The Complete NVDA Screen Reader Guide

A comprehensive, open-source guide to mastering NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access), the free screen reader for Microsoft Windows.

About NVDA

NVDA is a free, open source screen reader developed by NV Access. It enables blind and vision-impaired users to access Windows computers through speech and braille output.

About This Guide

This guide is designed for:

• New NVDA users needing a structured introduction
• JAWS users transitioning to a free alternative
• Intermediate users expanding their command knowledge
• Power users seeking advanced features
• Accessibility professionals needing reference material
• Developers testing screen reader compatibility

Contents

1. Getting Started - Installation, setup, basic concepts
2. Browse and Focus Modes - The two primary interaction modes
3. Reading Text - Character, word, line, and continuous reading
4. Web Navigation - Single letter navigation, Elements List
5. Object Navigation - Exploring the Windows interface
6. Working with Applications - Word, Excel, Outlook, browsers
7. Settings and Configuration - Customizing NVDA
8. Add-ons - Extending NVDA's functionality
9. Braille Display Support - Refreshable braille integration
10. Complete Command Reference - Quick lookup tables

Building the EPUB

Prerequisites

• Pandoc 2.0 or later

Build Command

./build.sh

Or manually:

cd book
pandoc --metadata-file=metadata.yaml --toc --toc-depth=2 --split-level=1 \
  -o ../build/The_Complete_NVDA_Guide.epub *.md

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md.

• Fix errors and typos
• Update for new NVDA versions
• Improve explanations
• Add missing commands
• Translate to other languages

License

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Acknowledgments

• NV Access for creating NVDA
• The NVDA community worldwide
• Contributors to this guide

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