This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with Skype and is part of the
Skype Accessibility content
set. For more general help, visit
Skype Support home
.
Use Skype with your keyboard and a screen reader such as Narrator, the built-in Windows screen reader, or NVDA to explore and navigate the app main views and elements, and move between views and functions. The information provided in this article is for use with the latest version of Skype. For more information please go to
How do I update Skype?
Notes:Â
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For keyboard shortcuts, go to What are keyboard shortcuts and how do I use them in Skype?
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We recommend using Skype for Windows with the NVDA screen reader and Skype for Windows 10 and 11 (version 15) with Narrator, the built-in Windows screen reader.
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To learn more about accessibility features go to What accessibility features are available for Skype?
In this topic
Get to know the Skype layout
Skype is divided into a list pane and a main content pane. The elements included in the list pane change based on the view you select.
List pane
The list pane is on the left of the main content pane. If you’re a person with low vision or visual disabilities, or if you have limited mobility, build a mental model of the Skype list pane. The areas and specific elements of the list pane are described in the following table.
|
Area |
Elements you'll find in this area |
|
First row: Information about you and options button |
|
|
Second row: Search bar and dial pad access |
|
|
Third row: A tab group that changes the information shown in the list pane |
|
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Variable number of rows: Information that corresponds to the tab you selected |
If you select the Chats tab, the following information is shown:
If you select the Calls tab, the following information is shown:
If you select the Contacts tab, the following information is shown:
If you select the Notifications tab, the following information is shown:
|
Content pane
The content pane is on the right side of the Skype screen.
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When you select a contact or chat in the list pane, the chat history is shown in the content pane.
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The content pane contains a row at the top that allows you to access shared media and links from the Gallery, search within the conversation, start a video or audio call with chat participants, or add people to the chat.
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Under the chat history is a text entry field, which allows you to type and send messages.
You can use Skype with keyboard shortcuts. To learn more, go to What are keyboard shortcuts and how do I use them in Skype? . The following are some frequently used keyboard shortcuts for Skype:
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To move forward through the elements of Skype, press the Tab key, or to move back, press Shift+Tab key.
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To move between tabs in the list pane, press the Right or Left arrow keys.
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To move between the list items in a list pane, press the Up or Down arrow keys.
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To select an item, press Enter . To close a dialog or move focus back, press Esc .
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To open each tab in the main window:
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Press Alt+1 to open the Chats tab.
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Press Alt+2 to open the Contacts tab.
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Press Ctrl+I to open the Notifications tab.
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To launch the main dial pad, press Ctrl+D .
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To start a new chat, press Ctrl+N .
Special considerations for Skype
Change the text size
If you want to change the size of text displayed in Skype:
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To increase the text display size, press Ctrl+Shift+equals sign (=).
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To decrease the text display size, press Ctrl+minus sign (-).
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To reset the text display size, press Ctrl+0 .
Note : This changes the text size on your screen but not the size of the text in the messages that you send.
Operate Skype with speech recognition
Speech recognition tools are helpful for people who have limited mobility and who need to use voice commands (rather than the keyboard or mouse) to operate Microsoft products, including Skype.
You can use third-party speech recognition tools or the functionality called Speech Recognition, which is included with the Windows operating system. To enable Speech Recognition on your computer, please refer to
Use speech recognition
.
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the
Microsoft Disability Answer Desk
for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact
the enterprise Disability Answer Desk
.
