Short answer: A screen reader is software that reads the screen aloud or sends it to a braille display. People who are blind or have low vision use one to browse, and so do others. Test your site with NVDA or Narrator on Windows or VoiceOver on a Mac: move by headings, Tab through links and buttons, and check that each one has a clear name. Then repeat on a phone.
What a screen reader does
MDN describes screen readers as software that conveys what is on a screen in a non-visual way, usually as text to speech, but also as braille or sound icons. Most of them work across the whole system, not only in the browser.
MDN names people who are visually impaired, illiterate or have a learning disability. The W3C lists screen readers among the assistive technologies that read web pages aloud for people who cannot read the text.
The screen readers people use
| Screen reader | Where it runs | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| JAWS | Windows | Used most on a computer by 40.5% of WebAIM’s respondents |
| NVDA | Windows | Free; used most on a computer by 37.7% |
| Narrator | Windows | Built in; Win+Ctrl+Enter starts it |
| VoiceOver | Mac and iPhone | Built in; commonly used on phones and tablets by 70.6% |
| TalkBack | Android | Google’s built-in screen reader; commonly used on phones and tablets by 34.7% |
From WebAIM’s tenth screen reader user survey, NV Access, Microsoft, MDN and Google, read November 4, 2026.
Chromebooks also have one, ChromeVox. VoiceOver both reads aloud and shows what it reads in a dark gray box on a Mac, which helps when you test with the sound off.
How a screen reader reads your page
A screen reader doesn’t look at your design. MDN explains that browsers build an accessibility tree from the page, and assistive technologies such as screen readers read that tree through the system’s accessibility features. Our semantic HTML guide covers the elements the tree is built from.
Each object in it has a name, a description, a role and a state. A link that says “Read more” is called “Read more”, so ten of them sound the same. Our aria-label guide covers how elements get their names.
How people move through a page
In WebAIM’s survey, 71.6% said that to find something on a long page they first move through its headings. Our H1 tag guide covers the heading that opens each page.
A link that skips the menu saves people from hearing it on every page; our skip link guide covers it. And 91.3% of the respondents used a screen reader on a mobile device, so test there too.
How to test your site with a screen reader
- Turn on a screen reader: NVDA or Narrator on Windows, VoiceOver on a Mac or iPhone, TalkBack on Android.
- Open the page and listen from the top without looking at the screen.
- Jump from heading to heading and check that the outline makes sense.
- Tab through the links and buttons and check that each name says where it goes or what it does.
- Check that images describe what they show, and that decorative ones stay silent.
- Fill in a form, leave a field wrong on purpose and check that you hear the error.
- Repeat the test on a phone with VoiceOver or TalkBack.
What our own pages give a screen reader
On November 4, 2026, we read what Chrome hands to screen readers on six of our pages: the home, a guide and the contact page, in English and Spanish, at computer and phone widths. Chrome builds it from the page as its accessibility tree.
Every page declared its language and had one main area and one H1. The first Tab landed on the link that skips to the content, and no link, button, image or form field was missing a name.
We found one problem: each page had two header landmarks and two footer landmarks, because our header and footer blocks sat inside a second header and footer. We marked the inner ones with role="none". After that change, each page had one of each, and the pages looked exactly as before.
Before you publish
- The page declares its language.
- There is one H1, and the headings follow the order of the content.
- Every link and button has a name that makes sense on its own.
- Images have alt text, or an empty alt when they are decorative.
- Form fields have labels a screen reader announces.
- The first Tab reaches a link that skips to the content.
RememberA screen reader reads your code, not your design. When the code is clear, the page is clear to everyone who listens to it.
Pages that work with screen readers are part of our web design service. Our keyboard navigation guide covers the rest of a keyboard test.
Quick answers about screen readers
What is a screen reader?
Software that conveys what is on the screen without sight, usually as speech and sometimes as braille or sounds. Most screen readers work across the whole computer or phone, not only in the browser.
Who uses a screen reader?
MDN names people who are visually impaired, illiterate or have a learning disability. The W3C describes screen readers as tools that read web pages aloud for people who cannot read the text.
Which screen reader do most people use?
In WebAIM’s tenth survey of screen reader users, 40.5% used JAWS most on a computer and 37.7% used NVDA. On phones and tablets, 70.6% commonly used VoiceOver and 34.7% TalkBack.
Is there a free screen reader?
Yes. NVDA for Windows is free to use. Windows also includes Narrator, Apple devices include VoiceOver and Android devices include TalkBack, so you can test without buying anything.
How do I turn on a screen reader to test my site?
On Windows, Win+Ctrl+Enter starts Narrator. On a Mac, fn+Command+F5 turns VoiceOver on and off. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, and turn it on.
Sources
Read on November 4, 2026. MDN Web Docs: Screen reader and Accessibility tree. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Tools and Techniques. WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey #10 Results. NV Access: About NVDA. Microsoft Support: Complete guide to Narrator. Apple Support: Turn on and practice VoiceOver on iPhone. Android Accessibility Help: Get started on Android with TalkBack. Our case: our own pages, read in a browser on November 4, 2026.