This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to add new members to a team, request to join a private team, and manage membership requests. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
If you're a team owner, you can add someone from your organization to a team. If you're not a team owner, you can submit a request, and the team owner will accept or deny it. If you want to add someone who's not a part of your organization, refer to Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
-
To quickly access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams, press Ctrl+E, type the forward slash character followed by the word keys, and then press Enter.
In this topic
Add members to a team
You need to be a team owner to add new members to a team. A team can have up to 5000 people.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to add a new member.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact or group you want to add. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact or group, and press Enter. Repeat this step for all members you want to add.
-
Once you've added the contacts or groups you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Add members," and press Enter. The new members have been added to the team.
-
To exit the dialog box, press the Tab key until you hear "Close," and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to add a new member.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact or group you want to add. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact or group, and press Enter. Repeat this step for all members you want to add.
-
Once you've added the contacts or groups you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Add members," and press Enter. The new members have been added to the team.
-
To exit the dialog box, press B until you hear "Close," and press Enter.
Request to join a private team
If you want to join a private team, you need to request to join the team, and wait for the team owner's approval to access the team and its channels. You can immediately join a public team.
Tip: To request to join a private team in the list of suggested teams, press Ctrl+E. Type /join, use the Down arrow key to find the team you want, and then press Enter.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
To go to the Teams view, press Ctrl+3.
-
Press the Tab key until you reach the Join or create a team button and press Enter.
-
The Join a team pane opens, with focus on the Enter code field. To join a team using a code, type the code and press Enter. To join one of the teams listed on the Join a team pane, press Esc, press the Right or Left arrow keys until you hear the name of the team you want to join and press Enter.
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
To go to the Teams view, press Ctrl+3.
-
Press B until you reach the Join or create a team button and press Enter.
-
The Join a team pane opens, with focus on the Enter code field. To join a team using a code, type the code and press Enter. To join one of the teams listed on the Join a team pane, press Esc, press the Right or Left arrow keys until you hear the name of the team you want to join and press Enter.
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Request to add a member
If you're already a member of a team, you can request someone to be added to that team. The team owners will receive an alert that they have a pending request and they need to accept it to add the person to the team.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to submit a membership request on someone else's behalf.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact for whom you want to submit the membership request. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact, and press Enter. To add other contacts, repeat this step.
-
Once you've done, press the Tab key until you hear "Send request," and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to submit a membership request on someone else's behalf.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact for whom you want to submit the membership request. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact, and press Enter. To add other contacts, repeat this step.
-
Once you've done, press the SR key+Spacebar, press B until you hear "Send request," and then press Enter.
Accept or deny a membership request
People can submit requests to join your team. As a team owner, you can accept or deny the requests.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team whose membership requests you want to manage.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Manage team," and press Enter.
-
Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Pending requests," and press Enter. The list of pending requests is displayed.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Name, column header."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the person who's requested membership.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To accept the request, press the Right arrow key until you hear "Accept," and press Enter.
-
To deny the request, press the Right arrow key until you hear "Deny," and press Enter.
-
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team whose membership requests you want to manage.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Manage team," and press Enter.
-
Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Pending requests," and press Enter. The list of pending requests is displayed.
-
Press B until you hear: "Name, column header."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the person who's requested membership.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To accept the request, press B until you hear "Accept," and press Enter.
-
To deny the request, press B until you hear "Deny," and press Enter.
-
See also
Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to create or follow a channel in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Teams on Mac with VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to add new members to a team, request to join a private team, and manage membership requests.
If you're a team owner, you can add someone from your organization to a team. If you're not a team owner, you can submit a request, and the team owner will accept or deny it.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
In this topic
Add members to a team
You need to be a team owner to add new members to a team. A team can have up to 5000 people.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to add a new member.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Return. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact or group you want to add. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact or group, and press Return. Repeat this step for all members you want to add.
-
Once you've listed the contacts or groups you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Add members to team," and press Return. The new members have been added to the team.
-
To exit the dialog box, press the Tab key until you hear "Close," and press Return.
Request to join a private team
If you want to join a private team, you need to request to join the team, and wait for the owner's approval to access the team and its channels. You can immediately join a public team.
Tip: To request to join a private team in the list of suggested teams, press Command+E. Type /join, use the Down arrow key to find the team you want, and then press Enter.
-
To go to the Teams view, press Command+3.
-
Press the Tab key until you reach the Join or create a team button and press Return.
-
The Join a team pane opens, with focus on the Enter code field. To join a team using a code, type the code and press Return. To join one of the teams listed on the Join a team pane, press Esc, press the Right or Left arrow keys until you hear the name of the team you want to join and press Return.
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Request to add a member
If you're already a member of a team, you can request someone to be added to that team. The team owners will receive an alert that they have a pending request and they need to accept it to add the person to the team.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to submit a membership request on someone else's behalf.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Control+Option+Down arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Return. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact for whom you want to submit the membership request. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact, and press Return. To add other contacts, repeat this step.
-
Once you've done, press the Tab key until you hear "Send request," and press Return.
Accept or deny a membership request
People can submit requests to join your team. As a team owner, you can accept or deny the requests.
-
Navigate to the team whose membership requests you want to manage.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press Control+Option+Down arrow key until you hear "Manage team," and press Return.
-
Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Pending requests," and press Return. The list of pending requests is displayed.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Name, column header."
-
Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear the name of the person who's requested membership.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To accept the request, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Accept request," and press Return.
-
To deny the request, press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Deny request," and press Return.
-
See also
Use a screen reader to create or follow a channel in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Teams for iOS with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to add new members to a team or request to join a private team.
If you're a team owner, you can add someone from your organization to a team. If you're not a team owner, you can submit a request, and the team owner will accept or deny it. If you want to add someone who's not a part of your organization, refer to Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this topic
Add members to a team
You need to be a team owner to add new members to a team. A team can have up to 5000 people.
Tip: To check and manage membership requests, use the full desktop version of Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Teams on the web.
-
In the Teams view, navigate to the team you want to add members to.
-
Once on the correct team, swipe right until you hear "See more," and double-tap the screen. The context menu opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Manage members," and double-tap the screen to open the Team Members dialog box.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Add member to team," and double-tap the screen. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the search text field.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name of the first person you want to add to the team. The list of matching names is updated as you type. Swipe left until you hear the name of the person, and double-tap the screen. Repeat this step to add others.
-
Once you've listed all new members, swipe left until you hear "Done," and double-tap the screen to add the members to the team.
Request to join a private team
If you want to join a private team, you need to request to join the team, and wait for the team owner's approval to access the team and its channels. You can immediately join a public team.
-
In the Teams view, swipe left or right until you hear "Join or create a team," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Browse teams."
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse teams, double-tap the screen. A list of suggested teams opens. Swipe right until you hear the team you want to join, then swipe right once more. You hear: "Join." Double-tap the screen to submit your request to join the team.
-
To join a team with a code, swipe right until you hear "Join a team with a code," and double-tap the screen. Type in the code for the team you want to join using the on-screen keyboard, then swipe right until you hear "Join," and double-tap the screen to submit your request to join the team.
-
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Tip: If you're already a member of a team and you want to submit a request for someone to be added to that team, use the full desktop version of Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Teams on the web.
See also
Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Teams for Android with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to add new members to a team or request to join a private team.
If you're a team owner, you can add someone from your organization to a team. If you're not a team owner, you can submit a request, and the team owner will accept or deny it. If you want to add someone who's not a part of your organization, refer to Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
In this topic
Add members to a team
You need to be a team owner to add new members to a team. A team can have up to 5000 people.
Tip: To check and manage membership requests, use the full desktop version of Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Teams on the web.
-
In the Teams view, navigate to the team you want to add members to.
-
Once on the correct team, swipe right until you hear "More options," and double-tap the screen. The context menu opens.
-
Swipe right until you hear "Manage members," and double-tap the screen. The Team Members dialog box opens.
-
Slide one finger at the bottom right corner of the screen until you hear "Add member," and double-tap the screen. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the search text field. Swipe right until you hear “Enter name or email,” and double-tap the screen.
-
Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name of the first person you want to add to the team. The list of matching names is updated as you type. Swipe right until you hear the name of the person, and double-tap the screen. Repeat this step to add others.
-
Once you've listed all new members, swipe left until you hear "Submit," and double-tap the screen to add the members to the team.
Request to join a private team
If you want to join a private team, you need to request to join the team, and wait for the owner's approval to access the team and its channels. You can immediately join a public team.
-
In the Teams view, swipe left or right until you hear "Join or create a team," and double-tap the screen.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To browse teams, swipe right until you hear "Browse teams," and double-tap the screen. A list of suggested teams opens. Swipe right until you hear the team you want to join, then swipe right once more. You hear: "Join." Double-tap the screen to submit your request to join the team.
-
To join a team with a code, swipe right until you hear "Join a team with a code," and double-tap the screen. Type in the code for the team you want to join using the on-screen keyboard, then swipe right until you hear "Join," and double-tap the screen to submit your request to join the team.
-
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Tip: If you're already a member of a team and you want to submit a request for someone to be added to that team, use the full desktop version of Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Teams on the web.
See also
Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Teams with your keyboard and a screen reader to add new members to a team, request to join a private team, and manage membership requests. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
If you're a team owner, you can add someone from your organization to a team. If you're not a team owner, you can submit a request, and the team owner will accept or deny it. If you want to add someone who's not a part of your organization, refer to Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
-
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
-
To quickly access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams on the web, press Ctrl+E, type the forward slash character followed by the word keys, and then press Enter.
In this topic
Add members to a team
You need to be a team owner to add new members to a team. A team can have up to 5000 people.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to add a new member.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact or group you want to add. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact or group, and press Enter. Repeat this step for all members you want to add.
-
Once you've added the contacts or groups you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Add members," and press Enter. The new members have been added to the team.
-
To exit the dialog box, press the Tab key until you hear "Close," and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to add a new member.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact or group you want to add. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact or group, and press Enter. Repeat this step for all members you want to add.
-
Once you've added the contacts or groups you want, press the Tab key until you hear "Add members," and press Enter. The new members have been added to the team.
-
To exit the dialog box, press B until you hear "Close," and press Enter.
Request to join a private team
If you want to join a private team, you need to request to join the team, and wait for the team owner's approval to access the team and its channels. You can immediately join a public team.
Tip: To request to join a private team in the list of suggested teams, press Ctrl+E. Type /join, use the Down arrow key to find the team you want, and then press Enter.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
To go to the Teams view, press Ctrl+Shift+3.
-
Press the Tab key until you reach the Join or create a team button and press Enter.
-
The Join a team pane opens, with focus on the Enter code field. To join a team using a code, type the code and press Enter. To join one of the teams listed on the Join a team pane, press Esc, press the Right or Left arrow keys until you hear the name of the team you want to join and press Enter.
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
To go to the Teams view, press Ctrl+Shift+3.
-
Press B until you reach the Join or create a team button and press Enter.
-
The Join a team pane opens, with focus on the Enter code field. To join a team using a code, type the code and press Enter. To join one of the teams listed on the Join a team pane, press Esc, press the Right or Left arrow keys until you hear the name of the team you want to join and press Enter.
-
The team owner receives a notification of your request, and once it's approved, you can access the team assets.
Request to add a member
If you're already a member of a team, you can request someone to be added to that team. The team owners will receive an alert that they have a pending request and they need to accept it to add the person to the team.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to submit a membership request on someone else's behalf.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact for whom you want to submit the membership request. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact, and press Enter. To add other contacts, repeat this step.
-
Once you've done, press the Tab key until you hear "Send request," and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team to which you want to submit a membership request on someone else's behalf.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Add member," and press Enter. The Add members dialog box opens. The focus is in the text field for new members.
-
Start typing the name of the contact for whom you want to submit the membership request. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the contact, and press Enter. To add other contacts, repeat this step.
-
Once you've done, press the SR key+Spacebar, press B until you hear "Send request," and then press Enter.
Accept or deny a membership request
People can submit requests to join your team. As a team owner, you can accept or deny the requests.
- Screen reader navigation
- Focus navigation
- Virtual navigation
-
Navigate to the team whose membership requests you want to manage.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Manage team," and press Enter.
-
Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Pending requests," and press Enter. The list of pending requests is displayed.
-
Press the Tab key until you hear: "Name, column header."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the person who's requested membership.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To accept the request, press the Right arrow key until you hear "Accept," and press Enter.
-
To deny the request, press the Right arrow key until you hear "Deny," and press Enter.
-
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
-
Navigate to the team whose membership requests you want to manage.
-
Once on the team, press Spacebar to open the context menu.
-
Press I until you hear "Manage team," and press Enter.
-
Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Pending requests," and press Enter. The list of pending requests is displayed.
-
Press B until you hear: "Name, column header."
-
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the person who's requested membership.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To accept the request, press B until you hear "Accept," and press Enter.
-
To deny the request, press B until you hear "Deny," and press Enter.
-
See also
Use a screen reader to set up and use guest access in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to create or follow a channel in Microsoft Teams
Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams
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.
