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 Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to automate frequently used tasks by creating and running macros. 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. A macro is a series of selections or actions that you group together as a single command to accomplish a task automatically.
Notes:
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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.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Create a macro
To create a macro, record the sequence of steps used to perform the task you want to automate. You can assign the macro to a button or keyboard shortcut.
Create a macro assigned to a button
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To open the Record Macro dialog box, press Alt+W, M, R.
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The focus is on the Macro name text field. Type a name for your macro. The name cannot contain spaces.
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To write an optional description for the macro, press the Tab key until you hear "Description," and type the description.
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To define if the macro should be available in all your Word documents or just the one where you recorded the macro, press the Tab key until you hear "Store macro in," press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter.
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To assign the macro to a button, press Alt+B. The Customize the Quick Access Toolbar window opens.
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To add the macro button to the Quick Access Toolbar, press the Tab key until you hear "Quick Access Toolbar, separator," press the Down arrow key until you hear "Normal, new macros," followed by the name of the new macro, and then press Alt+A.
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To assign an icon to the macro button, press Alt+M. The icon menu opens. Press Shift+Tab until you hear the first icon and the position of the icon in the list of all icons. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the icon you want, and then press Enter to select it. Press the Tab key until you hear "OK," and press Enter. When you're done, press the Tab key until you hear "OK," and press Enter. The Customize the Quick Access Toolbar window closes and the focus returns to the document body.
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You can now record the steps for the task you want to automate. Navigate to and select the buttons or menu items, for example, on the ribbon or press the keys on your keyboard for each step in the task. Word records your selections and keystrokes.
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If you need to pause recording, press Alt+W, M, P. To resume recording, press Alt+W, M, R, R.
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To stop recording, press Alt+W, M, R.
Create a macro assigned to a keyboard shortcut
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To open the Record Macro dialog box, press Alt+W, M, R.
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The focus is on the Macro name text field. Type a name for your macro. The name cannot contain spaces.
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To write an optional description for the macro, press the Tab key until you hear "Description," and type the description.
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To define if the macro will be available in all your Word documents or just the one where you recorded the macro, press the Tab key until you hear "Store macro in," press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter.
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To assign the macro to a keyboard, press Alt+K. The Customize keyboard dialog box opens. The focus is on the Press new shortcut key text field.
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To define the new keyboard shortcut for the macro, press the keys you want to assign to the shortcut on your keyboard.
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When you're ready, press the Tab key until you hear "Assign," and press Enter. Then press the Tab key until you hear "Close," and press Enter. The focus returns to the document body.
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You can now record the steps for the task you want to automate. Navigate to and select the buttons or menu items, for example, on the ribbon or press the keys on your keyboard for each step in the task. Word records your selections and keystrokes.
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If you need to pause recording, press Alt+W, M, P. To resume recording, press Alt+W, M, R, R.
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To stop recording, press Alt+W, M, R.
Run a macro
To run a macro, you can select the macro from the Macros dialog box or use the assigned button or keyboard shortcut.
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To run a macro, do one of the following:
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To select the macro from the Macros dialog box, press Alt+W, M, V. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the macro you want, and then press Enter.
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To use the keyboard shortcut you assigned to the macro, press the shortcut keys on your keyboard.
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To use the button you assigned to the macro, navigate to the button, and press Enter. For example, if the button is on the Quick Access Toolbar, press F6 until you hear "Ribbon tabs," press Shift+Tab once, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the name of the macro button, and then press Enter.
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Word automatically performs the steps recorded in the macro.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word
Use a screen reader to create bulleted or numbered lists with Word
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
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.
