Orca Keyboard Commands

This is the list of common Orca keyboard commands. Note that you can always enter Orca's "learn mode" while running Orca by pressing Insert+F1. When in learn mode, Orca will intercept all keyboard and braille input events and will tell you what the effect of them would be. To exit learn mode, press the escape key. If you are using a laptop computer, you will want to see the laptop layout keyboard commands.

Commands for adjusting speech parameters

Insert-right arrow: increase speech rate

Insert-left arrow: decrease speech rate

Insert-up arrow: raise the pitch

Insert-down arrow: lower the pitch

Flat review commands

Numpad-7: Move the flat review cursor to the previous line, and read it.

Numpad-8: Read the current line.

Numpad-9: move the flat review cursor to the next line, and read it.

Numpad-4: Move the flat review cursor to the previous word, and read it.

Numpad-5: Read the current word.

Numpad-6: Move the flat review cursor to the next word, and read it.

Numpad-1: Move the flat review cursor to the previous character, and read it.

Numpad-2: Read the current character.

Numpad-3: Move the flat review cursor to the next character, and read it.

Numpad-slash: perform a left mouse click at the location of the flat review cursor.

Numpad-star: perform a right mouse click at the location of the flat review cursor.

Note: the above commands apply when working with objects as well as when working with text. For example, if the flat review cursor were positioned on a menu bar, pressing the read current line command would speak the names of all visible menus. Similarly, pressing read next word would speak the object to the right of the flat review cursor on the same line, or move flat review to the next line if no more objects were found.

Bookmark commands

Alt-Insert-[1-6]: Add a bookmark in this numbered slot. If a bookmark already exists at this register it will be replaced with the new one.

Insert-[1-6]: Go to the position pointed to by the bookmark bound to this numbered slot.

Alt-Shift-[1-6]: "Where am I" information for this bookmark relative to the current pointer location.

Insert-b and Insert-Shift-b: Move between the given bookmarks for the given application or page.

Alt-Insert-b: Save the defined bookmarks for the current application or page.

Miscellaneous functions

Insert-Numpad-Plus: Say all command. reads from the current position of the caret to the end of the document.

Insert-Numpad-Enter: Where am I command. Speaks information such as the title of the current application window, as well as the name of the control that currently has focus.

Insert-F1: Enter learn mode (press escape to exit)

Insert-f: Speak font and attribute information for the current character.

Insert-Space: Launch the Orca Configuration dialog.

Insert-Control-Space: Reload user settings and reinitialize services as necessary. In latest versions of Orca, launch the Orca Configuration dialog for the current application.

Insert-S: Toggle speech on and off

Insert-F11: Toggle the reading of tables, either by single cell, or whole row.

Insert-q: Quit orca.

Commands for debugging

Insert-F3: report information on the currently active script.

Insert-F4: cycle through Orca's various debug levels.

Note, in order for the next three commands to be of use, Orca needs to be started from a virtual console or via gnome-terminal. Output is sent to the console only (i.e., it is not sent to speech or braille).

Insert-F5: Prints a debug listing of all known applications to the console where Orca is running.

Insert-F7: Prints debug information about the ancestry of the object with focus.

Insert-F8: Prints debug information about the application with focus.