Narrator is a feature in Windows 10 that gives you audio feedback on everything you see on your computer’s screen. Narrator is activated by a keyboard shortcut, and I find that I inadvertently use it at the most inconvenient times. Wherever I go where silence is expected, such as the library, I inadvertently activate Narrator by typing the Windows logo + Ctrl + Enter command. While Narrator is beneficial to those with visual impairments, I do not want it installed on my Windows 10 computer. Narrator, as useful as it is, can quickly become an annoyance for those who do not require it.
How to Turn off Narrator in Windows 10
Microsoft makes it a point to include a number of accessibility and ease-of-use features in each version of Windows to make it easier for people with disabilities to use the operating system. Turning off Narrator in Windows 10 is relatively simple if you don’t need it. Here’s what you should do:
- To get to Windows Settings quickly, press Windows logo + I on your keyboard.
- Select Ease of Access from the drop-down menu.
- Select Narrator from the left pane.
- Locate the toggle underneath Narrator in the right pane and toggle it Off.
- To disable the Narrator keyboard shortcut, uncheck the “Allow the shortcut key to start Narrator” box.
You’ve now successfully disabled Narrator. However, if you’re like me and don’t use Narrator, you can go a step further and completely disable it. I’m hoping that Microsoft will make it possible for users to uninstall Narrator in the near future. Until then, follow the steps below to completely disable Narrator in Windows 10.
You must revoke Narrator’s Windows 10 app permissions for your user account in order to completely disable it in Windows 10.
Here are the steps you must take:
- Type Narrator into the search bar, and then open the Narrator file location.
- Once you’ve found the Narrator file, right-click it and select Properties.
- Select Narrator Properties from the drop-down menu. To edit user account permissions, go to the Security tab and select Edit.
- Select the user account(s) for which you want the Narrator app disabled, and then click Deny full control. By selecting Deny full control, all check boxes will default to Deny, disabling all Narrator app permissions.
- To make the changes take effect for each user account, click Apply.
- When you’re finished, click OK.
Enable Narrator in Windows 10
If you want to enable Narrator in Windows 10, go to the Ease of Access menu in Settings and renew the permissions, toggle Narrator on and off, and enable the Narrator keyboard shortcut. You’re finished if you followed the steps above. Narrator will no longer be available in Windows 10 on your computer.
