You can edit drawings on your computer using a screen reader.
Note: Before following the steps below, make sure you've turned on Docs screen reader support.
Use keyboard shortcuts
To open a list of shortcuts in your drawing, press Ctrl + / (Windows, Chrome OS) or ⌘ + / (Mac). You can search for actions such as insert
or resize
. To return to your drawing, press Escape.
Take quick actions by searching the menus
- Press Alt + / (Windows, Chrome OS) or Option + / (Mac).
- Type a command, such as
Rename
orInsert
. - Press the down arrow to hear search results. For example, if you type
Insert
, the options include adding an image, a comment, and other choices. - To choose an action, press Enter.
Use the menus, top-level buttons, and toolbar
Note: If there are no buttons and menus at the top, press Ctrl + Shift + f (Windows, Chrome OS, or Mac).
To browse the menus:
- Open the File menu using the shortcut key for your browser:
- Windows with Chrome browser: Alt + f
- Windows with other browsers: Alt + Shift + f
- Chrome OS: Alt + f
- Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + f
- Press the right arrow to explore other menus, including Edit, View, Insert, Format, Arrange, Tools, Table, Help, and Accessibility.
Tip: To get help, open the Help menu and select Get help with. Press Tab to reach the search box, then type your search, such as Images
, and press Enter. The help opens in a box where you can read or navigate to other topics. To return to the drawing, press Escape.
From the menus, you can move to two other sets of controls:
- Top-level buttons: These buttons are for drawing-level actions, such as renaming, starring, sharing, or moving the drawing to a different folder. From the menus, press Shift + Tab.
- Toolbar: The toolbar has options for editing and formatting, such as colors and borders. From the menus, press Tab.
Use the Accessibility menu to read or move around your drawing
- Open the Accessibility menu using the shortcut key for your browser:
- Windows with Chrome browser: Alt + a
- Windows with other browsers: Alt + Shift + a
- Chrome OS: Alt + a
- Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + a
- Press the down arrow to hear options, such as Speak, Comments, and more.
- Press the right arrow to open a sub-menu, and press the down arrow to explore options in the sub-menu.
- Press Enter to select an option.
Editing and formatting basics
In your drawing, you can add or change content and formatting.
Add a text box, shape, or image
- Press Alt + / (Windows, Chrome OS) or Option + / (Mac) to search the menus.
- Type
insert
to get a list of items you can add. - Use the arrow keys to explore the list.
- Press Enter to make your selection.
Change formatting
To explore the formatting styles that you can apply, open the Format menu in the menu bar:
- Open the Format menu using the shortcut key for your browser:
- Windows with Chrome browser: Alt + o
- Windows with other browsers: Alt + Shift + o
- Chrome OS: Alt + o
- Mac: First press the pass-through keys Ctrl + Option + Tab, then Ctrl + Option + o
- Press the down arrow to hear options, then press Enter to select.
Add alt text
- Select the object in your drawing.
- Press Ctrl + Alt + y (Windows, Chrome OS) or ⌘ + Option + y (Mac).
- In the Alt text dialog, enter a description for the image or drawing, then select Enter.