# Frequently asked questions

Canonical URL: https://www.teamsaccessibility.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

## General Information

Getting started with Teams basics

### Does Teams support screen readers?

Yes and No, Microsoft Teams is designed with moderate support for Screen Readers including JAWS, Fusion, NVDA & VoiceOver on desktop. User's can create and attend meetings fairly easily. Basics such as toggling mute and video work ok. However, simple tasks on desktop versions such as the ability to identify the current speaker do not exist despite being easy to identify by visual means. Navigation throughout the meeting interface is possible, but requires many more steps than other meeting platforms such as Zoom meetings.

### Where can I change text size and contrast settings?

Go to **Settings > Appearance** in Teams. You can switch between Light, Dark, and High Contrast themes. For system-wide text size changes, use your operating system's accessibility settings.

## Understanding Chats

Getting around in Chats

### How do I navigate Chats?

These are the default shortcuts for the **Microsoft Teams desktop app on Windows**. Teams in a browser and Teams on Mac use different shortcuts.

1. Open Chat from the app bar. **Ctrl+2** opens Chat only when it is the second app; Ctrl+number follows your app order.
2. Press **Ctrl+L** to focus the chat or channel list.
3. In an open chat, press **Ctrl+M** to focus the message pane.
4. Press **Ctrl+R** to move to the compose box.

Press **Ctrl+Period (.)** to check your current shortcuts, including customizations. See [Microsoft's Teams keyboard shortcut reference](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/teams/keyboard-shortcuts-for-microsoft-teams). Screen-reader announcements can vary; these steps do not depend on a particular spoken label.

### Why is there a Close Notification button above the Type a Message box?

If people within a Chat have messages such as a status or out of office those will appear in a dialog above the Type a Message field. You can close that message safely, it will reappear everytime you return to the Chat if people still have active statuses. There is no way to permanently supress this dialog.

### How to react to a Message?

Press Enter on the message, then left/right arrow to the desired preset reactions and press Space.

### Why do I hear Like, Thumbs up or Yes reactions on different devices for the same message?

The Teams thumbs up symbol may read out as Like on Desktop, Yes on iOS while visually it is a hand showing a thumbs up.

## Meetings Basics

Common questions for working in Meetings

### What are the most common shortcuts for Meetings?

In the **Microsoft Teams desktop app on Windows**, the default shortcuts are:

- Microphone on/off: **Ctrl+Shift+M**.
- Camera on/off: **Ctrl+Shift+O**.
- Hand up/down: **Ctrl+Shift+K**.
- End the call: **Ctrl+Shift+H**.

Use these with focus in the Teams meeting window. Check **Ctrl+Period (.)** for your configured shortcuts. [Microsoft's Teams keyboard shortcut reference](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/teams/keyboard-shortcuts-for-microsoft-teams) distinguishes Windows desktop from web and Mac shortcuts.

### How do I toggle mute from outside of Teams on Windows?

Windows key + Alt + K will toggle the Microphone mute that shows on the Windows taskbar in Windows 11 unless there is more than one app using the microphone.