Audacity: accessibility enhancement

NVDA add-on · Windows · Audacity 3.7.x and Audacity 4 · Free and open source

Audacity is a free multi-track audio editor. This NVDA add-on adds what a screen reader user misses most: the audio position and the selection are announced automatically as you move, the state of the Pause, Play and Record buttons can be checked at any time, and the time controls are read digit by digit with their unit.

The add-on was created by PaulBer19. Since its original repositories are no longer active, BlindGames maintains it from this page: compatibility with the latest NVDA and Audacity versions, bug fixes and automatic updates.

Download version 4.0

File: audacityAccessEnhancement-4.0.nvda-addon. Released on 2026-09-25.

SHA-256 checksum: de6585a9589c5cd045e628c7a31a94af8782ada4a540bfbb1e8312d5f155d823

Compatibility

NVDA versions 2025.1 – 2026.2.
Audacity 3.7.x (64-bit), checked with Audacity 3.7.9. Versions below 3.5.1 and 32-bit builds are not supported.
Audacity 4 (new Qt interface, program Audacity4.exe), checked with Audacity 4.0.0 in its default Modern workspace.
Windows 10 or later.

Features

Automatic announcement of the audio position and of the selection changes (can be turned off).
Scripts to report the audio position, the selection, the state of the Pause, Play and Record buttons, the playback and recording peak levels, the volume sliders and the playback speed.
Enhanced reading and editing of the time controls (selection, audio position, timer record): each digit is announced with its unit, and NVDA+Up arrow reads the whole time.
Space bar or Enter to press a button, with the new state announced.
Toolbar panel names announced when moving between panels, tracks announced without the table jargon.
A command shell (NVDA+Space) gives access to every script with a single key, plus an Audacity guide written by David Bailes and the add-on user manual.
With Audacity 4: the result of the cursor and selection moves is announced instead of the name of the action, the unnamed digits of the time fields are announced, the sliders and their changes are readable, the “blank” announcements and the false focus on the Home button are removed, and the peak levels are read from the Windows audio meters.

Installation

Download the add-on file (extension .nvda-addon) with the button above.
With NVDA running, press Enter on the downloaded file, or use NVDA menu, Tools, Add-on store, then Install from external source.
Confirm the installation, then restart NVDA when asked.

The settings are in the NVDA menu, Preferences, under the add-on’s name. When updating, your settings are kept.

Documentation

The documents below are the ones included in the add-on; they open in your browser.

User manual: English, Français, Español, Italiano.
Version history: English, Français, Español, Italiano.
Audacity guide for screen reader users, by David Bailes (English edition for Audacity 3.7; older editions in the other languages): English, Français, Español, Italiano.

Automatic updates

Once a day, shortly after NVDA starts, the add-on checks this site for a new version and offers to install it. You can also check immediately with the Check for update button in its settings, or turn the automatic check off there.

Licence

The add-on is free software under the GNU General Public License version 2. Its source code is provided on request to contact@blindgames.eu. Original author: PaulBer19. Audacity guide: David Bailes. This add-on is not affiliated with Audacity, Muse Group or NV Access.

Support this work

These tools are free. If they are useful to you, a donation helps keep the site online and fund their maintenance.

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