Screen reader content
This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with the Office products and is part of the Office Accessibility content set. For more general help, see Microsoft Support home.
Use Excel with your keyboard and a screen reader to name cells and data ranges in a worksheet. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can define a name for a cell range, function, constant, or table. Screen readers will announce the name of the cell or data range, which makes the information easier to understand.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft Office.
Name a cell or a data range
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Select the cell or range of cells that you want to name.
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Press Alt+M, M, D. You hear "New name window," and the focus moves to the Name: field.
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Type the cell or data range name.
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Press the Tab key until you find the OK button, and then press Enter. The focus returns to the spreadsheet.
See also
Use a screen reader to sort or filter a table in Excel
Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Excel for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to name cells and data ranges in a worksheet. You can define a name for a cell range, function, constant, or table. VoiceOver will announce the name of the cell or data range, which makes the information easier to understand.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
Name a cell or a data range
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In the Excel spreadsheet, select the cell or range of cells that you want to name.
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Press F6, until you hear the name of the current tab, followed by "Selected, tab," and then press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Formulas, tab." Press Control+Option+Spacebar to open the Formulas tab.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Define name, menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Define Name menu opens, and you hear: "Names in workbook, table."
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Press the Tab key until you hear “Enter a name for the data range, edit text,” and then type the cell or data range name.
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After typing the name press Enter. The Define Name closes and the focus returns to the spreadsheet.
Note: To read the name of the cell or data range, after selecting the cell or data rage, press F6 until you hear the name of the cell or data range, followed by "Contents selected, edit text."
See also
Use a screen reader to sort or filter a table in Excel
Use a screen reader to insert a table in an Excel worksheet
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Excel
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
