Word with Screen Reader: Switching Applications

Hello, my name is Vikki Vaughan. Today we will discuss using shortcut commands to navigate between applications. As we discussed in our previous videos, Navigating the Desktop and Navigation Commands, the ability to move within a document is an essential skill that makes word processing more efficient.

In those videos, we learned a variety of shortcut commands that allow us to quickly move to a desired location within a document. There are also times when it's helpful to move between documents. We might be multitasking and need to navigate between documents to copy and paste information. We might also be using one document as a reference and need to quickly switch between other word processing documents.

Often, there are several commands that accomplish the same task. Switching back and forth between documents can be accomplished through the taskbar, the menu bar, and by keyboard shortcuts. We will briefly touch on all methods, but we will focus on the keyboard shortcuts as they are faster and easier for individuals with visual impairments.

You may recall in the Modifier Keys and Desktop Navigation Video, we learned to navigate to our desktop and open a Microsoft Word document. We'll use that same technique to open several Word documents on our desktop to get started. We'll begin by navigating to the desktop by pressing the Windows key and the letter D for desktop.

Screen Reader: Folder view list. Camtasia 9 not selected, two of four.

Vikki: Before we begin any task, it's always a good idea to ensure that we are at the top of our document, webpage, or in this case our desktop. We accomplish this by using the keyboard shortcut of Control + Home.

Screen Reader: Recycle Bin not selected, one of four.

Vikki: The name of my first document is The Constitution of the United States. We'll use first letter navigation to quickly find our document. I'm pressing the letter T to locate my file.

Screen Reader: T, The Constitution of the United States, three of four.

Vikki: And then I'll press Enter to open.

Screen Reader: The Constitution of the United States Word. The Constitution of the United States, Microsoft Word Document edit multiline. Page one section one, The Constitution of the United States.

Vikki: The second document I wish to open is entitled Declaration of Independence. We'll once again navigate to our desktop with Windows + D.

Screen Reader: Folder view list. The Constitution of the United States, three of four.

Vikki: Then use first letter navigation to locate our document. I'm pressing the letter D.

Screen Reader: D, Declaration of Independence, four of four.

Vikki: And I'll press Enter to open.

Screen Reader: Declaration of Independence Word, Declaration of Independence, Microsoft Word Document edit multiline. Page one section one, Declaration of Independence.

Vikki: Let's also open an application such as a web browser. We'll use Chrome. I'll press my Windows key to bring up the start window.

Screen Reader: Start window. Cortana window. Search box edit blank.

Vikki: Then type in Chrome.

Screen Reader: Google Chrome, desktop app, one of four.

Vikki: And press Enter to open.

Screen Reader: Untitled window. Edit, blank.

Vikki: Since Chrome is the most recently opened application, it is currently in the foreground and my screen reader is focused on this application. Now that we have both documents and an application open, let's try our keyboard shortcut of Alt + Tab to move between the open applications. I personally find it easier to press the Alt key that's to the left of the spacebar with my left thumb and then I tap and release the Tab key with the middle finger of my left hand.

When we press our Tab key, an overlay appears with icons for all of our open applications. It's important to remember to continually hold down the Alt key as you press and release the Tab key.

Screen Reader: Declaration of Independence Word, row one column two.

Vikki: The focus moves between the open applications with each press of the Tab key and they are announced.

Screen Reader: The Constitution of the United States Word, row one column three. Recording, row one column four. Camtasia 9, row one column five. New tab Google Chrome, row one column one. Declaration of Independence Word, row one column two.

Vikki: When the desired file or application that we wish to open is announced, release both keys.

Screen Reader: Declaration of Independence Word, Declaration of Independence.

Vikki: Our desired application will be brought to the focus in the foreground. This shortcut navigates between open tasks whether it's an application such as our web browser or a document such as the Constitution. Alt + Tab moves us forward through the open applications while the keyboard shortcut of Alt + Shift + Tab moves us back through the applications. Let's try that now. I'm holding down my Alt and Shift keys together then pressing and releasing the Tab key.

Screen Reader: Camtasia 9, row one column five. Recording, row one column four. The Constitution of the United States Word, row one column three. New tab Google Chrome, row one column two. Declaration of Independence Word, row one column one. Declaration of Independence Word. Declaration of Independence.

Vikki: The focus moves in the opposite direction through all of our open applications. We can also use our taskbar to navigate between open applications. The Windows shortcut Windows + T moves the focus to the pinned and running items in the taskbar. We then use the arrow keys to move between the items and the Enter key to launch the selected program. Let's try that now. I'll press my Windows key and the letter T for taskbar.

Screen Reader: Running applications tool bar. File Explorer button.

Vikki: The first open application is announced. As we press the arrow keys, the focus moves between the applications. We can use either the right arrow to move forward or the left arrow to move back.

Screen Reader: Word 2016, two running windows, menu button sub menu. Google Chrome, one running window, button sub menu. Camtasia 9, one running window, button sub menu. Camtasia Recorder 9, one running window, button sub menu. Camtasia 9, one running window, button sub menu. Google Chrome, one running window, button sub menu. Word 2016, two running windows, menu button sub menu. Word 2016 task switcher list. The Constitution of the United States Word.

Vikki: Once I hear the desired application or document announced, press Enter to open.

Screen Reader: The Constitution of the United States Word.

Vikki: There are also a few techniques we can use to move between open Word documents. These strategies do not recognize open applications like File Explorer or our web browser. The first is the keyboard shortcut Control + F6. This easy shortcut works much like Alt + Tab except it only switches between your open Word documents. Let's try that now. I'm pressing my Control key and pressing and releasing the F6 key.

Screen Reader: Declaration of Independence Word. The Constitution of the United States Word. Declaration of Independence Word.

Vikki: The focus lands on a different Word document with each press of the F6 key. When I release both keys, the desired document is brought to focus and we hear the title and application announced.

Screen Reader: Declaration of Independence. Microsoft Word Document, edit multiline. Page one section one, Declaration of Independence.

Vikki: One last technique we'll discuss today uses our menu bar. We'll start by pressing the Alt key and W to move the focus to the view menu.

Screen Reader:Ribbon tabs, tab control. View tab selected Alt + W.

Vikki: Our screen reader is telling us that the focus is currently on the view tab. Press W again to move to the switch window sub menu.

Screen Reader: W, menu.

Vikki: Now we have a dropdown list that contains each of the Word documents that are currently open. Each title is preceded by a number with one being the most recently opened document. There are two methods to open our desired document from this list. We can either select the document by number or we can use our arrow keys to move through the list and then press Enter. Let's listen to our choices using the arrow keys.

Screen Reader: 2, The Constitution of the United States, Alt + W, W, 2. 1, Declaration of Independence, checked, Alt + W, W, 1.

Vikki: Now let's try using the number technique since it is one less keystroke. I'll press the number 2.

Screen Reader: The Constitution of the United States Word, The Constitution of the United States. Microsoft Word Document, edit multiline. Page one section one, The Constitution of the United States.

Vikki: As you can see, the final method in which we use the ribbon contained more keystrokes than our handy shortcut commands. The shortcuts of Alt + Tab or Control + F6 truly are shortcuts when compared to using our ribbons. With these helpful tips, you should be able to use keyboard shortcuts to navigate between open applications. I'm Vikki Vaughan and I thank you for joining me today.