s navigation commands to move the caret or to give focus to another object, you automatically leave Flat Review.
Toggle Flat Review (refreshes the window content):
CapsLock+P
Insert+- on the numeric keypad
Review the current item or widget:
CapsLock+Ctrl+K
Insert+5 on the numeric keypad
Use Say All to review the current dialog or window:
CapsLock + double-press ;
Double-press + on the numeric keypad
Review the window by line¶
First line (the “home” position):
CapsLock+Ctrl+U
Insert+7 on the numeric keypad
Previous line:
CapsLock+U
7 on the numeric keypad
Current line:
CapsLock+I
8 on the numeric keypad
Spell current line:
CapsLock + double-press I
Double-press 8 on the numeric keypad
Phonetically spell current line:
CapsLock + triple-press I
Triple-press 8 on the numeric keypad
Next line:
CapsLock+O
9 on the numeric keypad
Last line (the “end” position):
CapsLock+Ctrl+O
Insert+9 on the numeric keypad
Review the window by word¶
Word above:
CapsLock+Ctrl+J
Insert+4 on the numeric keypad
Previous word:
CapsLock+J
4 on the numeric keypad
Current word:
CapsLock+K
5 on the numeric keypad
Spell current word:
CapsLock + double-press K
Double-press 5 on the numeric keypad
Phonetically spell current word:
CapsLock + triple-press K
Triple-press 5 on the numeric keypad
Next word:
CapsLock+L
6 on the numeric keypad
Word below:
CapsLock+Ctrl+L
Insert+6 on the numeric keypad
Review the window by character¶
Previous character:
CapsLock+M
1 on the numeric keypad
Current character:
CapsLock+,
2 on the numeric keypad
Phonetically speak current character:
CapsLock + double-press ,
Double-press 2 on the numeric keypad
Speak the Unicode value of the current character:
CapsLock + triple-press ,
Triple-press 2 on the numeric keypad
Next character:
CapsLock+.
3 on the numeric keypad
Last character on the current line:
CapsLock+Ctrl+M
Insert+1 on the numeric keypad
Find objects in a window¶
You can use Orca’s Find feature to quickly locate objects that are visible on-screen within the current window.
Orca Find is based on the Flat Review feature.
Open the Orca Find dialog:
CapsLock+[
Delete on the numeric keypad
A dialog box opens. Enter the search term.
You can specify several options such as case sensitivity, where the search starts or whether it wraps around the end of the document back to the start.
When the search finds a match, Flat Review automatically activates and the matching item or text becomes the current review item.
Note that the search doesn’t modify the focus within the application and it doesn’t reposition the caret. If you need to accomplish either, please see Orca’s Mouse/Pointer-Related Commands.
You can quickly search for the next or previous match:
Move flat review to the next instance of a string:
CapsLock+]
Insert+Delete on the numeric keypad
Move flat review to the previous instance of a string:
CapsLock+Ctrl+]
Insert+Shift+Delete on the numeric keypad
What’s under the mouse cursor?¶
With the Mouse Review feature, Orca identifies the object that’s visually under the cursor as you move the mouse. If you move the cursor over an accessible object with information to present, Orca presents that object and its information to you. Mouse Review isn’t limited to the active window.
Mouse Review is disabled by default because it processes all the changes in the position of the cursor.
You can enable it permanently:
Enable the Speak object under mouse checkbox on the General page of Orca’s Preferences dialog.
You can also set a keyboard shortcut to enable Mouse Review for a short time:
On the Key Bindings page of Orca Preferences, bind the command named Toggle mouse review mode to a keyboard shortcut. Then you can enable and disable Mouse Review on an as-needed basis.
Note
You can choose to have Mouse Review always enabled or not and still toggle it on and off by binding and using the Toggle mouse review mode command. It is not necessary to enable it in order to toggle it because settings and keybindings are independent of one another.
Bookmark an object for later¶
You can indicate that an object on the screen is of interest and return to it later.
Orca provides several commands which can be used to “bookmark” a given object for the purpose of navigating back to it later.
Save a bookmark¶
You can set up to six bookmarks per environment. These can be objects such as widgets within an application or objects on a web page. You can also save bookmarks so that they persist between Orca sessions.
Save a bookmark to the numbered slot:
CapsLock+Alt + a number from 1 to 6
Insert+Alt + a number from 1 to 6
Save the defined bookmarks for the application or page:
CapsLock+Alt+B
Insert+Alt+B
Return to a bookmark¶
You can navigate to the bookmark later, even if you haven’t permanently saved the bookmarks associated with your current environment. You can find the bookmark based on its number, or you can browse the saved bookmarks just like Structural Navigation objects.
When you select a bookmark, the exact behavior depends on the current environment. If you are in web content, the caret moves to the bookmark so that you can continue reading. Otherwise, Flat Review activates and the bookmark becomes the current review item.
Go to a specific, numbered bookmark:
CapsLock + a number from 1 to 6
Insert + a number from 1 to 6
Go to the previous bookmark for the application or page:
CapsLock+Shift+B
Insert+Shift+B
Go to the next bookmark for the application or page:
CapsLock+B
Insert+B
Keyboard navigation shortcuts¶
For keyboard shortcuts that launch applications, switch between desktop elements and navigate desktop menus, refer to Navigate the interface using the keyboard.