NVDA Screen Reader Software

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a screen reader software developed for people whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse. NVDA provides speech and Braille output for most popular computer applications on Windows PCs. (At this time, NVDA is not available on Mac.)

Installing on University Computers

Please follow the instructions for installing software on office computers.

Note on updates: NVDA may try to auto-update. If this happens, the update will be unable to finish, because the update process requires administrative rights to continue. You will instead need to visit the software center to install the updated version, if available.

Installing on Personally Owned Windows Computer

1. Go to the NV Access web portal and look for the button labeled Download. (You will also see an option to donate, if desired. Donation is not necessary to install and use NVDA on personal machines.)
2. Once the installer has downloaded, run the installer and follow all instructions. NVDA will narrate the entire install process as you complete it.
3. You can choose to install NVDA on your computer or on a USB drive (portable copy) that can be run from anywhere. Select the option that best fits your needs.

First-time Setup (All Installations)

1. Select your keyboard layout. The default Desktop layout makes use of the number pad for some functions, and so is unsuitable if your keyboard lacks a number pad. The Laptop layout reassigns those functions to other keys.
2. Set your modifier key. This is the key that activates keyboard commands for NVDA. The default is the Insert key. You may instead select the Caps Lock key if your keyboard lacks an Insert key, or for your own preferences.
3. Set any other options, as desired. Note that you can change any of these options at any time from the settings menu. One useful setting option, "Start NVDA after I sign in," allows you to enable or disable whether NVDA starts up automatically as soon as you sign into Windows.

Additional Resources

Use the following resources to guide you through using NVDA:

• NVDA 2026.2 User Guide - official documentation, which includes a quick-start guide, detailed keystroke and command guides, help documentation, and more.
• Official training modules (for cost) - paid modules that include basic functions and trainings for using NVDA with specific software products, such as Microsoft Office.
• Learn NVDA (American Foundation for the Blind) - free video tutorials (with transcripts) covering essential functions and common tasks.
• NVDA Keyboard Shortcuts - cheat sheet guide from Deque University.