Microsoft/vscode

[Accessibility] Mouse echo don't work with NVDA and JAWS

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#247,522 opened on Apr 27, 2025

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 (17 comments) (0 reactions) (2 assignees)TypeScript (74,848 stars) (10,221 forks)batch import
accessibilitybughelp wantedregression

Description

Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes/No yes

  • VS Code Version: >1.92
  • OS Version: current Windows 11

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Open Visual Studio Code version 1.92 (or later).

  2. Ensure that a Screen Reader is running (e.g., NVDA, JAWS, or ZoomText).

  3. Make sure that the "Mouse Echo" feature is enabled in the Screen Reader settings (it reads text under the mouse pointer).

  4. Move the mouse pointer over text in the editor area of VSCode.

  5. Observe that the Screen Reader does not announce or read the text under the mouse, even though it should.

In Version June 2024 or fewer it works.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
accessibilitydesktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
TypeScriptVS Code accessibility APIs
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Investigate the mouse echo functionality in VS Code's accessibility layer. Look at the code in src/vs/platform/accessibility/ directory. Check recent changes that may have broken mouse echo. Review comments in the issue for user feedback and any suggested fixes.