microsoft / microsoft/terminal

{Freeway Bug} [Windows Terminal - Settings - New Tab Menu]: Screen reader does not announce availability of Move Up, Move Down, and Delete actions for menu entries.

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A11ySev3 A11yWCAG Area-Accessibility HCL-E+D HCL-WindowsTerminal Issue-Bug Product-Terminal WindowsTerminal_Win32
Dominant language
C++
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Description

### Windows Terminal version

1.25.1912.0

### Windows build number

28120.2760

### Other Software

**Test Environment:**
OS: Windows 11 Version Dev (OS Build 28120.2760)
App: Windows Terminal Preview
Screen Reader: Narrator

### Steps to reproduce

**Repro steps:**

1. Open the 'Windows Terminal' application.
2. Navigate to 'Settings' control and activate it.
3. 'Settings' page will open.
4. Turn on Narrator by pressing 'Ctrl + Win + Enter' keys.
5. Now navigate to 'New Tab Menu' tab in left navigation pane and activate it.
6. 'New Tab Menu' page will open.
7. Using a screen reader, navigate to the list of menu entries (for example, Windows PowerShell, Separator, Remaining Profiles).
8. Move focus to any list item.
9. Listen to the screen reader announcement.
10. Press Tab to navigate further within the same row.
11. Observe the screen reader narration here.

**User experience:**
Screen reader users may be unaware of important row-level actions available for menu entries. This can make reordering or deleting items difficult to discover, reducing efficiency and potentially preventing users from fully managing the New Tab Menu configuration independently.

**Attachment:**
https://onedrive.cloud.microsoft/:u:/a@pz6xd287/S/IQA6VDG7yYR0RJUdCBXNVtRiAbgSprzudnv6SjYv1AdRgxQ?e=7TNZPk

**WCAG Reference Link:**
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/info-and-relationships

### Expected Behavior

The screen reader should provide clear information that additional actions are available within the focused list item. Appropriate navigation guidance or contextual announcements should inform users that controls such as Move Up, Move Down, and Delete are present and can be accessed through keyboard navigation.

### Actual Behavior

When focus lands on a New Tab Menu entry, the screen reader announces only the list item information and its position within the list (for example, "Windows PowerShell, list item 4 of 5"). However, no hint or navigation guidance is provided indicating that additional actionable controls such as Move Up, Move Down, and Delete are available within the row and can be accessed using the Tab key.

As a result, screen reader users may assume the row contains only the announced item content and may not discover the associated action controls.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by locating the Settings New Tab Menu page and its list-entry controls for Move Up, Move Down, and Delete. Reproduce the issue with Narrator, then verify that focusing an entry and pressing Tab provides guidance that these actions are available and that the announcements identify them clearly.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
accessibility, desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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