Keyboard shortcuts provide quick access to selected widget actions. They can reduce the need to reopen the panel when starting or stopping a tool.
The website must have keyboard support enabled, and the corresponding feature must be available. These shortcuts are additions to the website's keyboard behaviour, not a complete keyboard-navigation system.
Shortcut reference
- Ctrl + I: Open or close the widget panel.
- Ctrl + X: Turn Read Aloud on or off.
- Ctrl + M: Start reading page content.
- Ctrl + N: Stop reading.
- Ctrl + Q: Turn speech commands on or off.
Hold Control, press the letter, then release both keys. The implemented modifier is Control; do not assume that the Command key on a Mac is an equivalent replacement.
Example: listen using the keyboard
- Open the website and allow its content to load.
- Press Ctrl + X to enable Read Aloud if it is not already active.
- Press Ctrl + M to start the reading action.
- Press Ctrl + N when you want to stop.
The reading player's play control provides pause and resume. The shortcut list does not define a separate pause/resume key combination.
Browser and application conflicts
Some combinations also have familiar browser or editing functions. For example, Ctrl + X commonly cuts selected text and Ctrl + N commonly opens a new window.
The result can depend on where focus is, whether the widget has loaded, and whether the browser reserves a shortcut. Avoid experimenting with these combinations while editing important text in a form.
If the browser performs its normal action instead, use the widget's visible control. A conflicting shortcut does not necessarily mean the underlying feature is unavailable.
Keyboard shortcuts and voice commands
Ctrl + Q is a keyboard action that toggles the speech-command feature. Voice commands themselves are spoken phrases and may require microphone permission.
See Navigating with Voice Commands for the spoken workflow and its command overview.
If a shortcut does not respond
- Wait until the widget has loaded.
- Release all keys and try once more.
- Check whether the required tool is visible and works through its panel control.
- Check whether focus is inside an embedded area or a different browser window.
- Use the visible control if the shortcut conflicts with another action.
Website owners should test these combinations in their supported environments, especially on pages with text-entry forms. See Listening to Content with Read Aloud for playback details.