How to Turn Off Narrator in Windows 11
Narrator can be turned off on Windows 11 using a keyboard shortcut and also through the Settings app. The keyboard shortcut is the fastest option, but it’s important to only use it once, as the same key combination will also turn Narrator back on if you do it again. To quickly toggle Narrator off in Windows 11, press the Windows key + Ctrl + Enter. When you hear, “Narrator disabled,” you can release the keys. Narrator will remain disabled until you turn it on again. If that doesn’t work, you can also turn off Narrator through the Settings app:
How to Close Narrator in Windows 11
When Narrator is active on Windows 11, you should either see the Narrator window on your screen or a Narrator icon in the system tray. Closing the Narrator window also closes Narrator, which is why you’ll always find its icon in the system tray whenever this feature is active. If you do use this feature occasionally, leave this toggle on. That means you can also turn Narrator off by closing the Narrator window if it’s open on your screen or selecting the option to turn it off from the icon in the system tray. Here’s how to close Narrator from the system tray:
How to Turn Narrator On in Windows 11
You can activate Narrator quickly by pressing the Windows key + Ctrl + Enter. This is the same key combination that’s used to turn Narrator off, but using it to turn Narrator on also opens that Narrator window. That means if you use this keyboard shortcut to turn on Narrator, you also need to minimize the Narrator window before you can get back to what you were doing before. Closing the Narrator window will also shut Narrator off, so you need to minimize it instead. Here’s how to turn Narrator on in Windows 11:
How to Turn Narrator On Through Windows 11 Settings
You can also turn Narrator on through the Settings app, which provides you with some additional options. Optional: Deselect the Show Narrator Home box if you don’t want to see this screen every time you open Narrator. Here’s how to turn Narrator on through Windows 11 Settings:
What Is Narrator in Windows 11?
Narrator is an accessibility feature that’s designed to help blind and vision-impaired users. This screen reader is built into Windows, so you don’t need to download or install anything to use it. It’s turned off by default, but you can toggle it on at any time by pressing the Windows key + Ctrl + Enter. Narrator is a multi-function screen reader that goes beyond just reading text documents. This app is capable of reading everything on your screen, and it reads whatever item you currently have selected. In that way, it helps blind and visually-impaired users navigate Windows, change Windows settings, and open and close apps. For example, if a user has selected a minimize window button, Narrator will read the button text, and the user can press the enter key to execute that function. When an app is open, Narrator also reads menu options and other controls within the app. It’s also useful as a regular text-to-speech app, as it will read various documents, websites, and other information that’s displayed on the screen.
