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 SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to edit a custom view of a document library and specify the information that is displayed about the items in that library. 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. Choose how to view and interact with document libraries in SharePoint in Microsoft 365, and even make them more accessible.
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.
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When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Edit a custom view of a document library
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Sign in to your organization’s Microsoft 365 account, start the SharePoint app, and then open your document library.
Tip: Document libraries in SharePoint Online have two different views: classic and SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience. For most people, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience is the default. However, if you hear “Check it out button” when navigating your document library, you’re using the classic experience. To view SharePoint in Microsoft 365 document libraries, when you hear “Check it out button,” press Enter. After the view of your document library changes to the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience and the focus moves from the Check it out button to the New link, you hear the name of your document library, followed by “New.”
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To view SharePoint in Microsoft 365 document libraries, press the Tab key until you hear “Check it out button.” Press Enter. After the view of your document library changes to the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience and the focus moves from the Check it out button to the New link, you hear the name of your document library, followed by “New.”
Tip: If you don’t hear “Check it out button,” you’re already using the SharePoint in Microsoft 365 experience.
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If the focus is not on the New button, press the Tab key until you hear the library name and “New.”
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear “View options.”
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To open the menu, press Enter and then press the Down arrow key until you hear “Edit current view,” and then press Enter.
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The Edit View page is opened, with the focus on the "View Name" edit box. Select the options you want in your custom view. Options are presented in the following groups. Move between and inside option groups with the Tab key and Shift+Tab.
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Name: In the View Name box, type a name for this view of the document library.
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Columns: In the table, choose the columns of information you want to display. To show or hide the columns in your custom view, select or clear the check box for a column. Column names are listed in the order in which they will appear in the custom view, which you can specify.
For example, to display an item’s file size in the third column of your custom view, press the Tab key until you hear “File Size, Check box,” and then press Spacebar to select the check box. To specify the order of the columns, press the Tab key once to move to the Position from left box and, to increase or decrease the number, press an arrow key.
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Sort: To determine the order in which the items in the view are displayed, you can select up to two columns. When you navigate to the First sort by the column box, you hear the name of the current selection. You can change the selection by pressing the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the one you want. To choose one of the two sort order options (ascending or descending), press the Tab key, then select a sort order by pressing the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the one you want. To select a secondary sorting criteria, press the Tab key once and repeat this process for the Then sort by the column box.
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Filter: To create a conditional view:
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Show all items in this view," and press the Down arrow key. You hear: "Select items only when the following is true."
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To move to the filtering options, press the Tab key. You hear “Column to filter combo box,” and the current selection. You can change the selection by pressing the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the one you want.
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Press the Tab key once to move to the operator box, and select a value by pressing the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the one you want.
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Press the Tab key once to move to the value box, and type a value to filter on.
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To set up a second filter condition, press the Tab key once, then select between the And and Or operators by pressing the Up and Down arrow keys. Then repeat steps b. to d. for the secondary filter condition.
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Tabular View: Select this option to display check boxes by individual items so you can perform bulk operations on multiple selections.
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Group By: Create groups and subgroups for up to two columns. Navigate to the First group by the column box and select a column to group by pressing the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the one you want. To choose one of the two sort order options (ascending or descending), press the Tab key once and then press the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear the one you want. To set up a second column to group by, press the Tab key once, and repeat this process for the Then group by the column box.
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Totals: Display totals for applicable columns of items.
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Style: Choose the look you want for your view, such as Basic Table, Document Details, Newsletter, Shaded, and Preview Pane.
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Folders: Choose whether to show items in folders or all at once (that is, a flat hierarchy without folders).
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Item Limit: Constrain the number of items that are listed in the view.
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After you make your changes, press Alt+O. The focus returns to the document library, which displays the changes you made to the view.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a custom view of a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to select columns to display in a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to spotlight a file or folder in a document library in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
Use SharePoint in Microsoft 365 with your keyboard and a screen reader to edit a custom view of a document library and specify the information that is displayed about the items in that library. 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. Choose how to set up and interact with document libraries in SharePoint in Microsoft 365, and even make them more accessible.
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.
-
When you use SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because SharePoint in Microsoft 365 runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
Edit a custom view of a document library
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Navigate to the document library where you want to edit the custom view.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Command bar," press the Right or Left arrow key until you hear "All documents view," and press Enter.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear “Edit current view,” and then press Enter.
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The Edit View page is opened, with the focus on the View Name text field. Select the options you want in your custom view. Move between and inside option groups with the Tab key and Shift+Tab. Options are presented in the following groups:
Note: To expand and hide option groups, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear the name of the option group, followed by "Show/hide group," and then press Enter.
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Name: In the View Name field, type a name for this view of the document library.
-
Columns: In the table, choose the columns of information you want to display. To show or hide the columns in your custom view, select or clear the check box for a column. Column names are listed in the order in which they will appear in the custom view, which you can specify.
For example, to display an item’s file size in the third column of your custom view, press the Tab key until you hear “File Size, check box,” and then press Spacebar. To specify the order of the columns, press the Tab key once to move the focus to the Position from left box and, to increase or decrease the number, press an arrow key.
-
Sort: To determine the order in which the items in the view are displayed, you can select up to two columns. When you navigate to the First sort by the column box, you hear the name of the current selection. To change the selection, press the Up and Down arrow key until you hear the one you want. To choose one of the two sort order options (ascending or descending), press the Tab key, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the sort order you want.
To select a secondary sorting criteria, press the Tab key once and repeat this process for the Then sort by the column box.
-
Filter: To create a conditional view:
-
Press the Tab key until you hear "Show all items in this view," and press the Down arrow key once. You hear: "Select items only when the following is true."
-
To move to the filtering options, press the Tab key. You hear “Column to filter combo box,” and the current selection. To change the selection, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the one you want.
-
Press the Tab key once to move the focus to the operator box, and press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the value you want.
-
Press the Tab key once to move to the value box, and type a value to filter on.
-
To set up a second filter condition, press the Tab key once, and then press the Up or Down arrow key to select between the And and Or operators Repeat steps b. to d. for the secondary filter condition.
-
-
Tabular View: Select this option to display check boxes by individual items so you can perform bulk operations on multiple selections.
-
Group By: Create groups and subgroups for up to two columns. Navigate to the First group by the column box and press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the column you want to group. To choose one of the two sort order options (ascending or descending), press the Tab key once and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the one you want. To set up a second column to group by, press the Tab key once, and repeat this process for the Then group by the column box.
-
Totals: Display totals for applicable columns of items.
-
Style: Choose the look you want for your view, such as Basic Table, Document Details, Newsletter, Shaded, and Preview Pane.
-
Folders: Choose whether to show items in folders or all at once (that is, a flat hierarchy without folders).
-
Item Limit: Constrain the number of items that are listed in the view.
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Mobile: Choose whether the view is enabled for mobile access, whether the view is the default view for mobile access, and how many items are shown in the mobile list view.
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To save and apply your changes, press Alt+O. The focus returns to the document library, which displays the changes you made to the view.
See also
Use a screen reader to create a custom view of a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to select columns to display in a document library in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to spotlight a file or folder in a document library in SharePoint Online
Keyboard shortcuts in SharePoint Online
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate SharePoint Online
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.
