Configuring Screen Readers for Testing

Switching to default configuration

Currently, all screen reader tests require use of default settings, i.e., tests intend to assess the out-of-box experience. Here are some tips for switching to defaults for supported screen readers.

JAWS

Press insert+space followed by 'z' to toggle between custom user settings and factory defaults.

NVDA

Press insert+ctrl+r 3 times in quick succession to revert to default settings. To restore the configuration that was active before reverting to defaults, press insert+ctrl+r.

VoiceOver for macOS

1. Open the VoiceOver utility (ctrl-opt-F8)
2. The file menu has options for exporting (backing up) your custom settings and then importing (to restore) them.
3. The file menu also has an option for restoring default settings.

Alternatively:

1. Open the activities tab of the VoiceOver utility.
2. Add a testing activity.
3. Configure the testing activity to use default settings.
4. When testing, press ctrl-opt-x and choose the testing activity.
5. Toggle back to custom settings by pressing ctrl-opt-x twice.