Jam for Jaws: What is it?

Jam for JAWS (often shortened to JAM, for JAWS Alert Manager) is a free set of JAWS scripts by Doug Lee that lets you take control of noisy Windows and app notifications. It can store alerts for later review, shorten or silence repeats, and give you quick keyboard commands for browsing your notification history without leaving what you’re doing.

When Jam helps the most

If Windows notifications feel like they constantly interrupt you, or if they take so long to read that you lose your place, Jam is worth a look. It’s especially handy during meetings, Zoom calls, and chat-heavy workdays, when you want notifications recorded but not constantly spoken.

What Jam actually does

Jam’s main job is notification management:

It keeps an alert history (up to 1,000 by default) so you can review alerts later.

It can shorten many alerts for faster reading, such as removing “New notification from” and trimming repeated app names.

It can detect and silence duplicate alerts and plays a small scissor sound when that happens.

It can silence all alerts on demand (while still saving them to history) and let you review them when you’re ready.

How Jam’s commands work

Jam uses multi-key command sequences so it can offer lots of commands without colliding with application shortcuts. Most Jam commands start with a prefix key sequence called the Command keystroke.

By default, the Command keystroke is JAWS key Slash. After you press that, you press the next key in the sequence. For example, “JAWS key Slash, then Tab” means press the Command keystroke first, then press Tab as a second step.

Note: “JAWS key” is Insert on most desktop layouts, and Caps Lock on many laptop layouts. Use whichever key your JAWS layout uses.

Everyday Jam commands to know

These are the commands most people end up using day to day:

Review alerts: JAWS key Slash, then Left Arrow or Right Arrow to move through alerts.

Jump to the first or last alert: JAWS key Slash, then Home or End.

Repeat the current alert and hear its position: JAWS key Slash, then NumPad 5 (or the letter K).

Read the newest alerts quickly: JAWS key Slash, then 1 through 0 to hear the ten most recent alerts.

Stop reviewing and return to what you were doing: Escape.

Toggle silencing of all alerts (still saves them): JAWS key Slash, then S.

Toggle whether Jam handles UI Automation notifications: JAWS key Slash, then U.

Hear the script revision number: JAWS key Slash, then Q.

Open Doug’s Jam help page in your browser: JAWS key Slash, then F1.

Install Jam

System requirements: Windows 10 or later, and JAWS 18 or later.

To install on a new PC:

Start JAWS. You may need administrative privileges to install scripts.

Make sure you’re running JAWS as the Windows user who will be using Jam. Repeat the install for each Windows user account that needs it.

Download and run the Jam installer from Doug Lee’s JAM page.

When prompted, install into the JAWS version that’s currently running.

Verify it loaded: press JAWS key Slash, then Q. You should hear a revision number. If not, restart JAWS and try again.

Important note about JAWS notification history

JAWS includes its own notification history and review system (introduced in JAWS 2022). Jam can still be useful because it lets you review alerts without a pop-up dialog, and it keeps one shared alert store across JAWS versions. Jam also lets you silence alerts while still recording them, which is excellent for meetings.

Updating Jam

BX utilityJam includes a quick update command, but it requires Doug’s BX utility.

If BX is installed, you can try: JAWS key Slash, then Shift U.

After an update, you may need to restart JAWS. Some updates require running the full installer to activate new command sequences.

Known limitations

Jam doesn’t handle UI Automation notifications by default. You can toggle that with JAWS key Slash, then U. Also, some alerts may not be shortened, because it’s safer to miss a shortening opportunity than to accidentally remove important content.

FAQ

Will Jam stop notifications from coming in?

No. Notifications still arrive normally. Jam changes how JAWS handles them, and it keeps a history so you can review later.

If I silence alerts, are they gone?

No. When you toggle silencing with JAWS key Slash, then S, alerts can be stored without being spoken. You can review them later with the arrow-navigation commands.

Does uninstalling Jam delete my stored alerts?

No. Jam leaves its stored alert data behind on purpose so you don’t lose history on upgrades. If you want to remove the stored data manually, Doug documents the folder to delete on his Jam page.

Conclusion

If you want ultimate control over Windows notifications, Jam is one of the best power-user options available for JAWS. It does take a little time to learn the command sequences, but once you do, it can dramatically cut down on interruption without losing information.

Qapla!