Microsoft warns that a key accessibility feature is broken in Windows 11 23H2

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue with Windows 11 23H2 which causes the Narrator accessibility tool to fail.

The company warns that people using either physical media or ISO images to install Windows 11 2023 Update may find that Microsoft Narrator does not start. There is currently no fix for the problem.

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While anyone who is reliant on Narrator will be badly affected by the issue, the good news is that the problem only affects ISO and physical media-based installations. Microsoft points out that the bug "does not occur when Windows 11, version 23H2 is installed using Windows Update on a device which is already running Windows 10 or Windows 11".

The company also says that Narrator should function as normal once installation is complete.

In a post on the Windows Health page, Microsoft says:

When using physical media or disc images (ISO) to install Windows 11, version 23H2 (also referred to as the Windows 11 2023 Update) on a device, Microsoft Narrator may not start.

Narrator is commonly initialized using keyboard commands, such as Ctrl + Windows key + Enter. Although Narrator is present in Windows when the installation process begins, it might open in an unresponsive state when initialized using any method.

The company concludes by saying: "We are working on a resolution and updated media which can be used to install Windows 11, version 23H2 without this issue. We will provide an update in an upcoming release".

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