Use Google Calendar with a screen reader

If you use a screen reader in Google Calendar, you can:

  • Create and track events
  • Send invites to others
  • Accept or reject invitations

Select an option below:

Before you start

Use Google Calendar as a web application

We recommend that you set up your screen reader to navigate Google Calendar as a 'web application' instead of a 'web page'.

When you use Google Calendar as a web application, you can use Google Calendar keyboard shortcuts to navigate more easily. For example, you can press the c key to create an event, the Slash key to begin a calendar search, and the t key to move to today's date. More shortcuts are described below.

Recommended browser and screen readers

Google Calendar recommends Chrome and:

  • NVDA or JAWS on Windows
  • ChromeVox on ChromeOS
  • VoiceOver on MacOS

Get started

Set up your screen reader for use with Google Calendar

Set up your screen reader to use Google Calendar as a web application.

  • JAWS: To switch off the virtual cursor, press JAWS + z.
  • NVDA: To switch to focus mode, press NVDA + Space.
  • ChromeVox: Make sure that sticky mode is off. To turn off sticky mode, press the Search key twice.
  • VoiceOver: Make sure that QuickNav is off. Press the left and right arrow keys until VoiceOver says 'QuickNav off'.

Open Google Calendar

  1. Go to calendar.google.com.
  2. If prompted, select or sign in to your account.
  3. To open your calendar, use the 'Skip to main content' button.
  4. To review keyboard shortcuts, use the 'Keyboard shortcuts' button.

Learn about the Google Calendar interface

In Google Calendar, there are four main areas:

  • Banner area: This area has buttons and links to:
    • Toggle main drawer visibility
    • Control the events view area
    • Perform a Search query
      • Use keyboard shortcut Slash. To return to the banner area, press Escape.
    • Get support
    • Open Settings menu
    • Open View switcher menu
    • Open other applications
    • Change the active account
  • Events area: This is the main area. It's where events are shown in schedule, day, week, month or year view. We recommend the use of schedule view, also called agenda view, with a screen reader.
    • Use keyboard shortcut a or the shortcut for your preferred view.
  • Main drawer area: When expanded, this area is where you can:
    • Create an event, out of office, task and more
    • Find a small calendar to the left of the main events area
    • Search for people to meet
      • Use keyboard shortcut Plus.
    • Add other calendars to the main events area
  • Right sidebar: When expanded, this area provides quick access to other Google apps, like Keep, Tasks and Contacts, that are shown in the side panel.
    • Windows: Press Ctrl + Alt + full stop.
    • ChromeOS: Press Shift + Alt + full stop.
    • MacOS: Press ⌘ + Option + full stop.

Shortcuts in Google Calendar

You can use keyboard shortcuts to help navigate your calendar and perform tasks.

There are two ways to get a list of keyboard shortcuts:

  • Use keyboard shortcuts:
    • On Windows or ChromeOS, press Ctrl + Slash.
    • On MacOS, press ⌘ + Slash.
  • Use the Tab key and buttons: Tab past the 'Skip to main content' button at the top of the page to the 'Keyboard shortcuts' button and press Enter.

Common shortcuts in Google Calendar

Action Shortcut
Create a new event c
Edit an event e
Shift the event view to today t
Delete an event

Windows and ChromeOS: Delete or Backspace

MacOS: Delete
Day view 1 or d
Week view 2 or w
Month view 3 or m
Custom view 4 or x
Schedule view 5 or a
Year view 6 or y
Save an event

Windows and ChromeOS: Ctrl + s or Ctrl + Enter

MacOS: ⌘ + s or ⌘ + Enter

Complete common tasks in Google Calendar with a screen reader

Navigate the events area

Navigate calendar in schedule view

We recommend that you use the schedule view. In schedule view:

Action Shortcut
Move between days

Left or right arrow keys

The number of events in a day affects the view. The view may include events for one or more days.
Move between events in a day

Up or down arrow keys

The number of events in a day affects the view. The view may include events for one or more days.
Shift view to the next day n
Shift view to the previous day p

Navigate calendar in day view

Important: You switch to day view when you press Enter on the day in other views.

Action Shortcut
Day view groups events into two sections: all-day events and regular events.

To move between all-day events or regular events, use the up or down arrow keys.

This shortcut doesn't work when there are no events on the current day.
Move between events in the all-day events area or the regular events area

Tab key

This shortcut doesn't work when there are no events on the current day.
Next day n
Previous day p

Navigate calendar in week view

Action Shortcut
Week view groups events into two sections: all-day events and regular events. To move between all-day events or regular events, use the up or down arrow keys.
Move between days of the week Left or right arrow keys
Move between events in the all-day events area or the regular events area Tab key
Scroll view to next week

n

Press the w key to move focus to the beginning of the new week.
Scroll view to prior week

p

Press the w key to move focus to the beginning of the new week.

Navigate calendar in month view

Action Shortcut
Move between weeks Up or down arrow keys
Move between days Left or right arrow keys
Move between events in the month

Tab key

Multiple events may not show on screen. To access all events, navigate to the More button, and then press Enter or Space.
Scroll view to the next month

n

Press the m key to move focus to the beginning of the new month.
Scroll view to prior month

p

Press the m key to move focus to the beginning of the new month.

Navigate calendar in year view

Action Shortcut
Move between the same day in previous or next weeks Up or down arrow keys
Move between days Left or right arrow keys
Open a dialogue with a tabbable list of the day's events Enter key
Enter month view Space key
Scroll view to the next year

n

Press the y key to move focus to the beginning of the new year.
Scroll view to the prior year

p

Press the y key to move focus to the beginning of the new year.

Go to a specific date

To change the view to a specific date, use the 'Go to date' shortcut:

  1. To open the 'Go to date' dialogue, press the g key.
  2. Enter the desired date. For example, 05/06/2021.
  3. Press Enter.

Tips:

  • When you use today's date, the g shortcut for 'Go to date' behaves the same as the t shortcut for 'Go to today'.
  • In week, month and year views, the beginning of the period that includes the new date scrolls into view, but the focus won't move. In order to move focus to the exact new date, press the a key for schedule view or the d key for day view.

Use the small calendar view

There's a small calendar in the main drawer area. You can use the small calendar to change the dates in the current view or to review all days in a month.

Find the small calendar
  • In the main drawer area, press Plus for 'People search'.
  • Press Shift + Tab once to put focus on the month table.

Important: If you can't find the small calendar, it might be because the main drawer area is collapsed. To expand the 'Main drawer' button, navigate to the start of the banner area and press Enter.

Navigate the small calendar
  • To find the desired date, use the arrow keys. When you find the desired date, press Enter. The main calendar view updates to include the date that you choose.
  • To navigate back to the main calendar area, press the a key to return to the agenda view with focus on the new date.

Create and manage events

Create an event

  1. There are three ways to create an event:
    • Press the c key. A page opens to create a regular event.
    • Press Shift + c. A dialogue opens. Choose the type of event that you want to create. You can create a regular event, an out-of-office event, a task or a reminder.
    • Use the 'Create' menu button in the main drawer area. You can select 'Event', 'Focus time', 'Out of office', 'Task' or 'Appointment schedule.'
  2. Initial focus is on an entry field for the event title.
  3. Press Tab until you get to the 'date and time fields', and enter date and time info.
  4. Optional: To invite guests to the event, press Tab until you reach the 'Guests' edit field, and then enter your guest's email address.
    • As you enter a name or email address, a suggestion is announced. If that's the person who you want to invite, press Enter.
    • More suggestions are listed below the edit field. To listen to the names, press the down arrow key. When the desired person is found, press Enter.
    • If a person isn't suggested, continue to enter their name and the suggestion list changes.
  5. Optional: Populate other fields, like:
    • Rooms or meeting info
    • Notifications
    • Attachments
    • Meeting description
  6. There are different ways to save an event:
    • ChromeOS or Windows: Press Ctrl + s or Ctrl + Enter.
    • MacOS: Press ⌘ + s or ⌘ + Enter.
    • On any operating system, you can press the Tab key until you get to the 'Save' button. Then, press Enter.
  7. To discard the event, press Escape.

Create a recurring event

  1. Find an event or create a new one:
    • Navigate to an event in the calendar view. To open the event details, press the e key.
    • To create a new event, press the c key.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Does not repeat' drop-down and then press Enter or Space. The drop-down opens.
  3. Choose an option:
    • To select a preset event frequency, use the arrow keys to go through the list of frequency options. When you hear the recurrence frequency that you want your event to have, press Enter or Space.
    • To set a custom event frequency:
      1. Arrow to the Custom button and then press Enter or Space. Enter the number of times that the event repeats.
      2. Press Tab to go to the 'Repeat every' button. To move through the days of the week, press the Tab key. To choose a day, press Space.
      3. Optional: You can choose the start and end date. Press Tab to go through the list and make a selection.
      4. To save your recurring event setup, press Tab to go to the 'Done' button and then press Enter or Space.

Review an event

  1. Navigate to an event in the calendar view.
  2. Press Enter.
  3. To review event fields with no shift in focus:
    • Windows: Press Alt + {number}
    • ChromeOS: Press Alt + Shift + {number}
    • MacOS: Press Option + {number}
    • The {number} selects the event field:
      • 1 Title
      • 2 Date and time
      • 3 Guests
      • 4 Rooms and location
      • 5 Description
      • 6 Attachments
      • 7 Notifications
  4. To interact with fields that you can change, press Tab.
    • Tip: You can't access all info with the Tab key. To hear some info, you may have to use screen reader commands. To use screen reader commands with your screen reader:
      • JAWS: Turn on the virtual cursor.
      • NVDA: Turn on browse mode.
      • ChromeVox: Turn on sticky mode.
      • VoiceOver: Turn on QuickNav.
  5. When you've finished with event review, press Escape.

Add and remove attendees from an event

  1. Find an event or create a new one:
    • Navigate to an event in the calendar view. To edit the event details, press the e key.
    • To create a new event, press the c key.
  2. To invite guests to the event, press Tab until you reach the 'Guests' edit field, and then enter your guest's email address.
    • As you enter a name or email address, a suggestion is announced. If that's the person who you want to invite, press Enter.
    • More suggestions are listed below the edit field. To listen to the names, press the down arrow key. When the desired person is found, press Enter.
    • If a person isn't suggested, continue to enter their name and the suggestion list changes.
  3. Optional: You can mark a guest's attendance as optional.
    1. To mark a guest as optional, press Tab until you get to the list of invited guests.
    2. Use the arrow keys to get to the guest that you want to mark as optional.
    3. Press Tab to go to the 'Mark optional' button and then press Enter or Space.
  4. Optional: You can remove a guest.
    1. To remove a guest, press Tab to get to the list of invited guests.
    2. Use the arrow keys to go to the guest that you want to remove.
    3. Press Tab until you get to the 'Remove' button and then press Enter.
  5. Save the event.

Add and remove rooms for an event

You can add and remove rooms to events if your Google Account is through your work or school.

  1. Find an event or create a new one:
    • Navigate to an event in the calendar view. To edit the event details, press the e key.
    • To create a new event, press the c key.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Guests' tab list. To get to the Rooms tab field, use the right arrow key.
  3. Press Tab until you get to the 'Rooms list'.
  4. To enter the list of rooms, press the down arrow key.
  5. To toggle room selection, press Enter.
  6. Save the event.

Use suggested times

After you add guests, Google Calendar provides suggested times when everyone is available. To review the times and choose:

  1. Find an event or create a new one:
    • Navigate to an event in the calendar view. To edit the event details, press the e key.
    • To create a new event, press the c key.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Guest' edit field, and then press Enter. Add the guests to the event.
  3. Press Tab to get to the 'Suggested times' menu.
  4. To open the menu, press Enter or the down arrow key.
  5. To review time options, use the arrow keys.
  6. When you find the time that you want to choose, press Enter. The date and times in the meeting are updated to the suggested time.
  7. Save the event.

Use 'find a time'

  1. Find an event or create a new one:
    • Navigate to an event in the calendar view. To open the event details, press the e key.
    • To create a new event, press the c key.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Guest' edit field, and then press Enter. Add the guest to the event.
  3. Press Tab to get to the 'Event details' tab list. To get to the 'Find a time' tab, use the right arrow key.
  4. To enter the calendar panel, press Tab.
  5. To review time options, use the arrow keys.
  6. When you find the time that you want to choose, press Enter. The date and times in the meeting are updated to the suggested time.
  7. Save the event.

Get someone else's calendar

You can temporarily add someone's calendar to your calendar view.

  1. Press the Plus key.
  2. Enter the person's email address.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. The other person's calendar is added to your calendar view.

Tips:

  • To remove the person's calendar from the main calendar area, refresh the page.
  • If you create an event, Google Calendar automatically removes the other person's calendar from your main calendar area.

Delete an event

Important: When you delete an event, you cancel the event for all attendees. When you remove an event from only your calendar, it doesn't cancel the event for the other attendees. To delete an event:

  1. Go to an event.
  2. There are several ways to delete the event.
    • Press Backspace.
    • Press Delete.
    • To open the event dialogue, press Enter. Use the arrow keys to get to the 'Delete' button and then press Enter.
    • Delete from the edit event page:
      1. Press e to edit the event.
      2. Press Tab until you get to the 'More actions' button and then press Enter.
      3. Use the down arrow key to the 'Delete' button and then press Enter.
  3. Optional: If the event recurs, follow the steps in Remove one or all event recurrences.

Remove one or all event recurrences

If an event is part of a series, a dialogue box asks if only one or all should be removed. To choose to remove one or all event recurrences:

  1. Use the up or down arrow keys and choose whether to delete:
    • This event
    • This and following events
    • All events
  2. Optional: If other guests are invited to the meeting, you can enter a message about the cancellation. After you've entered your message, press Tab.
  3. Press Tab until you get to the 'OK' button and then press Enter.

Restore an event

If you delete an event by mistake, you can view or restore it for 30 days. To restore an event:

  1. Go to the banner area with keyboard shortcut Slash.
  2. Press Escape.
  3. Press Tab twice until you get to the 'Settings' menu button.
  4. To open the Settings menu, press Enter or the down arrow key.
  5. Use the down arrow key until you get to the 'Bin' button.
  6. Press Enter.
  7. Press Tab until you get to the button labelled 'Restore {event name}', where {event name} matches the event that you want to restore.
  8. Press Space or Enter.
  9. Press the browser back shortcut to return to your calendar.

Search for an event

Use simple search

  1. Press the Slash key.
  2. Enter a search term.
    • If you enter a contact name, press the down arrow to the matching contact.
  3. Press Enter.
    • If you search multiple terms and people, you will find events that match all search terms.

If any events match your search, a schedule view is displayed with focus on the match closest to today's date. When there are multiple matches, you can navigate like you do in the schedule view:

  • To navigate past dates with an event that matches your search, press the left arrow.
  • To navigate future dates with a matched event, press the right arrow.
  • To navigate matched events in the past, press the up arrow.
  • To navigate matched events in the future, press the down arrow.
  • To review an event, press Enter on the event. To return to the results view, press Escape.
  • To return to the previous calendar view, press Escape.

Use advanced search

  1. Press the Slash key.
  2. Press Tab to the 'Search options' button.
  3. To open a form with search options, press Enter.
  4. To select an option, press Tab until you reach the option that you want:
    • Which calendars to search
      • The default is 'all active'. For other options, press the down arrow.
    • What keywords must be in the event?
    • Who is a participant?
    • Where is the event?
    • What keywords must not be in the event?
    • What is the range of dates?
  5. To perform the search, press Enter.
  6. To navigate the results, use the arrow keys as described above in Use simple search.

Respond to event invitations

From the events view

  1. Navigate to an event.
  2. Open the context menu.
    • ChromeOS: Press Shift + F10, or with ChromeVox active, press Search + m.
    • Windows: Press Shift + F10 or press the application key.
    • MacOS with VoiceOver: Press VO + Shift + m.
  3. To choose an RSVP option, press the shortcut key below or arrow to the desired item, then press Enter.
Response Shortcut
Yes y
Yes, in a meeting room r
Yes, joining virtually v
No n
Maybe m

From the event dialogue

  1. To navigate to an existing event, use the arrow keys or the Tab key. When you get to the event, press Enter.
  2. Navigate to 'Going?'
  3. Press Tab to go to the 'Yes', 'No' or 'Maybe' buttons. To select an RSVP option, press Enter.
  4. Optional: If the event recurs, choose your response and then press Enter:
    • This event
    • This and following events
    • All events

From the event page

  1. To navigate to an existing event, use the arrow keys or the Tab key.
  2. When you get to the event, press the e key.
  3. Press Tab until you get to the 'Going?' menu and use the up or down arrow keys to go to the 'Yes', 'No' or 'Maybe' buttons.
  4. To choose an RSVP option, press Enter.
  5. Save the event.

From email

  1. In your email, open the email invitation.
  2. Press Tab until you get to 'Going?' and use the arrow keys or Tab key to go to the 'Yes', 'No' or 'Maybe' buttons.
  3. To select an RSVP option, press Enter.

Join a video meeting from a calendar event

  1. Navigate to an event.
  2. There are two ways to join a meeting:
    • Option 1: Use the context menu
      1. To open the context menu:
        • ChromeOS: Press Shift + F10, or with ChromeVox active, press Search + m.
        • Windows: Press Shift + F10 or press the application key.
        • MacOS with VoiceOver: Press VO + Shift + m.
      2. Press j or use the down arrow key until you get to the 'Join meeting' button and then press Enter.
    • Option 2: Use the event dialogue
      1. Press Enter to open the event dialogue.
      2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Join now' button and then press Enter.

Set your availability and out of office status

When you indicate that you're out of the office, your calendar creates events that automatically decline all meetings during your out-of-office time.

  1. To create a new out-of-office event, press Shift + c.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Event' tab list. Use the arrow keys to get to the 'Out of office' tab.
  3. Press Tab until you get to the date parameters. Set the time or dates when you'll be out of office.
  4. Save the event.

Open calendar settings

To get to settings, press the s key.

You can also navigate to settings:

  1. Navigate to the banner area with the Slash key.
  2. Press Escape.
  3. Press Tab twice to the settings menu.
  4. Press Enter to open the settings menu.
  5. Press Enter again to open settings.

Share your calendar

  1. Press the s key to open Settings.
  2. Press Shift + Tab until you get to 'Settings for my calendars'.
  3. Press the down arrow to find the calendar that you want to share and then press Enter.
  4. Press Tab until you get to the 'Add people' button and then press Enter or Space.
  5. To share your calendar with someone, enter their email address.
  6. Press Tab until you get to the 'Send' button and then press Enter or Space.

Manage your different calendars

Add calendars

  1. Press the s key to open Settings.
  2. Press Shift + Tab until you get to 'General'.
  3. Press the left arrow to collapse, then the down arrow to 'Add calendar', then Enter.
  4. Select an option and then press Enter:
    • Subscribe to calendar: You can subscribe to and view other calendars.
    • Create a new calendar: You can create new calendars.
    • Browse resources: This is a list of resources that are schedulable. Each resource is nested under a tabbable location.
    • Browse calendars of interest: This is a list of interest-based calendars, like sports calendars and holiday calendars.
    • From URL: You can add a new calendar from a link.

Show and hide calendars from view

  1. Navigate to the main drawer area with the Plus key.
    • If the main drawer area isn't available, navigate to the start of the banner area and press Enter to expand the 'Main drawer' button.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'My calendars' button.
    • If the 'My calendars' button is collapsed, press Enter.
  3. Press Tab to get to the first calendar.
  4. To find the calendar that you want, use the down arrow key.
  5. To show or hide the calendar, press Space.
  6. For additional options, press Tab.

View other calendars

You can add other calendars to your calendar.

  1. Navigate to the main drawer area with the Plus key.
    • If the main drawer area isn't available, navigate to the start of the banner area and press Enter to expand the 'Main drawer' button.
  2. Press Tab until you get to the 'Other calendars' button.
    • If the 'Other calendars' button is collapsed, press Enter.
  3. Press Tab to the 'Add other calendars' button and press Enter.
  4. Use the up or down arrow keys to select a menu option:
    • Subscribe
    • Browse
    • Create
  5. Press Enter to add the calendar.
  6. Press Tab to get to the first calendar.
  7. To find the calendar that you want, use the down arrow key.
  8. To show or hide the calendar, press Space.
  9. For additional options, press Tab.

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