Jessica Dail-My home on the web

Category: JAWS

  • Help! All Except One Keyboard Command Has Stopped Working in New Outlook!

    # Help! All Except One Keyboard Command Has Stopped Working in New Outlook!

    We’ve all been there at one point or another in our lives as blind or low-vision computer users. You’re in the New Outlook, just typing along, when suddenly

    you realize that all but one of the key commands you’re accustomed to using have stopped working.

    If this is you at this very moment—or it was at one point—never fear! I encountered this exact issue a few months back and now have a solution for you.

    ## What is the solution to this very troubling problem?

    If you find yourself in the same situation I was in up until a few weeks ago, follow these steps to fix the issue and save your sanity:

    1. Navigate to Settings. (You can use Shortcut: Ctrl + Comma if it’s still working, or navigate to the gear icon).

    2. Tab to “General” and press Enter.

    3. Tab to “Accessibility” and press Enter.

    4. Ensure that the “Outlook for Windows” radio button is checked under the keyboard shortcuts section. (Sometimes updates accidentally switch this to standard

    web shortcuts!).

    5. Tab to “Save” and press Enter.

    And just like that, your favorite shortcuts should be right back where they belong!

    My thanks to Marci Duty for her assistance in finding this solution during a recent BITS (Blind Information Technology Solutions) chat.

  • All about FSCompanion

    Introduction to FSCompanion

    FSCompanion is a brand-new feature that is part of the JAWS2025 update.

    At launch, only the English language is supported, but more will be added as new software updates are released.

    How can I access this feature?

    There are multiple ways to access this feature. If you are using JAWS2025, you can press the layered keystroke Insert+Space, then F1. You can also access it via the menu system, using the keyboard shortcut alt+h, R for web resources & C for FSCompanion. The final way to access this new feature is by pointing your web browser of choice to fscompanion.ai .

    What does FSCompanion do?

    FSCompanion is an AI that can be asked about JAWS features and keyboard commands. It can also assist with keyboard commands for any office application such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint & outlook.

     The responses it gives will explicitly refer to keyboard commands because it was trained to provide responses in a non-visual manner.

    What data was this AI trained on?

    FSCompanion was trained on all webinars and other reference material provided by Vispero. In a future update, this feature will also support Fusion, which combines JAWS and ZoomText.

    How have I found it personally?

    This feature has revolutionized the way I look up information, especially when it comes to keyboard commands. There are so many that it is difficult to memorize them all. However, the more often you use a keyboard shortcut, the more likely you are to remember it in the future.

    Concluding thoughts

    This feature is super helpful & I highly encourage every Jaws user to try it at least once & leave a comment on this post, discussing your feedback. You can also leave feedback for Vispero by giving responses either a thumbs up or thumbs down & providing your comments in the box provided on that page.

    The more feedback they receive, both positive & negative, the better this feature will be for all who currently use it, as well as those who may check it out in the future.

  • A quick easy way to adjust the volume

    Have you ever wanted to quickly & easily adjust your jaws volume on the fly?

    Well now, with this handy dandy keyboard shortcut I just discovered, you can!

    To adjust the volume on the fly, simply press control+shift+windows+ up arrow to increase or down arrow to decrease. This change is permanent.

    As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out to me using the information on the “Contact Us” page & I would be more than happy to assist you.

  • Suspending quick navigation keys

    The following was taken directly from the jaws message center. I had no idea this feature even existed:

    In JAWS, you can temporarily suspend the use of Navigation Quick Keys when on a web page by pressing INSERT+SHIFT+Z if using desktop keyboard layout, and CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+Z in laptop layout. This is useful if you need to use keystrokes native to a particular website that conflict with the use of Navigation Quick Keys. For example, when on YouTube, the letter K is used to play or pause a video. When Navigation Quick Keys are on, pressing K navigates by Place Markers rather than executing the command provided by YouTube. Suspending Navigation Quick Keys enables the use of K to play or pause a video while allowing you to leave the Virtual PC Cursor on to navigate the page as you normally would.

    Navigation Quick Keys include T to navigate by table, H to navigate by heading, or L to navigate by list. Navigation Quick Keys are turned on again when you move focus away from the current browser window, navigate to a new page, or execute the command once more.

  • Knowing where you are on the wonderful worldwide web

    Have you ever been browsing a website & came across a text field where you wanted to enter data or maybe even filling out a form to sign-up for an event or website account, such as Facebook?

    I have & often times, I’ll get “lost in the page” & forget what my screen-reader just said.

    If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, I’m happy to inform you that there is in fact, a solution & it’s extremely easy to accomplish.

    To find out where your focus is, simply press insert+tab & you’ll be told the name of the field which currently has focus.

    As always, if you find these tips helpful, please feel free to like, comment, share & subscribe.

    Stay tuned for more!

    If you have feedback or find an error, please notify me using the information on the “Contact us” page.

  • A Quick & easy way to check laptop battery status

    As you use your laptop computer throughout the day, its battery will drain.

    This is especially true if you’re using it on battery power.

    This information may come in handy if you’re working somewhere where there are limited outlets.

    I was browsing the web recently & came across a very handy shortcut which allows you to hear the status of your laptop battery.

    To check the battery of your laptop as a jaws user, press Capslock+shift+b

    I hope this post helps you get the most from your laptop battery.

    As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment & I would be more than happy to assist you.

  • “Marking the Spot: Navigating the Digital World with JAWS Place markers”

    For readers who may be unfamiliar, JAWS is a screenreader, which has existed since the early 1990’s. JAWS stands for “Job Access With Speech.”

    A screen-reader speaks the contents of the computer screen for users like myself, who are blind or visually impaired.

    In Jaws version 5, a brand-new feature was introduced.

    This feature is called”Place markers.”

    You can use this feature in applications such as Microsoft Word & Outlook, as well as on the web.

    You can set both temporary & permanent place-markers.

    Temporary place markers are only available while you’re viewing the document, email message or webpage where the place marker was set. Once you shutdown or restart your computer, all temporary place-markers will disappear.

    Permanent place-markers, on the other hand, are always available.

    I use this feature a lot, especially, on websites such as Facebook, where it is often difficult for me to find the beginning of my newsfeed.

    To create a Temporary place marker, press Control+Windows+k.

    You can set a permanent place marker with Control+Shift+K. This same keystroke also allows you to add new place-markers as well as remove old ones you may no longer need.

    Jaws can speak a list of place markers on a given page. To try this out, press Alt+Windows+k.

    As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Also, feel free to subscribe for future content updates.

  • An easy way to navigate through messages in Outlook

    Recently, I was going through my email, when I discovered that there is a much easier way to quickly navigate between messages rather than pressing escape to exit your current message and using arrow keys to move up and down through the list.

    That much easier way is to simply press control+, to move back through messages and control+. to move forward.

    I’ve been using these commands daily for about a month now and they’re definitely a huge timesaver!

    As always, if you need assistance with anything I’ve posted or you have questions, please leave a comment and I’d be more than happy to assist you.

  • An easy way to change the volume of running apps

    Have you ever ben listening to music or a podcast, while you work on your computer using either JAWS or NVDA & wished you could change the volume quickly?

    Well now, you can, thanks to this handy tip I saw on Mastodon last night, which comes from @ivanjc@tweesecake.social

    He wrote, “

    “I just found a cool command in windows 11.
    Control+windows+V will bring up a quick settings screen, in which you can change volumes for running apps!
    Kind of like running the old-style mixer, but with a modern twist.”

    I tested this command myself, shortly after seeing it, and it works brilliantly.

  • A super easy way to restart jaws

    Here’s a quick tip for those of you who use the Jaws screen-reader.

    To quickly restart jaws from anywhere, simply press Alt+Windows

    +F9. (This does require Leasey from Hartgen Consultancy.)

    As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to leave a comment & I’d be more than happy to assist you.