Windows 11 Start Menu – Part One

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Introduction 

In the first lesson of this course, I showed you how to set up NVDA, the free screen reader used by blind and visually impaired consumers around the globe. You can download NVDA at www.nvaccess.org.

I showed you how to read the focused control and system clock with (NVDA commands) and we discussed the Windows text navigation commands.

If you didn’t review the first lesson, I encourage you to do so. I’ll put a link in the description below.

Today, I’ll introduce you to the Start Menu. I’ll split the Start Menu into two lessons.

Today, I’ll show you how to use the Start Menu search edit box to locate a variety of Windows apps and features. I’ll also show you how to filter your search to find exactly what you’re seeking.

Let’s get started! This is the Windows 11 Start Menu Part one.

Start at the Beginning

When learning a musical instrument, the first skill is playing the scales. Windows is similar. There are some basic navigation commands you’ll use everywhere in Windows.

In Windows there are two types of keyboard commands:

  • Navigation commands
  • Control specific commands

Let’s start with basic Windows navigation as illustrated using the Start Menu.

Navigate the Start Menu

The Start Menu provides access to everything on your computer. Using the Start Menu, you can open applications, documents, settings, and more.

Open the Windows Start Menu with the WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE. Close the Start Menu at any time with ESCAPE.

The Start Menu opens in the center of the Windows display. The Start Menu has the following elements:

    • Search Edit box
    • Pinned applications
    • All Apps button
    • Recent documents
    • More button
    • Account button
    • Power button

Navigate Windows controls with TAB and SHIFT-TAB. These commands are used throughout Windows.

Open the Start Menu (WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE). Focus is placed in the Start Menu “Search edit box.”

Press TAB and SHIFT-TAB to navigate the Start Menu. Notice the circular navigation? You’ll always end up back where you started. Focus eventually returns to the search edit box.

Focus on the Search edit box and press SHIFT-TAB once. Focus moves to the last control. The Account button is at the bottom left of the Start Menu.

If you want to go to the last control in the Start Menu, Window, or dialog, press SHIFT-TAB from the first control.

Press TAB and SHIFT-TAB and listen to how NVDA echoes each element.

Use the NVDA command to read the focused control (NVDA-TAB). Using TAB and SHIFT-TAB in conjunction with this NVDA keyboard accelerator, you can navigate and read Windows controls.

Navigate within controls using the ARROW KEYS. There is a small toolbar to the right of the Account button. This Start Menu area is user configured. It isn’t in the TAB and SHIFT-TAB rotation.

To access the Start Menu toolbar:

  • Open the Start Menu (WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE)
  • Focus is in the Search Edit Box
  • Press SHIFT-TAB once to focus on the Account Button
    • You’ll hear your account name echoed
  • Press RIGHT ARROW
  • This area of the Start Menu is user configured
  • There is one or more pinned options
  • Press RIGHT ARROW until focus is on the Power Options button
  • Press LEFT ARROW to return focus to the Account button
  • You can also return to the TAB and SHIFT-TAB rotation to access other Start Menu elements

RIGHT and LEFT ARROW navigate with controls while TAB And SHIFT-TAB navigates the interface primary controls.

When you press TAB and SHIFT-TAB, you navigate in a circle. You can’t get lost in Windows.

Try pressing RIGHT and LEFT ARROW or UP and DOWN ARROW after navigating to Start Menu elements. You’ll find pinned applications and possibly suggested documents. We’ll discuss these in the next lesson.

The navigation commands you’ll use everywhere in Windows are:

    • TAB and SHIFT-TAB
    • The ARROW KEYS

Navigate to the Search edit box or close the Start Menu (ESCAPE) and open it (WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE) and let’s discuss the Search Edit box

Search Edit box

When you first open the Start Menu, focus is in the search edit box. Use the search edit box to search for anything on your computer.

You can search for:

    • Applications
    • Web page search suggestions
    • Documents
    • Windows settings
    • And more

An edit box is a Windows control found everywhere in Windows. When you insert a username and password, you’re using edit boxes. When you type a document in Microsoft Word or WordPad, you’re using an edit box. When you search for an application or Windows feature in the Start Menu, you’re using an edit box.

Edit boxes accept text. As you navigate Windows controls, listen to your screen reader. If necessary, read the focused control (NVDA-TAB) and listen carefully. When you hear “Edit box,” that indicates you can insert text.

With focus in the search edit box, type “Word” without the quotes:

    • Press NVDA-TAB to read the edit box text
      • NVDA-TAB is an NVDA keyboard command
      • This command reads the focused control name and contents
    • Notice it says “Search box, edit, focused, Word”
    • Focus is in a Search edit box
    • The edit box contents is “Word”
    • “Edit” indicates you can insert text into the control

Silence speech at any time with CTRL.

When you insert text, results are shown for the categories that match the search term.

    • Use Windows navigation to review search results
    • Press UP and DOWN ARROW
    • You’ll find search suggestions that begin with Word
    • The first suggestion is the best match
      • If you have Microsoft Word on your computer, Word is the first search result
      • If you don’t have Word on your computer, WordPad is the first search result
    • As you navigate search results, NVDA reads the search category, “Apps,” “Documents,” “Search the Web,” etc.
    • Focus on “WordPad”
    • Press NVDA-TAB to read the edit box text
      • Notice it no longer says “Word” but “WordPad?”
    • Edit box text changes to reflect the focused search result
    • Change the text in the edit box at any time with Windows edit commands
      • Press BACKSPACE to delete letters
      • Type new text to add to edit box content

When you reach the last search result, focus moves to the filter tabs. You’ll hear “All tab selected – Find the most relevant results on this PC and the web ”

The filter tabs are beneath the search edit box. I’ll discuss these shortly.

If focus moves to the “All” filter tab. Press SHIFT-TAB until focus is on the Search edit box. Press UP ARROW to return to the search results. Because you press UP ARROW, focus moves to the bottom of the search results list. Press UP ARROW to navigate search results.

Press UP and DOWN ARROW, NVDA moves through the search results.

NVDA announces each search category:

    • Apps
    • Documents
    • web
    • Settings

Matching search results are listed beneath each search category.

Press ENTER to open a search result. Press ALT-F4 to close applications.

Press ESCAPE at any time to close the Start Menu.

Practice searching for a variety of items.

Remember to read the focused control and contents with NVDA-TAB. You can use this NVDA command anywhere in Windows.

If focus moves to the filter buttons, navigate to the edit box and press UP ARROW. If you press DOWN ARROW, focus moves through the search filter tabs. Let’s discuss the filter tabs now.

Search Filters

Controls beneath the search edit box filter Start Menu search results.

To filter search results, let’s start a new search.

Tap ESCAPE to close the Start Menu.

    • Open the Start Menu (WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE)
    • Type a search term. Let’s use “Word”
    • Press SHIFT-TAB once to focus on the controls beneath the edit box
    • Press SHIFT-TAB and TAB to navigate the first four controls
    • I’ll explore each in detail shortly. Let’s first navigate the controls:
      • Bing Document
        • This opens the Bing “Ask me anything” page in Microsoft Edge
        • Press SPACEBAR to activate this button
      • Options – This opens a drop-down list with Windows Settings options
      • Account – This opens a drop-down list through which you can open and manage your Microsoft Account
      • Microsoft Reward Points – Points you’ve earned through Microsoft activities and purchases
      • Press NVDA-TAB at any time to read the focused control
      • Some button tabs filter search results
        • The first filter tab is “All”
        • Press RIGHT ARROW to navigate filter buttons
        • You’ll hear:
          • All – The default search setting. Show all search results
          • Out of tab, tab Apps – Filter search results to show only matching Apps
          • Out of tab, tab Documents – Filter search results to show matching documents
          • Out of tab, tab web – Filter search results to show web search suggestions
          • Out of tab, tab Documents – Filter search results to show matching documents
          • Out of tab, tab Settings – Filter search results to show setting search suggestions
          • Out of tab, tab People – Filter search results to show contact search suggestions
          • Out of tab, tab Folders – Filter search results to show folder search suggestions
          • Out of tab, tab photos – Filter search results to show photo search suggestions
          • You may hear a “Scroll to right” button
            • The “Scroll to right” indicates that some filter tabs are hidden
            • Activate the button (SPACEBAR) to show more filter tabs
            • This control is dependent on display text size
            • It is available when text size is too large to display all buttons
          • Press LEFT ARROW to reverse filter tab navigation
          • Filter options are only available after inserting a search string
        • Use TAB or SHIFT-TAB to navigate the primary Start Menu controls
          • Navigation is circular
          • You’ll always end up back where you started
        • If you press TAB and SHIFT-TAB, you’ll also find a Chat button
          • This chat button also opens the Bing “Ask me Anything” page in Microsoft Edge

Let’s explore each of the controls beneath the search edit box:

    • Input a search term into the edit box. I’ll use “Word”
      • Press SHIFT-TAB to focus on the second search filter control
      • Focus moves to the Bing button and then to the Options button
        • NVDA announces, “Options, button, collapsed.”
        • This indicates that this control is closed and can be opened
        • Press SPACEBAR to activate buttons
      • Options
        • Press SPACEBAR to open the Options drop-down list
        • Press UP and DOWN ARROW to navigate the drop-down list
        • List items include:
          • Search Settings – Open Windows search settings
            • More on this in another lesson
          • Indexing Options – Manage Windows indexing options
            • More on this in another lesson
          • Feedback – Provide feedback to Microsoft
        • Press ENTER to activate an option
        • Press ALT-F4 to close applications
        • In drop-down lists
          • Press UP and DOWN ARROW to navigate options
          • Press ENTER to activate an option
          • Tap ESCAPE to close the drop-down list without taking an action
          • Escape closes Windows menus, drop-down lists, and dialogs
        • Account – The next control is an account button
          • You’ll hear your email address followed by “button, collapsed”
          • Press SPACEBAR to activate buttons
          • This button opens a drop-down list
          • Press UP and DOWN ARROW to navigate options
          • Windows user accounts are listed followed by a “Manage Accounts” option
          • Press ENTER to activate an account
          • Press ESCAPE to close the drop-down list and return to the Start Menu
        • Microsoft Reward Points – This button opens a small interface through which you can review and learn more about Microsoft Reward points
          • Focus is placed in a small web page interface
          • You can tab through this small interface to return to the search filter bar but I find closing the Start Menu and starting a fresh search more efficient
          • It’s easier to manage your reward points on the Microsoft website
        • All Tab – The “All” tab is the first filter tab. This is the default search filter
          • All search results are displayed when this search tab is active
          • This search tab is active by default
          • With focus on the “All” tab, press RIGHT ARROW to navigate search filter tabs
          • You’ll find the tabs discussed earlier “All” through “Photos”
          • If the “Scroll to Right” button is available, activate it (SPACEBAR) to show more filter tabs
        • The filter tabs are buttons
          • Press SPACEBAR to activate buttons
        • Select and activate a filter button
        • Press UP and DOWN ARROW to navigate filtered search results
        • Focus returns to the filter tabs after accessing the last search result.
          • Return to search results by pressing SHIFT-TAB until focus is on the search edit box
          • Press UP ARROW navigation to review filtered search results
        • When focused on the All tab, press RIGHT ARROW to select a filter tab
        • Press SPACEBAR to activate a control
        • Activate the “All” filter tab to restore the default search

Practice navigating the buttons. Press TAB and SHIFT-TAB, RIGHT and LEFT ARROW, activate search filters and review the search results.

The Start Menu is completely safe to explore and experiment. The only thing you can do in the Start Menu is open a Windows application, settings interface, or web search. Close anything in Windows with ALT-F4.

Take some time to practice using the filter tab buttons. These navigation commands are used throughout Windows. Familiarize yourself with Start Menu search filters.

Using search filters, you have control over Start Menu search results.

Review

Let’s review the skills you’ve learned in this lesson.

Windows Navigation Commands:

    • TAB and SHIFT-TAB navigate controls
    • The ARROW KEYS navigate within controls
      • The Start Menu toolbar
      • Search Results
      • Drop-down list options
      • The Filter tabs
      • And more

The Start Menu

    • Open the Start Menu with WINDOWS KEY or CTRL-ESCAPE
    • Tap ESCAPE to close menus, drop-down lists, and dialogs
    • You must insert a search text string to use search filters
    • Search filter controls are directly beneath the search edit box
    • Press SPACEBAR to activate Start Menu buttons and tabs
    • Use the NVDA command NVDA-TAB to read the focused control and contents
    • Press CTRL to silence speech
    • Press ENTER to activate an option
    • Press ALT-F4 to close applications

Aside from the NVDA command to read the focused control and data (NVDA-TAB), everything you learned in this lesson are Windows commands.

Practice searching for Windows apps and features in the Start Menu.

You can search for anything on your computer:

Some recommended searches are:

    • Date
    • Remove apps
    • Control Panel
    • American Presidents
    • UK Prime Ministers
    • Lunch Recipes

Please take some time to thoroughly familiarize yourself with Start Menu search and filters. Every lesson in this course builds upon the knowledge in previous lessons.

As you explore your computer, listen to the controls you’re accessing.

    • Edit box – Insert text
    • Button – Press SPACEBAR (press ENTER if SPACEBAR doesn’t work)
    • Collapsed controls
      • Open with SPACEBAR
      • Press UP and DOWN ARROW to navigate options
      • Press ENTER to activate an option
    • Press ALT-F4 to close applications

These are the basics upon which I will build future lessons.

I’m CathyAnne. For a lesson transcript, please visit www.cathyanne.com.

If you found this information useful, I hope you’ll like this video, subscribe to my channel, and turn on notifications.

If you have any questions or comments, please make use of the comment section below or contact me using the information in the about page.

I’ll see you next time! Thanks George.

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