It’s the end of April and we have exciting NVDA 2025.1 news! Plus, lots more in this jam-packed edition:
- NVDA 2025.1 Beta
- What’s New in 2025.1
- NVDA Expert Certification 2025
- Gene Empowers New Zealand
- Changes for Developers
- NVDA Add-ons and API Breaking Changes
NVDA 2025.1 Beta
Since our last edition, we have not one, not two, but THREE NVDA 2025.1 beta releases. These betas are aimed at those interested in trying out what the next version of NVDA has to offer before it is officially released. We welcome you to download the beta and provide feedback using our issue reporting process. By installing the beta, you will be opting into NVDA’s beta channel and will only receive update notifications for beta and release candidate (RC) builds. The beta/RC channel will always keep you up to date with the latest NVDA version. The last RC in a release cycle is identical to the final stable release. To return to the stable release channel, upgrade manually to the latest stable build.
Please note: This release breaks compatibility with add-ons made for NVDA 2024.4.2 and earlier. The NVDA installer no longer plays a sound when launching. There is a good reason for this we will be able to give more details on soon, and it is worth noting that the startup and shutdown sounds for NVDA itself are unchanged and you will still hear those.
Full information (including the complete change log) and download is available from the Release Announcement.
What’s new in 2025.1
Great question! There is a LOT. Here are just the highlights (and they are nearly 200 words themselves!): “This release introduces NVDA Remote Access, allowing you to control a remote computer running NVDA from another device running NVDA.
There are many improvements to speech, particularly responsiveness with SAPI 4, SAPI 5 and OneCore voices. Rate boost and automatic language switching is now supported in SAPI 5. SAPI 4 voices now support audio ducking, leading silence trimming, and keeping the audio device awake.
The Add-on Store’s automatic update system has been improved, allowing you to select channels for automatic updates, and run automatic updates in the background.
It’s now easier to manually refresh OCR and toggle automatic refresh, with new commands.
Native selection is now available in Chrome and Edge.
Microsoft Office and LibreOffice support has improved, notably with more shortcuts being announced.
Default input and output braille tables can now be determined based on the NVDA language. Native support has been added for the Dot Pad tactile graphics device from Dot Inc as a multiline braille display. There have been other minor fixes for braille displays, particularly around connectivity.
LibLouis braille translator, eSpeak-NG and Unicode CLDR have been updated. New Coptic, compact Cuneiform, and Portuguese 6 dot Computer Braille tables are available.”
Wow, that is a lot! As noted previously, full information (including the complete change log) and download is available from the Release Announcement.
NVDA Expert Certification 2025
We are very pleased to release the updated NVDA 2025 Expert Certification! This newly updated certification allows you to demonstrate your proficiency with the world’s favourite free screen reader for Windows! The online exam is still free for anyone to sit (allow 1 – 1.5 hours) but be warned it is quite challenging. If you would like to practise your skills before sitting the exam, we highly recommend Basic Training for NVDA, which we’ve recently updated.
For blind and vision impaired people seeking employment, the NVDA 2025 Expert Certification enables you to demonstrate their proficiency with NVDA, and therefore their capacity to contribute productively in the workplace.
For staff who use NVDA day to day, it is proof they can use the tools they need for their job, to be able to help others to use NVDA and it provides widely recognised professional development.
Once you pass the exam, you have the opportunity to be recognised as an NVDA Certified Expert. The cost is $100 AUD (roughly €56 or $64 USD as I write this), and for this you receive: · A professional certificate, delivered as an accessible PDF file you can print and frame. · Listing on our NVDA Certified Experts list (with contact details if you wish) · Knowledge that you are helping keep NVDA free for anyone to use · Our eternal thanks for your support!
The NVDA 2025 Expert Certification is available now, and there is a 50% discount for those upgrading from an earlier certification.
Gene Empowers New Zealand
This week we’d like to highlight one of our long-time users, supporters and champions. Gene is well known throughout New Zealand. His advocacy has been written about in mainstream media, and he has been awarded the prestigious Blind & Low Vision New Zealand Chairman’s Award. Gene shared some of his advocacy efforts, how he benefits from NVDA Expert Certification and what he’s up to next.
You can read Gene’s story here, and remember, just as you can receive this blog via email, you can receive stories like Gene’s via email as well.
Changes for Developers
Reading through the full change log for NVDA 2025.1 (available from the beta release announcement), you may notice quite a few “Changes for developers”. Of course, you have to wade through a LOT of user-facing new features, changes and bug fixes first! While the developer changes generally don’t come with fancy new options or features for you to try directly, they are a critical part of keeping NVDA working. There are no less than 15 different component updates. These ensure that the libraries we rely on for NVDA are up to date, secure and supported by their developers, which helps ensure those things in NVDA itself, just as you expect. These changes also provide benefits to developers, by enabling increased productivity and efficiency, as well as enabling developers to use up to date and secure versions of the tools they rely on.
There are changes to functions which add-on and core developers can use to get information. And these updates aren’t just from us! For instance, for NVDA 2025.1, in just one point, contributor Leonard de Ruijter and the Spanish Community have both contributed to “Several additions to identify link types”, giving developers more ways to access information about links.
There are also API breaking changes, so let’s talk about those:
NVDA Add-ons and API Breaking Changes
As with every major .1 release, NVDA 2025.1 includes some changes to NVDA’s internal workings. Add-ons can query information from NVDA via Application Programming Interface calls (APIs). While we’ve worked diligently to minimise disruptions, some add-ons may require updates to maintain compatibility. We’ve communicated these changes to developers well in advance, via the NVDA-API group. We encourage you to check the add-on’s documentation for compatibility information before updating to NVDA 2025.1.
If your favourite add-on is not yet listed as compatible, you of course have the option to try it out anyway. Details on how to do this, and what to do if something goes wrong, are in this blog post from earlier in the year. Alternatively, you can also stay on the 2024.4.2 release until the add-on is confirmed to be compatible. Please note that many add-ons are not finalised for the .1 release until the Release Candidate is out.
Recap: Stability and Compatibility – Our Top Priorities
Recently in this blog, we’ve communicated our commitment to the stability of NVDA and it’s add-on system, explained what add-on compatibility is, talked about how we’re building for the future, and covered best practise for add-on developers.
We understand that a reliable and seamless experience is crucial for all our users and needs to be balanced with adding new features and keeping NVDA up to date. Here’s a quick recap of the key messages:
- NVDA has an exceptional track record of stability
- We limit API-breaking changes to our annual .1 releases
- We provide extensive documentation and support to developers
- The vast majority of add-ons transition smoothly to new NVDA versions
- We’re building a more stable future with the secure add-on system
We’ve taken every possible step to ensure a smooth transition to NVDA 2025.1. We’re confident that you’ll love the new features and enhancements, and we appreciate your continued support and understanding.
Handy Links and Resources
- NV Access Website
- NVDA GitHub repository
- NVDA GitHub issue tracker
- NVDA user forum
- NVDA add-On developer’s forum
- NVDA developer’s guide
- NVDA Add-on API Announcements
Final Tips for Developers
- Test your add-ons against the latest beta or RC version of NVDA 2025.1
- Update your add-on’s metadata to reflect compatibility with NVDA 2025.1
- Communicate any potential issues or changes to your users
- Take advantage of our developer resources and support channels
That is all for this week. Do try out the NVDA 2025.1 beta, and test your skills on the updated NVDA Expert Certification exam. Be inspired by Gene’s story, and continue the conversation in the NVDA user group. Remember you can subscribe to this blog, our beta and release announcements, stories and more, all via email.