You're running an audit on app.auditsu.com and a step has asked you to test a page with a screen reader. This is the quick start that gets you there.
The AUDITSU platform walks you through the full audit mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549. This post is the side-reference: just enough screen reader to follow the platform's checks confidently in your browser. It covers the two free, built-for-the-job options: VoiceOver on Mac and NVDA on Windows.
Daily screen reader users have years of muscle memory and customised settings, and you don't need any of that. You need just enough to verify a finding, walk through a page, and report what you hear. For everything beyond the basics, we link out to the official documentation.
Using Windows?
One rule for both: pair the screen reader with the browser it's built for. Use VoiceOver with Safari, and NVDA with Firefox or Chrome. Off-pairing produces quirks that aren't real bugs and will waste your audit time.
VoiceOver on Mac
VoiceOver is Apple's built-in screen reader. It ships on every Mac, so there's nothing to install. Test with Safari.
Turn VoiceOver on
- Press Command + F5 to toggle it on. Press it again to turn it off.
- Or say "Hey Siri, turn on VoiceOver".
- Or System Settings, then Accessibility, then VoiceOver, then toggle on.
The first time you launch it, VoiceOver offers a Quick Start tutorial. You can skip it for audit work.
The key combo you'll use constantly is Control + Option, written as VO. Most VoiceOver commands start with it. Everything below assumes VoiceOver is running and Safari is open.
The commands you actually need
You don't need Apple's full command set. For an audit, these get you everywhere.
- VO + Right Arrow. Move to the next item in reading order.
- VO + Left Arrow. Move to the previous item.
- VO + Space. Activate the focused item (link, button, checkbox).
- VO + A. Read everything from the current position down.
- Control. Press it on its own to pause or resume speech.
- Tab. Jump to the next focusable control, the same path a keyboard-only user takes.
With those, you can walk any page and confirm reading order, label quality, and that controls actually fire.
The rotor, your audit shortcut
The rotor is VoiceOver's contextual navigation menu. Press VO + U to open it, then use the Left/Right Arrow keys to switch category (Headings, Links, Form Controls, Landmarks, Tables) and Up/Down Arrow to move through items in that category. Press Enter to jump to the one you want.
For an audit, three categories matter most.
- Headings. Open the rotor, switch to Headings. VoiceOver announces each heading and its level ("heading level 2"). If the hierarchy skips levels or headings are missing, you'll hear it immediately.
- Form Controls. Switch to Form Controls and step through every input. Any field that reads as a bare "edit text" with no descriptive label is a missing-label bug.
- Links. Switch to Links. A link that reads as just "link", as "click here", or as a raw URL has a labelling problem.
Two settings to change before you audit
Both live in VoiceOver Utility (press VO + F8 to open it).
- Speech rate. Under Speech, drag the rate down. The default is fast, so slow it to about 30% for your first few sessions.
- Caption panel. Under Visuals, turn on "Show caption panel". VoiceOver then shows what it's reading as on-screen text, which is invaluable for filing bugs with screenshots.
Your first walk-through
Run this loop once on any page to get comfortable before heading back to your audit.
- Open a page in Safari with a few headings, links, and a form.
- Press Command + F5 to start VoiceOver.
- Press VO + Right Arrow a few times. Listen to each element in order. Do the labels make sense?
- Press VO + U to open the rotor. Switch to Headings and step through them. Is the structure logical?
- Tab to a form field and check it announces a clear label.
- Press Command + F5 to turn VoiceOver off when done.
Three minutes of this is usually enough to feel oriented.
Common gotchas
- Nothing reads when the page loads. Click into the page content first (or press VO + Right Arrow) so VoiceOver has a starting point.
- A custom control won't activate with VO + Space. Note it and file it. An interactive element that ignores activation is a real bug.
- Reading order feels scrambled. The visual layout and the DOM order disagree. Note the point where it jumps.
For commands and settings not covered here, see the VoiceOver User Guide for Mac(opens in new tab).
NVDA for Windows
NVDA is the free, open-source screen reader from NV Access, the standard choice for auditing on Windows. Test with Firefox or Chrome.
Install and start NVDA
- Download it from nvaccess.org/download(opens in new tab) and run the installer.
- Start it with Control + Alt + N, or from the Start menu.
- Quit it with NVDA + Q.
The key that prefixes NVDA's commands is the NVDA key. By default this is Insert (you can also set it to Caps Lock during install). Everything below assumes NVDA is running and your browser is open.
Browse mode vs focus mode: read this first
This is the one concept that trips up every first-time tester. NVDA has two modes on web pages:
- Browse mode is for reading. Arrow keys and single-letter shortcuts move you through the page. This is where you do most of your audit.
- Focus mode is for typing. When you land in a text field, NVDA switches automatically so your keystrokes go into the field instead of triggering shortcuts.
Toggle between them manually with NVDA + Space. If single-letter shortcuts suddenly stop working and you hear typing sounds, you're in focus mode. Press NVDA + Space (or Escape out of the field) to get back to browse mode.
The commands you actually need
In browse mode:
- Down / Up Arrow. Read the next or previous line.
- Tab. Jump to the next focusable control, the keyboard-user path.
- H. Jump to the next heading (press 1 to 6 for a specific level). Add Shift to go backward.
- K for the next link, F for the next form field, B for the next button, D for the next landmark/region.
- Enter or Space. Activate the focused item.
- NVDA + Down Arrow. "Say all", which reads everything from here down.
Single-letter keys are the fastest way to spot-check structure, but the real audit shortcut is the elements list.
The Elements List, your audit shortcut
Press NVDA + F7 to open the Elements List. It groups the page's Headings, Links, Form fields, Buttons, and Landmarks into one dialog you can tab between.
For an audit, this is where you work fastest.
- Headings. Read the list top to bottom. Skipped levels or missing headings show up instantly.
- Form fields. Any field listed without a clear name is a missing-label bug.
- Links. A link that reads as "click here", "read more", or a raw URL has no context out of place. Flag it.
Two settings to change before you audit
- Slow the speech down. Press NVDA + Control + Up/Down Arrow to adjust the rate, or set it under NVDA menu, then Preferences, then Settings, then Speech. Start slow.
- Turn on the Speech Viewer. NVDA menu, then Tools, then Speech Viewer. It shows everything NVDA speaks as on-screen text, perfect for screenshots and bug reports. (Open the NVDA menu with NVDA + N.)
Your first walk-through
- Open a page in Firefox or Chrome with a few headings, links, and a form.
- Start NVDA (Control + Alt + N).
- Press H a few times to jump between headings. Is the structure logical?
- Press NVDA + F7 to open the Elements List and skim the headings and links.
- Tab into a form field, and NVDA switches to focus mode. Does the field announce a clear label?
- Press NVDA + Space to return to browse mode, then NVDA + Q to quit when done.
Common gotchas
- Single-letter keys type into the page instead of navigating. You're in focus mode. Press NVDA + Space to switch back to browse mode.
- A form field reads as just "edit" with no label. That's a missing-label bug, exactly what the audit is looking for.
- A control can be seen but never reached with Tab or arrow keys. Note it; keyboard-inaccessible content is a real finding.
For commands and settings not covered here, see the NVDA User Guide(opens in new tab).
What to listen for, either way
Whichever screen reader you use, an audit is asking the same questions. The platform tells you which to check on each page:
- Headings describe the section and nest in a logical order, with no skipped levels.
- Links and buttons make sense out of context, not "click here" or a bare URL.
- Form fields each announce a clear, descriptive label.
- Images that carry meaning are announced; purely decorative ones stay silent.
- Reading and focus order follow the visual layout, with nothing stranded or unreachable.
Screen readers are the verification layer for the parts machines can't reach: announcement clarity, focus order quality, and whether a real person could complete the task by ear.
Back to your audit
AUDITSU runs the full audit mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA and EN 301 549. The platform tells you which pages to test, what to listen for, and which findings need a real screen reader check rather than an automated scan.
Head back to app.auditsu.com(opens in new tab) to continue. The 6 elements an EAA-credible audit grades against are the same whether the surface is web, iOS, or Android.
Testing a mobile app instead? See the VoiceOver quick start for iOS.
Not started an audit yet? AUDITSU helps you audit and evidence your site's accessibility alignment to the European Accessibility Act.