Configuration

Customize NVDA settings, preferences, and behavior to match your workflow

NVDA offers extensive configuration options to adapt to your preferences, workflow, and specific needs.

Accessing Configuration

NVDA Settings Dialog

The main configuration hub for NVDA.

Open: NVDA+Control+G (General settings) or NVDA+N > Preferences > Settings

The settings dialog contains multiple categories. Press Control+Tab to move forward through categories, or Shift+Control+Tab to move backward.

Quick Settings Shortcuts

Direct access to specific setting categories:

Category	Shortcut	Description
General	NVDA+Control+G	Interface language, updates, exit options
Speech	NVDA+Control+V	Synthesizer, voice, speech parameters
Braille	NVDA+Control+A	Display selection, braille tables
Keyboard	NVDA+Control+K	Keyboard layout, typing options
Mouse	NVDA+Control+M	Mouse tracking, audio coordinates

General Settings

Language

Setting: Language combo box
Default: User Default, Windows

Select the language for NVDA’s interface and messages.

NVDA must restart when changing language. You’ll be prompted to restart now or later.

Available languages include:

• Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Aragonese
• Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional)
• Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English
• Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German
• Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic
• Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Mongolian
• Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil/Portugal)
• Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian
• Spanish (Colombia/Spain), Swedish, Thai, Turkish
• Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and many more…

Save and Exit Options

Save configuration on exit

Type: Checkbox
Default: Enabled

When checked, NVDA automatically saves all settings when you exit.

When to disable: Testing temporary settings or configurations

Show exit options

Type: Checkbox
Default: Enabled

When checked, displays a dialog when exiting with options:

• Exit NVDA
• Restart NVDA
• Restart with add-ons disabled
• Restart with debug logging
• Install pending updates

When to disable: For faster exit without confirmation

Play sounds when starting or exiting

Type: Checkbox
Default: Enabled

Play startup and shutdown sounds as audio confirmation.

Startup Behavior

1. Start after sign-in

   Enable to launch NVDA automatically after logging into Windows.

   Requirement: Installed copy only (not portable)

2. Use during sign-in

   Enable to run NVDA on the Windows login screen.

   Requirement: Administrator privileges

3. Copy settings to system

   Click to apply current settings to secure screens (login, UAC).

   Important: Save configuration (Control+NVDA+C) before copying

Updates

Automatically check for updates

Default: Enabled

NVDA periodically checks for new versions and notifies you.

Information sent:

• Current NVDA version
• Operating system version
• Processor architecture (x86/x64/ARM64)

Notify for pending updates

Shows notification on startup if an update is ready to install.

Update Mirror

Specify an alternative server for updates.

Use when:

• NV Access server is slow or blocked
• Organization requires internal update server
• Located in region with access restrictions

Set mirror: Click “Change” button and enter URL

Keyboard Settings

Access: NVDA+Control+K

Keyboard Layout

Choose between Desktop and Laptop layouts:

Desktop Layout

Best for: Full-size keyboards with numeric keypad

Features:

• Uses numpad extensively for navigation
• More efficient for power users
• Requires Num Lock off for NVDA commands
• Clear spatial organization of commands

Laptop Layout

Best for: Laptops and keyboards without numpad

Features:

• Uses alternative key combinations
• Works on any keyboard
• No Num Lock dependency
• More modifier key combinations

Typing Feedback

Speak typed characters

Shortcut: NVDA+2

NVDA speaks each character as you type it.

Options:

• Enabled: Speak all typed characters
• Disabled: No character echo

Speak typed words

Shortcut: NVDA+3

NVDA speaks complete words when you press Space or Enter.

Best for: Verifying word spelling without character-by-character feedback

Speech interrupt for typed characters

Determines whether typing interrupts current speech.

Enabled: Typing stops speech immediately
Disabled: Speech continues while typing

Speak command keys

Shortcut: NVDA+4

NVDA announces non-character keys:

• Modifier keys (Control, Shift, Alt)
• Function keys (F1-F12)
• Navigation keys (arrows, Page Up/Down)
• Special keys (Enter, Escape, Tab)

Best for: Learning keyboard commands and verifying input

Special Key Handling

Handle keys from other applications

Allow NVDA to intercept keyboard shortcuts from other programs.

Use case: Some applications like remote desktop need this enabled

Caps Lock as NVDA modifier

Enable Caps Lock as an additional NVDA modifier key.

Benefits:

• Easier to reach than Insert
• Better ergonomics for frequent commands
• Works alongside Insert key

Note: Press Caps Lock twice quickly to toggle caps lock state

Mouse Settings

Access: NVDA+Control+M

Mouse Tracking

Enable mouse tracking

Shortcut: NVDA+M

NVDA announces text under the mouse pointer as you move it.

Reading modes:

• Paragraph: Reads surrounding paragraph
• Line: Reads only the current line

Best for: Exploring visual interfaces, finding screen elements

Report object under mouse

Announces the control type (button, link, edit field) under the mouse.

Best for: Understanding interface layout without seeing the screen

Audio coordinates

Plays tones to indicate mouse position:

• Pitch: Vertical position (higher = top, lower = bottom)
• Stereo pan: Horizontal position (left/right speaker)

Brightness: Volume indicates proximity to center

Best for: Precise mouse positioning, screen exploration

Mouse Settings Options

Setting	Description
Resolution	How often NVDA reports mouse movement (lower = more frequent)
Shape indication	Report mouse cursor shape changes
Role announcement	Announce control types under mouse

Document Reading

Document Formatting

Access: NVDA Settings > Document Formatting

Control what formatting information NVDA reports:

Font Attributes

• Font name
• Font size
• Bold, italic, underline
• Strikethrough
• Subscript/superscript

Text Properties

• Color
• Background color
• Highlighting
• Text style changes

Document Information

• Headings
• Lists
• Block quotes
• Groupings
• Landmarks

Page Elements

• Links
• Tables
• Comments
• Editor revisions
• Spelling errors

Quick toggle: Press NVDA+Control+D to temporarily toggle document formatting

Table Reporting

Report tables

Announce when entering and exiting tables.

Report table row/column headers

Options:

• Rows and Columns
• Rows only
• Columns only
• Off

Announces header cells as you navigate table content.

Report cell coordinates

Speaks cell position (e.g., “Row 3, Column 2”) when navigating tables.

Reading Preferences

Automatic language switching

Switch synthesizer language based on document language metadata.

Requires: Synthesizer voices in multiple languages

Use screen layout

Present document content spatially as it appears visually.

Effects:

• Preserves column layout
• Maintains visual spacing
• Shows aligned elements

Best for: Forms, tables, formatted documents

Vision Settings

Even for screen reader users, visual highlighting can help sighted collaborators:

Visual Highlight

Access: NVDA Settings > Vision

Focus Highlight

Draws a colored rectangle around:

• System focus
• Navigator object
• Browse mode cursor

Colors configurable for each element

Screen Curtain

Blacks out the screen for privacy:

Toggle: NVDA+Control+Escape

Use cases:

• Privacy in public spaces
• Presentations about screen readers
• Testing true non-visual workflow

Screen curtain disables all visual output. Ensure you can navigate by sound before enabling!

Input Gestures

Access: NVDA Menu > Preferences > Input Gestures

Customize or add keyboard shortcuts for any NVDA command.

1. Find Command

   Browse the tree view or use the search field to find the command you want to customize.

2. Add Gesture

   Select the command and click “Add”. Press the key combination you want to assign.

3. Remove Gesture

   Select an existing gesture and click “Remove” to delete the assignment.

4. Save Changes

   Click “OK” to save your custom gestures.

Command categories:

• Browse mode
• Global commands
• Input
• Object navigation
• Speech
• System caret
• Text review
• Vision
• Application-specific

You can assign multiple gestures to the same command, or leave commands unassigned until you need them.

Configuration Profiles

Create different configurations for different situations:

Profile Types

Normal Configuration

Active: Always (unless overridden)

Your default settings used in most applications.

Application Profiles

Active: When specific application has focus

Examples:

• Different speech rate for web browsers
• Specific braille settings for text editors
• Custom keyboard commands for particular apps

Manual Profiles

Active: When explicitly enabled

Examples:

• “Presentation mode” with slower speech
• “Quiet mode” with minimal verbosity
• “Braille only” mode for library use

Managing Profiles

1. Open Profile Manager

   Press NVDA+N > Preferences > Configuration Profiles

2. Create Profile

   Click “New” and choose:

   • Profile name
   • Activation type (manual/application)
   • Application to trigger (if application profile)
3. Edit Profile

   Select profile, click “Edit”. All setting changes apply only to this profile.

4. Use Profile

   For manual profiles, select and click “Manual activate”

Profile settings override normal configuration. Changes to settings while a profile is active modify that profile, not your normal configuration.

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings should only be changed if you understand their implications. Incorrect settings may cause instability.

Notable Advanced Options

UI Automation

Use UI Automation to access Microsoft Word documents: Enabled by default on Windows 11

Provides better performance and accessibility in modern Office versions.

Browse Mode Loading

Maximum characters per page: Controls memory vs. responsiveness trade-off

Higher values = more memory, faster navigation
Lower values = less memory, more loading pauses

Debug Logging

Enable logging levels:

• Info
• Debug
• Input/Output

Use for: Troubleshooting, bug reporting

Debug logging significantly impacts performance and generates large log files.

Play Error Sound

Play sound when NVDA encounters an error.

Best for: Developers, troubleshooting

Saving and Restoring Configuration

Save Configuration

Save current settings: Control+NVDA+C

Also accessible via NVDA Menu > Preferences > Save Configuration

Some settings like window position and certain states are always saved on exit regardless of this setting.

Revert Configuration

Revert to saved: NVDA+Control+R (press three times)

Restores settings to last saved state, discarding all changes since then.

Reset to Defaults

From NVDA menu:

1. Open Preferences

   Press NVDA+N, then P for Preferences

2. Reset to Defaults

   Select “Reset to Factory Defaults”

3. Confirm Reset

   Confirm that you want to delete all custom settings

4. Restart NVDA

   NVDA restarts with default settings

Resetting to defaults permanently deletes all customizations, including profiles, dictionaries, and custom gestures. This cannot be undone.

Configuration Files Location

NVDA stores settings in:

Installed version:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\nvda\

Portable version:
[NVDA folder]\userConfig\

Important files:

• nvda.ini - Main configuration
• profiles/ - Configuration profiles
• speechDicts/ - Speech dictionaries
• gestures.ini - Custom input gestures
• addons/ - Installed add-ons

Backup the userConfig folder regularly to preserve your customizations.

Import and Export Settings

Export Configuration

1. Create Portable Copy

   NVDA Menu > Tools > Create Portable Copy

2. Include Current Config

   Check “Copy current user configuration” option

3. Save Location

   Choose destination folder (USB drive, network location, etc.)

Import Configuration

1. Install NVDA

   Run installer or launch portable copy

2. Copy Config Files

   Manually copy files from backup to userConfig folder

3. Restart NVDA

   Restart to apply imported settings

Tips for Effective Configuration

Start Simple

Begin with defaults, then customize gradually as you discover needs

Use Profiles

Create profiles for different tasks rather than constantly changing settings

Backup Regularly

Export configuration before major changes or system updates

Test Thoroughly

Try new settings in non-critical situations before committing

Next Steps

Keyboard Commands

Learn all available keyboard shortcuts

Add-ons

Extend NVDA with community add-ons