NVDA screen reader releases major accessibility updates

The NVDA screen reader, a free assistive technology for Microsoft Windows, has released significant updates. The 2026.2 version introduces a built-in magnifier feature with various zoom levels and color filters, including grayscale and inverted modes. It also features enhanced touch gestures for improved web navigation and expanded speech capabilities, such as support for custom speech dictionaries and the ability to repeat the last spoken information.

Recent updates have also improved hardware support, including automatic scrolling for Braille displays and multi-button support for DotPad devices. Additionally, the Liblouis engine has been updated with new Braille tables for Italian and Estonian.

Earlier versions, such as 2024.1, introduced on-demand speech synthesis and improved text selection within Mozilla Firefox. Users are advised to note that newer versions may break compatibility with older add-ons and have discontinued support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, requiring at least Windows 8.1.