Category: JAWS Power Tip

The “new” Adobe Acrobat Reader experience is a redesigned interface that is enabled by default when you first start Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some users, especially those using screen readers like JAWS, may find the new interface less accessible or missing certain features available in the legacy interface. Disabling it can help ensure better compatibility and access to all features.

The JAWS Find command is a powerful tool that helps you quickly locate specific words or phrases on a page, especially when standard search shortcuts like CTRL+F aren’t available. This is particularly useful in applications such as Adobe Reader, where searching within a PDF may not work as expected with typical keyboard shortcuts. It can also be used in a document, on a web page, or in an email in Outlook to locate text.

You can adjust the JAWS voice rate using keyboard commands so you can quickly make JAWS speak faster or slower as you work, without going into menus. This is useful if you want to speed up reading long documents or slow down for complex information.

A workbook in Microsoft Excel is a file that can contain multiple sheets, each used to organize related sets of information including statistics, calculations, or data tables. For example, in a single Excel workbook, you might have one sheet for sales data, another for expenses, and a third for summaries or charts.

Form fields are interactive elements on web pages, such as buttons, edit fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and combo boxes. They are essential for tasks like filling out forms, searching, or submitting information. For screen reader users, quickly finding and navigating to these fields can save time and reduce frustration, especially on complex pages. You can list specific types of form fields to learn more about the layout and controls on the form, which can make it easier to understand and navigate.

Layered keystrokes in JAWS are special shortcuts that let you perform powerful actions by pressing keys in sequence, rather than all at once. This makes it easier to access advanced features without needing to remember complex key combinations, which is especially helpful for users who prefer fewer simultaneous key presses.

The Sound Splitter feature in JAWS lets you route all JAWS speech to one ear and audio from other applications to the other ear when using stereo headsets or speakers. This is especially useful if you want to keep working with JAWS while listening to a meeting or media in another app, making it easier to focus on both at the same time.

Learn how to quickly check the battery and network status on your laptop using JAWS.

Google Docs is a part of the Google Workspace suite of applications and is widely used in schools and in the workplace to create, edit, and share documents.