Turn off the Microsoft Narrator Start Up

Microsoft Narrator is Windows' built-in screen reader, which can be particularly useful for the visually impaired. However, some users find the frequent narration annoying, or simply not helpful. Read on to find out how to disable, or turn off, Windows Narrator.

Steps

Exiting Microsoft Narrator On Your PC

  1. Power on your PC. Once you've started up Windows on your machine, look the bottom left corner of your screen. The first icon will be the circular Windows symbol[1].
  2. Click on the Windows icon. You'll be presented with a scroll down window, with a few options to choose from. Look to the right, grey side of the window and select Control Panel.[1].
  3. Select Ease Of Access Center. Once you're in the Control Panel section, look for the option that reads Ease Of Access Center. Click on it.
    • Depending on how you've arranged your settings to display, Ease Of Access Center might be in a different position than in the picture.
    • Look to the upper right hand corner of your Control Panel window, and click on View By. Then, select Category. This should arrange your settings as in the image below.
  4. Look to the lower part of the new window in the Ease Of Access Center category. Beneath Explore All Settings, you'll note various possible selections. Choose the option that reads Use The Computer Without A Display[2].
    • Depending on your windows version, you might have to select Optimize Visual Display directly under Ease Of Access Center (as shown in the image below).
  5. Uncheck the box reading Turn On Narrator. Once you're in the Use The Computer Without A Display category, click on the box next to Turn On Narrator and Turn On Audio Description to uncheck narration options.
    • These selections are located directly below Hear Text And Descriptions Read Aloud.
  6. Click on Apply on the lower right hand side of the Ease Of Access Center screen. Then, click on OK to register the changes.
    • Once you restart your computer, Microsoft Narrator will no longer use voice guidance.

Exiting Microsoft Narrator On Your Surface (Tablet)

  1. Hold down the ALT and Tab keys simultaneously. This action will bring up the Microsoft Settings window[3].
  2. Let go of the ALT and Tab keys. Once you've released the keys, you'll be presented with several Narrator categories. Scroll down until you see the Exit option[2].
  3. Click or tap on Exit. You'll be asked to confirm your selection to exit Microsoft Narrator. Click or tap on Yes.
    • Microsoft Narrator is now disabled on your Surface device.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://etc.usf.edu/techease/4all/vision/how-do-i-use-narrator-the-screen-reader-included-with-windows-7/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hear-text-read-aloud-narrator#1TC=windows-8
  3. ↑ http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/personalization-and-ease-of-access/ease-of-access-features
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