Definition: A screen reader is software that outputs on-screen content and controls as synthesised speech or on a braille display. Blind people and many partially sighted people use one to operate computers and phones, by keyboard or touch gestures.
German: Screenreader · Last reviewed: 27 September 2026
How a screen reader reads a page
A screen reader does not see your layout; it sees structure. The browser builds an accessibility tree from the HTML, where every element has a role ("button", "link", "heading level 2"), a name ("Basket") and a state ("expanded"). That is what gets announced.
Few people listen to a page from top to bottom. They jump: from heading to heading, to landmarks such as navigation and main content, to form fields, or through a list of all links. In WebAIM's survey of screen reader users (2023/24), 71.6% said they navigate a long page by its headings first [1].
Common screen readers
| Screen reader | Platform | Note |
|---|---|---|
| JAWS | Windows | commercial (Freedom Scientific / Vispero) |
| NVDA | Windows | free, open source (NV Access) |
| VoiceOver | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | built in |
| TalkBack | Android | built in |
| Narrator | Windows | built in |
| Orca | Linux | open source |
On desktop, the same survey found 40.5% of respondents use JAWS as their primary screen reader, 37.7% NVDA and 9.7% VoiceOver. On mobile, VoiceOver leads. The survey is international and not representative of any one country [1].
What your website needs
- Alt text for informative images and an empty
alt=""for decorative ones (WCAG 1.1.1). - Real headings in a logical order and landmarks (
header,nav,main,footer). - A name for every control: icon-only buttons and links need an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2).
- Labelled form fields and error messages that are announced.
- The right page language (
<html lang="en">), or the voice mispronounces everything. - Status messages ("3 items in your basket") via a live region.
Try it yourself in five minutes
On Windows, install NVDA for free [3]; on a Mac, start VoiceOver with Cmd + F5 [4]. Turn off the screen or close your eyes. In NVDA, press H to move through headings and D to move through landmarks, then tab through a form. Do you hear what each field expects? It is no substitute for testing with experienced users, but it exposes the biggest gaps quickly.
How Reviseberg handles it
Reviseberg uses axe-core to check the code-level prerequisites screen readers depend on: alt text, link and button names, form labels, page language, landmarks. Whether the announcements make sense in context is something that check cannot decide. A screen reader agent is not part of Reviseberg today, and Reviseberg shows no NVDA, JAWS or VoiceOver output. Criteria only a person can check – whether status messages are announced, for example – stay "untested" until somebody records a result with its method, such as "NVDA + Firefox". Guided tests set out the procedure step by step.
Related terms
Accessibility tree · Braille display · Alt text · Landmark · ARIA · Assistive technology