It's always possible that your function keys don't act like traditional function keys but like media keys. Ask somebody to check if there is a FN key on your keyboard, if there is then it's most likely the second from the left on the very bottom, the very left would be Control, then FN, then Windows Key, Alt and the spacebar.

So, try press FN + Insert + F12, I know, not easy to do, but at least if that gives you the time then  you know what the problem is.

Insert + F12 works in both Jaws and Narrator, in Jaws it announces the time and if you press it twice very quickly the date, in Narrator it announces the time followed by the date.

If it works when you press it together with FN you have to figure out how to disable the media keys for your particular laptop so that the function keys act normally. This could be a simple key combination or it may require somebody to do this in the BIOS.

It said this is not a Narfrator command. This is the keyboard that came with this laptop, so I can’t try it with other devices.

Hi,

Even when you press “Insert”+F12 while Narrator is active?

If I’m understanding what others are saying about your situation, then it is likely that it could be something going on with how Windows is interpreting keyboard input, specifically communication between the keyboard, Bluetooth stack, and how input data is sent to screen readers. Can you tell us the keyboard brand and model you have so others can chime in and/or direct you to a more appropriate place where folks can suggest something?

As a way to diagnose the keyboard issue, try using your keyboard with other devices such as another computer or a mobile device, and try with wired keyboards.

Cheers,

Joseph

Thanks for the idea Josiph, however it sadly didn’t make any difference.

Hi,

Sounds like a keyboard software or hardware issue. Does this happen whenever you restart your computer and/or JAWS? One way to test this is:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Start Narrator.
3. Press Insert+F12 to hear current time and date.
4. Exit Narrator.

If you do hear current time and date, then it might be something to do with JAWS. If Narrator says something else, then it is highly likely that something odd is happening with either the keyboard hardware or software (keyboard driver, input method in use, etc.). One definite way to see if it is hardware is performing JAWS commands from a different keyboard, and if JAWS performs what you want, then it might be something with the original keyboard.

To clarify what members wrote about keyboard commands: you can’t use screen reader A commands while screen reader B is activated later because the latter will process keyboard commands (think of it as a box where you can only see what’s on top of the lid). It gets messy when two or more screen readers say they want to use a particular key as their modifier.

Cheers,

Joseph

My insert key, whenever I press it Jaws says alt windows q not insert.

Which keys? If the keys perform a Windows command, they will work no matter which screen reader you are using. If the keys perform specific screen reader commands then they will require the particular screen reader for them to work. The same is true of keyboard commands specific to programs.

For example, the command Windows M is a Windows command. It works in JAWS, NVDA and Narrator and minimizes all open windows and brings the focus to the desktop. Because this is a Windows command, no screen reader is required. A sighted Windows user can use this key combination. Which commands are you asking about?  

I want to see if these keys work properly using a different screen reader.

Hey madison.

Press some keys?

If I understand correctly – have you tried the JAWS key pass through command to do this?

Jaws key + 3.

Okay, all I want to do is press a couple of keys that don’t seem to work with Jaws, can I do this with Narrator?

On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 12:12 PM, Kevin wrote:

the current build of windows 10 you start narrator  with keys Ctrl+windows key+enter

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And you can turn it off, if it is on, with that same set of keystrokes, too.

If you've not invoked Narrator before the first time you do you will be presented with a "tour of narrator" dialog, called Narrator Home, which you can simply dismiss, or check the checkbox to never show it again, and then dismiss it.

Other bits about Narrator can be found in Settings, Ease of Access, Narrator Pane.  It's worth taking a look there as you can configure certain things, such as turning off Narrator Home among other things, about its behavior.
 
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Brian - Windows 10 Pro, 64-Bit, Version 20H2, Build 19042

Journalism 101:  If someone says it’s raining and another person says it’s dry, it’s not your job to quote them both. It’s your job to look out the f**king window and find out which is true.

      ~ Jonathan Foster (attributed)