xPlorer—an add-on for NVDA

I wanted to share with the NVDA users here about a new add-on I recently discovered, called "xPlorer". This is a fairly simple tweak that makes File Explorer for Windows a lot more accessible.

It also gives us a new shortcut, NVDA plus Control plus 'x' by default, which will announce the file size of any file currently in focus while inside File Explorer.

I would strongly recommend changing this in Input Gestures from within NVDA's GUI.

The add-on can be found directly from the NVDA add-on store.

Enjoy. 👍 😎

+++Update+++

Taken from the GitHub page ...

Overview:

xPlorer is a simple NVDA add-on that improves the experience of using Windows File Explorer. It enhances feedback and navigation for screen reader users in common Explorer views such as folder lists, drive contents, and navigation panes.

Features:

• Announce Size of Selected Item:

Pressing the assigned gesture (e.g., NVDA+Ctrl+X) reports the size of a selected file or folder, or used space of a drive in File Explorer.

• Auto-Speak for Empty Folders:

Announces “Empty Folder” when navigating into a folder with no items.

• Auto-Select First Item:

Automatically selects and speaks the first item when entering a non-empty folder view in Explorer.

• Simplified Focus Reporting:

Suppresses redundant announcements like "View list items" for cleaner and more concise feedback in File Explorer.

• Improved Focus Handling:

Resolves focus lag in some Explorer panes (e.g., Home view) by programmatically shifting focus after a delay.

• Enhanced File Item Feedback:

If a folder contains only one item, selecting it will automatically report its name for better navigation clarity.

• Localized Overlay Classes:

Adds a custom object overlay to suppress unnecessary focus ancestor output in certain UI elements like toolbars and lists.

• Safe Gesture Handling:

Uses gesture.send() to return gestures back to NVDA when the active context is not File Explorer, ensuring compatibility with other applications and global NVDA commands.