Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

This page lists every keyboard shortcut in Sensory Readable v3, organised by what they do. Shortcuts work globally across Windows — you don't need the Readable toolbar to be in focus.

Speech control

F7: Toggle speech. Press to start speech (from cursor or selection); press again to stop. The simplest single-key control if you only want to remember one shortcut.
Ctrl: Stop speech. Stops any currently-speaking Readable speech immediately. Same effect as the toolbar Stop button.
Ctrl+Space: Read from mouse pointer to end of document. Hold Ctrl, position the mouse pointer where you want reading to start, press Space. Reading continues to the end of the document with auto-scroll.

Hover triggers

Ctrl + hover (over text): Hover Read. The current Hover Read option (Word, Line, Block, or Document) determines how much text is read. Release Ctrl to stop.
Ctrl+Shift + hover (over a word): Word Information popup. Speaks the word, shows definition, pictogram, and homophone links. Works in any application via OCR fallback.

Common Windows shortcuts that interact with Readable

Ctrl+C: Standard Windows copy. Used to put text on the clipboard for Save to Audio (MP3) and other Readable features that work from the clipboard.
Ctrl+Z: Standard Windows undo. Reverts the most recent change, including unwanted autocorrections.
Tab (after typing in any text field): Accepts the first word prediction suggestion (Windows 11 Prediction).

Mouse-based "shortcuts"

Several Readable actions are best driven by the mouse rather than keyboard — see:

Hover Read Modes — Ctrl+hover for read-where-you-point
Speak Text with 6-button mouse — assign hover and word-lookup triggers to mouse side buttons
Click Stops Speech — hold any mouse button to pause speech
Speak on Select — automatically speak text you select

Quick reference card

Action	Shortcut
Start/stop speech (toggle)	`F7`
Stop speech	`Ctrl`
Read to end of document	`Ctrl`+`Space`
Hover read	`Ctrl`+hover
Word Information popup	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+hover
Accept prediction (Windows 11)	`Tab`
Pause speech (gesture)	Hold any mouse button

Print this page or bookmark it for reference. The shortcuts above are the most-used in everyday Readable use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the keyboard shortcut to start speech?

Press F7 anywhere in Windows. F7 is a toggle — press it again to stop. You can also press Ctrl alone to stop, or click the toolbar Play and Stop buttons.

How do I stop Readable speaking?

Press Ctrl, press F7 (it toggles), or click the Stop button on the toolbar. Any of these stops speech immediately. For Hover-triggered speech, simply releasing Ctrl stops it automatically.

What does Ctrl+Space do?

Reads from the position of your mouse pointer to the end of the document, with auto-scroll. Hold Ctrl, position the mouse where you want reading to start, press Space.

How do I look up a word with the keyboard?

Hold Ctrl+Shift and hover the mouse over the word. The Word Information popup appears with definition, pictogram, and homophone links. Works in any application — even on images of words via OCR fallback.

Are there shortcuts specific to the Readable Editor?

No. The Readable Editor is a small settings dialog (with Pronunciation and More tabs), not a writing environment — so there are no document shortcuts like Ctrl+S or Ctrl+B because there's no document. Standard Windows dialog navigation applies: Tab to move between fields, Esc to close the dialog, arrow keys within radio groups. See the Readable Editor page for what the dialog actually does.