How to Turn Off Narrator in Windows 11

To turn off Narrator in Windows 11, press Windows + Ctrl + Enter once. If the shortcut does nothing, press Windows + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings and set the Narrator switch to Off. To stop it from coming back at startup, clear the two Start Narrator checkboxes in the same place.

Narrator is the screen reader built into Windows. A screen reader is a tool that reads text, buttons, and menus aloud so a PC can be used without seeing the screen. It often gets switched on by accident, because its shortcut is easy to press while reaching for other keys. Turning it off does not uninstall anything, and you can turn it back on at any time.

What you need before you start

These steps are for Windows 11. Microsoft lists the same shortcuts for Windows 10, but the Settings menus there have different names. You do not need an administrator account to switch Narrator off for yourself. A keyboard is the fastest route, but every method except the shortcut also works with a mouse or touch.

If you would rather not use the mouse while Narrator is talking, press Tab to move between controls and Spacebar to switch one on or off.

Turn off Narrator with the keyboard shortcut

1. Hold down the Windows key and the Ctrl key. The Windows key has the Windows logo on it and sits on the bottom row, next to Alt.
2. Press Enter once, then let go of all three keys.
3. Listen. Narrator should stop talking. Move to another button or icon to confirm that nothing is read aloud.

This shortcut is a toggle, which means the same keys turn Narrator on and off. Press it one time only. If you press it twice, Narrator starts again.

There is a second keyboard option. Narrator + Esc is the command to exit Narrator. The Narrator key is Caps Lock or Insert by default, so hold Caps Lock and press Esc. On a tablet or other touch device without a keyboard, press the Windows button and the Volume up button together.

The full set of commands is in the introduction to Narrator and the list of Narrator keyboard commands.

Turn off Narrator in Settings

Use this route when the shortcut does not work, or when you would rather see a switch that confirms the result.

1. Press Windows + Ctrl + N. The Settings app opens directly to the Narrator page.
2. If that shortcut fails, select Start, open Settings, choose Accessibility in the left column, and then select Narrator. Opening Settings in Windows 11 covers other ways to get there.
3. Find the Narrator switch at the top of the page.
4. Set the switch to Off. The voice stops right away.

Turn off Narrator from quick settings

Quick settings is the small panel that holds the Wi-Fi, volume, and battery controls. It also has an accessibility menu with a Narrator switch.

1. Press Windows + A, or select the network, volume, and battery icons at the right end of the taskbar.
2. Select the Accessibility button. A list of accessibility features opens.
3. Set the Narrator switch to Off.

This menu is the Windows accessibility flyout. If you do not see an Accessibility button, your quick settings panel may have been customized. Use the Settings method instead.

The Accessibility page in Settings also holds other vision tools, including the steps to turn on high contrast mode in Windows.

Turn off Narrator on the sign-in screen

If the voice starts before you have signed in, you can stop it without entering your password first.

1. Look at the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen and select the Accessibility icon.
2. In the menu that opens, set Narrator to Off.

This only stops Narrator for now. If it speaks on the sign-in screen every time the PC starts, a startup option is turned on. The next section fixes that.

Stop Narrator from starting automatically

Windows has two separate startup options for Narrator. One covers the sign-in screen and the other covers your own account. Check both.

Before you change them, think about who else uses the PC. Start Narrator before sign-in applies to every user, so leave it selected if someone in your household or office relies on a screen reader.

1. Press Windows + Ctrl + N to open Narrator settings.
2. Select the small arrow next to the Narrator switch. Microsoft calls this the Show all settings button. Two checkboxes appear below it.
3. Clear Start Narrator before sign-in. Narrator will no longer run on the sign-in screen.
4. Clear Start Narrator after sign-in. Narrator will no longer start when you sign in to your account.
5. Make sure the main Narrator switch is still Off.

The Narrator settings guide explains each of these controls.

Setting	What it controls	Who it affects
Narrator switch	Whether Narrator is running right now	The current session
Start Narrator before sign-in	Whether Narrator runs on the sign-in screen	Everyone who uses the PC
Start Narrator after sign-in	Whether Narrator starts when you sign in	Your account
Keyboard shortcut for Narrator	Whether Windows + Ctrl + Enter starts and stops Narrator	Anyone pressing the shortcut

Keep the shortcut from turning Narrator on by accident

If Narrator keeps starting while you type or play a game, the shortcut is the likely cause. You can switch the shortcut off.

1. Open Narrator settings with Windows + Ctrl + N.
2. Find the Keyboard shortcut for Narrator setting.
3. Set it to Off.

There is a trade-off. With this setting off, Windows + Ctrl + Enter no longer stops Narrator either. The same setting also controls the Windows + Volume up buttons on a touch device. If Narrator ever starts another way, you will need the switch in Settings or quick settings to stop it.

How to confirm Narrator is off, and how to turn it back on

Open Narrator settings and check that the Narrator switch reads Off. Then click a few buttons or desktop icons. Nothing should be read aloud. To test the startup options, restart the PC and listen on the sign-in screen and again after you sign in.

To undo any of these changes, return to the same page. Set Narrator to On, select the startup checkboxes again, or set Keyboard shortcut for Narrator back to On. Nothing in this guide removes Narrator or its voices.

If you want Windows to type what you say instead of reading the screen aloud, turn on voice typing in Windows 11.

If You Want to Use Narrator Instead

To turn Narrator back on, press Windows + Ctrl + Enter. Press Windows + Ctrl + N to open its settings, where you can pick its voice, speed, and volume. The first time Narrator starts, it offers a QuickStart tutorial that teaches the basic controls.

The Narrator key is normally Caps Lock or Insert. Use Narrator + Down arrow to read continuously, Narrator + Space to toggle scan mode, and Narrator + F1 for the command list. Narrator + 1 turns input learning on or off so you can hear what a key does. In scan mode, the arrow keys move through content and Enter or Space activates a supported control. Microsoft’s Narrator introduction explains these basics and links to the complete guide.

Troubleshooting

The shortcut does nothing

The Keyboard shortcut for Narrator setting is probably off. Use the Narrator switch in Settings or quick settings instead. Also check that you are pressing the Windows key and not Fn or Alt.

Narrator turns off and comes right back

You most likely pressed the shortcut twice. Press it one more time and wait a few seconds. If Narrator returns only after a restart, one of the two startup checkboxes is still selected.

A Narrator window stays on screen

That window is Narrator Home, a start page that opens each time Narrator starts. Closing a window is not always the same as switching a feature off, so confirm the result with the Narrator switch in Settings. If you use Narrator and only want to hide this window, clear Show Narrator Home when Narrator starts in Narrator settings.

The switch is off but the PC still talks

Something else is reading aloud. Other screen readers, such as JAWS or NVDA, are separate programs with their own controls. Individual apps also have reading features that Narrator settings do not affect. For example, how Read Aloud works in Microsoft Word covers one of these features.

Magnifier has its own reading feature too, so check whether you turned on Magnifier in Windows and pressed Ctrl + Alt + Enter.

Settings will not respond

Restart the PC from the Start menu, then try the shortcut again. Some websites suggest ending Narrator in Task Manager, renaming its program file, or editing the registry. Microsoft does not list those steps in its Narrator guide. Changing system files or the registry can cause problems that are hard to reverse, so stick with the built-in switches.

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Once the voice is quiet, clear the two startup checkboxes so it stays that way after a restart. For help with related features such as Magnifier and captions, browse our Windows accessibility guides.