Leasey version 11.5 is scheduled for release in July 2026, and it is one of the most wide-ranging Leasey updates we have produced, Ever!
If 2025 was the year of Leasey Sports and Games, and the first major ChatGPT integration, 2026 is taking a different direction. This year is about returning to many of the long-established features people already rely upon, looking at them carefully, and rebuilding them so they feel more modern, more consistent, more flexible and more comfortable to use with JAWS. At the same time, we are introducing some completely new features which extend Leasey into areas we have not covered before.
This is not an update where one new function has been bolted on and the rest of the product has been left untouched. Leasey 11.5 reaches into media playback, radio, podcasts, notes, file management, databases, shortcuts, ChatGPT, spell checking and social media. In some cases, familiar features have been redesigned from the ground up. In others, brand new applications have been added to the Leasey family.
The result is a Summer update which should feel both familiar and fresh. Familiar, because it preserves the Leasey approach of simple keyboard access, clear JAWS feedback and practical workflows. Fresh, because so many of the features have been rethought so they are easier to understand, easier to customise and much more capable.
This post gives you the broad tour. There is so much in Leasey 11.5 that we will follow this with separate posts covering individual areas in more depth. But even as a first overview, we want you to have a true picture of what has changed and why it matters.
One of the largest redesigned areas in Leasey 11.5 is the new Leasey Media Centre, previously named LeaseyRadio and LeaseyCast.
Leasey has had radio and podcast features for many years, but the new Media Centre gives them a much more coherent home. Instead of thinking of radio, podcasts, local audio files and sound controls as separate islands, Leasey Media Centre brings them together into a single accessible application.
When opened, the first control is a Task combo box. From there, you can choose between Radio, Podcasts, Audio and Playlists, and a new feature, Sound Control. You can move through the choices with the Up and Down Arrow keys, or jump directly with shortcut keys such as Alt+1 for Radio, Alt+2 for Podcasts, Alt+3 for Audio and Playlists, and Alt+4 for Sound Control.
That may sound like a small design point, but it is important. The Media Centre is not trying to hide everything behind complex menus. It presents the main tasks clearly and lets you move to the part you need. People who like to Tab through controls can do so. People who want speed can use shortcut keys. That balance is very much at the heart of this update.
The new Leasey Media Player is the recommended player for the Media Centre. You can still choose other supported players, including Winamp, Foobar and VLC, but Leasey Media Player has been designed specifically for Leasey users and brings some powerful advantages.
It can be used for radio, podcasts, local audio files and playlists. It includes controls for play and pause, stop, back, forward, volume, skip amount, speed where appropriate, bookmarks and a sleep timer. It can speak elapsed time, remaining time and total time. It can jump to a specific time in an audio file. It can remember saved positions. It can use bookmarks for important places in long recordings or audio books. It can also expose global player hotkeys so playback can be controlled even when focus is in another application. Best of all, for those who love podcasts, you can skip by chapter markers.
The Braille support here is very significant. When status messages are spoken, they can also be displayed in Braille. For example, if you ask Leasey Media Player for the elapsed time of a playing audio file, that information is not only spoken but also shown on a Braille display. This is the kind of detail which makes a feature feel complete rather than merely functional. If you are using Braille, you should not have to choose between listening to speech and getting the same information under your fingers.
Radio has been substantially modernised. The Radio area includes a category list, search field, station list, favourites, presets, most recent station and scheduled recordings. Searching is intended to feel like one directory even though more than one source may be checked. Leasey recommended stations are checked first, followed by Radio Browser and Shoutcast. In practice, this means you can search for a station name or a type of station, such as classical or country, and the results are brought together in one list.
Favourites and presets are also much easier to manage. You can add a station to favourites without needing to listen first. You can view favourites, move them up and down, and hear confirmation when their order changes. Presets can be assigned to one of twenty preset numbers, and existing LeaseyRadio global keystrokes can continue to be used.
Scheduled radio recording is one of the strongest parts of the new Media Centre. Recordings can be made as MP3 files at 128K, 192K or 320K, or as WAV files. You do not have to listen to a station while it is recording. You can listen to another station at the same time. If the Media Centre is kept running in the system tray, scheduled recordings can still take place after the computer has been restarted. If a stream disconnects during the scheduled time, Leasey Media Centre will periodically check whether it can recover the stream and continue recording into a separate file.
This is a very practical feature for anyone who records specialist programmes, internet radio shows, interviews, music documentaries or regular broadcasts. You can set the station, date, time, duration, repeat pattern and recording folder. If you later want to check what is scheduled, the Scheduled Recordings list gives you a clear summary.
Podcasts have also been redesigned. You can add a podcast feed manually, search the iTunes podcast directory, delete feeds, refresh episodes, search show notes, play episodes, download episodes and display show notes in a browser where links are easier to handle. Leasey can tell you which podcast feeds contain new episodes as you move through the list, so you do not need to open every feed just to check. If you have partly played an episode, Leasey estimates how far through you are and gives you a percentage.
The Audio and Playlists area gives you a practical way to create and manage playlists. You can create a playlist, add files, add a whole folder, remove tracks, change track order, play a track or an entire playlist, edit tags for a single audio file and use a batch tag editor. Tag editing is available for local MP3 and M4A files. This means Leasey is not just playing your audio, it is helping you organise it.
The new player is also very suitable for long-form material. Playback speed is especially useful for podcasts and audio books. You can increase or decrease speed, return to normal speed instantly, set bookmarks, jump to a bookmark, delete bookmarks and use a sleep timer. The sleep timer includes a range of common durations and stops playback when the time expires.
There is also a Player only mode for people who usually open audio files or playlists from File Explorer and do not want the full Media Centre window each time. When this option is enabled, opening an audio file or playlist displays only the Leasey Media Player window. The full Media Centre remains available when you open it normally.
Sound Control is another helpful area. It provides a more accessible way to review and change common Windows sound settings. You can adjust output and recording input controls, and there are convenient buttons available for JAWS-related actions such as routing JAWS sound left or right, restoring sound balance, selecting the next or previous sound card and toggling audio ducking. This saves remembering the JAWS-related keystrokes.
There is also Leasey Music Recognition. When recognition is complete, results are produced in a browser because they can include links to sources where the song can be purchased or previewed. Again, this is practical: the information is not trapped in a small dialog box but placed somewhere useful. Music Recognition can capture audio from the sound source on your computer which you specify.
In short, Leasey Media Centre is not a cosmetic update. It is a much broader media environment for radio, podcasts, playlists, local files, recording, playback, sound control and music identification.
LeaseyNotes is another major area of Leasey 11.5, and it deserves attention because it has been designed with a lot of care.
You do not need to open a word processor to create a LeaseyNote. From anywhere, you can press the Leasey key followed by Control+Windows+N. LeaseyNotes is intended to be a fast, keyboard-friendly, JAWS-friendly notes manager with clear confirmation messages. The goal is that you should not be left wondering what happened after a command was used.
LeaseyNotes has two modes: Advanced Notes and Simple Notes.
Advanced Notes is the full notes manager. It supports categories, attachments, web links, related notes, advanced fields, exporting, undo history and more. Categories can contain notes, and they can also contain other categories. LeaseyNotes remembers which categories were open or closed, remembers the last note or category you used, and restores your position when the program starts again.
Simple Notes is for people who want a very small plain notes interface. It contains only the notes list and the note text edit field. It shows top-level notes only. Categories, links, attachments, related notes and advanced fields are not shown in Simple Notes mode, but they are not deleted. You can change back to Advanced Notes and the additional information is still there.
This is a thoughtful design choice. Some people want a powerful information manager. Others want something closer to a plain notebook. Leasey 11.5 gives both groups a comfortable path without requiring two separate products.
The restore system is one of the most reassuring parts of LeaseyNotes. Automatic backups are built in. If there is no backup when LeaseyNotes starts, one is created. When the notes database changes, LeaseyNotes keeps a dated backup before the new version is saved. Routine saves are limited so the backup list does not become cluttered, but important actions such as creating notes or categories, deleting notes or categories, moving categories and restoring from backup all create restore points.
This is particularly important for a notes application. Notes often contain things which are not stored anywhere else: ideas, draft messages, phone numbers, meeting notes, research, personal reminders and pieces of information captured in a hurry. A restore system means that if you accidentally delete something, move something, or make changes you later regret, you have a route back.
Creating notes has been carefully considered. In Advanced Notes mode, the position of focus matters. If you place focus on a note inside a category, a new note can be inserted where you want it rather than always being thrown to the end. If you have twenty notes in a category and want a new one at position seven, you place focus on note six and create the note. That saves a lot of tidying afterwards.
Notes save automatically when you move to another note, press Escape from the note text field, or close LeaseyNotes. You can also save manually with Control+S. There is no LeaseyNotes character limit for the main note text, so the practical limit is set by Windows and available memory rather than by Leasey.
Searching is strong. You can find text in the current note, find the next or previous occurrence, perform find and replace, and search across all notes. The global search can include note text, titles, category names, attachment names, web links and advanced fields. Search results tell you what matched, and when a note opens, LeaseyNotes also locates the matching text in the note.
Attachments are supported. You can attach a file to a note, open an attachment, copy an attachment file or open the attachment folder. The file is copied into the LeaseyNotes attachments folder, so it is stored with the note system rather than simply pointing to something which may later move.
Audio notes are especially worth highlighting. You can select a note and press Control+Shift+P to record an audio note. LeaseyNotes opens a Record Audio Note dialog, lets you choose the recording source if necessary, and provides Record, Pause, Resume, Stop and playback controls. When you save, the recording is stored as a WAV file and attached to the selected note. This is ideal for capturing a thought, a meeting summary, a pronunciation, a short reminder, a musical idea, or anything easier to speak than type.
Web links are also part of the system. You can add a web link to a note, open it, rename it, delete it, copy the address and rearrange the links. If you enter an address without the beginning, LeaseyNotes can treat it sensibly as a web address.
Advanced fields allow notes to become more structured. A note can have extra named fields which can be copied individually. That could be used for client details, research material, recipes, equipment settings, book information, membership details or any situation where a plain note benefits from specific fields.
Related notes are another powerful feature. If one note is related to another, the connection is bidirectional. If Note A is related to Note B, both notes know about the relationship. You can open a related note and return to the previous note with Alt+Left Arrow. This gives LeaseyNotes a light knowledge-base feel without making it complicated.
Quick Note is the feature for moments when you need to capture something immediately. Press the Leasey key followed by Control+Windows+N and a minimal Quick Note window appears. It contains the note text field and OK button. That is all. In Advanced Notes mode, the note is saved into a QuickNotes category, which is created automatically if needed. In Simple Notes mode, it is saved as a top-level note. The note title is based on the date and time. You can return later, rename it and move it where it belongs.
The new LeaseyNotes feels like one of those features which could become part of daily work for many users. It can be simple, or it can be sophisticated. It can store a quick thought or a structured collection of information. Most importantly, it has been designed around speech, keyboard use and confidence. Let's not forget; notes you save on one computer can be instantly available on another device.
LeaseyCuts is another familiar Leasey concept which has been redesigned.
At its simplest, a LeaseyCut is a shortcut to something you use: a file, a folder or a web page. The new LeaseyCuts gives those shortcuts a much more flexible management system.
The main window contains a Show combo box, a Category combo box, a Filter edit box, the LeaseyCuts list and buttons for opening, creating, editing, deleting and managing items. The Show combo box lets you choose whether you want to display all items, files and folders, or web pages. The Category combo box lets you show all categories, uncategorised items, or a specific category you have created.
This category system is one of the main improvements. You do not have to use categories if you prefer one straight list. But if you have a lot of LeaseyCuts, categories can make them much easier to browse. You might have categories for work, music, shopping, training, finance, frequently used folders, radio stations, documents, or anything else.
Filtering is available within the current view. Press Control+F, type part of a name, target or category, and the list narrows. If you are currently viewing web pages, the filter searches the visible web page LeaseyCuts. If you are viewing a category, it searches that category.
There is also a search everywhere command. Press Control+Shift+F, type what you want, and LeaseyCuts searches across everything. This is ideal when you know a shortcut exists but cannot remember where you put it.
Creating a new LeaseyCut can be done manually from the LeaseyCuts window. You enter a name, choose whether it is a file, folder or web page, optionally assign a category, and enter the target. If it is a file or folder, you can browse to it. If it is a web page, you type or paste the address.
You can also create a LeaseyCut using the familiar Leasey method. Focus on a file, folder or web page and press the Leasey key followed by Control+S. Leasey tries to capture the correct name and target, and you can adjust the name before saving.
LeaseyCuts can be edited, renamed, deleted, moved into categories and sorted. You can create new categories with Control+Shift+N, move items to categories with Control+M, and move items up or down manually unless automatic alphabetical sorting is enabled. You can also copy the target of a focused LeaseyCut to the clipboard. That is useful if you need the actual file path, folder path or web address rather than opening it.
Presets are also available. You can assign up to ten frequently used LeaseyCuts as presets and launch them with Control+1 through to Control+0. There is also a command for typing a stored folder path into an edit field, which can be useful in Save As or Attach File dialogs.
The first time the new LeaseyCuts runs, it automatically tries to import items from the previous LeaseyCuts system. That is exactly what long-time users would expect. The manual import option remains available from Options if needed, and the import avoids duplicates where possible.
The new LeaseyCuts is therefore not just a replacement. It is a much more organised way of keeping your important places close to hand.
Leasey Database is one of the most interesting additions in Leasey 11.5 because it gives users the ability to create their own small databases without needing to understand database software.
It is launched with the Leasey key followed by Windows+D. The idea is simple: you create a database for something you want to keep track of, define the fields it should contain, and then add entries. But the implementation is carefully designed so that the process is guided and accessible.
You might create a database for books, music, equipment, household items, contacts, recipes, subscriptions, passwords if stored responsibly elsewhere, games, radio stations, collections, training resources, products, customers, or anything else which benefits from structured information.
Leasey Database supports several field types. These include edit fields, multi-line edit fields, links, whole numbers, decimal numbers, dates, combo boxes and check boxes. This is important because not all information is the same. A book title is text. A year is a number. A purchase date is a date. A reading status might be a combo box. "Owned" might be a check box. Notes might need a multi-line field. A web page can be stored as a link.
Fields can have optional settings. They can be required. They can have help text. Some fields can have validation rules. Combo boxes can have choices. This means the database can guide you when you add entries rather than merely presenting a blank form.
When you work with entries, the results list gives you the information in columns. You can move through columns, browse down one column, open a read-only record view, add entries, edit entries and delete entries. Required fields and invalid information are handled so you are not left with incomplete or malformed records. Duplicate entries can be controlled where appropriate.
Searching is flexible. You can choose which fields to search and search different field types. Sorting entries is supported, and you can switch between databases. Managing databases includes creating, choosing and deleting databases, as well as changing fields and moving them.
The documentation includes a detailed example of creating a books database. That example is useful because it shows what Leasey Database can become. A books database might include fields such as title, author, reading status, whether you own the book, whether you finished reading it, format, year published, started date, finished date, web page and notes. The format field might offer choices such as Print, Braille, Audio, Kindle, EPUB, PDF and Other.
That example could be adapted in many directions. A music collection could include artist, album, format, label, year, condition, catalogue number, whether it has been digitised and notes. A training resources database could include topic, student, date used, file path, web link and follow-up notes. A home inventory could include item, room, value, purchase date, warranty date and receipt link.
Export is also included. You can export a database so the information can be opened in a spreadsheet, sent to someone else, kept as a readable backup, printed or checked outside the program. Exporting does not remove anything from Leasey Database Manager.
Leasey Database is not intended to replace professional database software. It is intended to give JAWS users a practical, accessible way to structure information without wrestling with tools which were never designed for them.
Leasey 11.5 also continues to improve the ChatGPT features introduced in the previous year.
One of the new features is Talk to ChatGPT. This is an experimental way of talking to ChatGPT using your voice. It is intended for quick spoken questions and spoken answers, including questions where current information may be useful.
When the window opens, focus is placed in the Your question edit field. This is deliberate because the recommended workflow is to stay in that field rather than constantly moving through controls. Press Alt+T to start talking. Leasey says, "Start talking." You speak your question. When you stop speaking, the app detects the pause and sends the question to ChatGPT. Leasey says, "ChatGPT is thinking." If the answer takes a little while, that message is repeated periodically. When the answer is ready, ChatGPT begins speaking.
JAWS focus remains in the Your question edit field while the answer is being received. That reduces unnecessary focus announcements and helps the experience feel calmer. If you want to stop the spoken answer and ask something else, press Alt+S. That stops the current speech and immediately starts listening again.
You can also type a question and press Control+Enter. This is useful in a noisy room, when a microphone is not convenient, or when a question is easier to type than say.
The spoken answer is also placed in an Answer edit field, and the Transcript edit field contains the conversation so far. You can copy the current answer or clear the conversation. Options allow you to choose the assistant voice and preview it before saving.
Other ChatGPT-related areas have also been redesigned so they no longer display in a browser. Upload Document to ChatGPT lets you browse to a document, ask questions about it, copy the answer and save the exchange. Image Creation via ChatGPT asks for a file name, a detailed image description and a size such as square, portrait or landscape, then allows the image to be saved. Audio translation from a language other than English uses the same style of interface as audio transcription.
The common theme is that ChatGPT features in Leasey are becoming more integrated, more application-like and less dependent on a browser window.
Two other tools in Leasey 11.5 deserve their own small mention because they are extremely practical, even though they are not part of the ChatGPT feature set.
Transcribe audio to text now has a dedicated interface where you can browse to an audio file, choose whether you want speaker separation or a plain transcript, and save or copy the result. This gives you a straightforward way of turning spoken material into text without needing to work through a browser-based screen.
The Markdown Converter can convert Markdown to Microsoft Word format, respecting headings, lists and tables correctly. It can also create an HTML rendering of a Markdown document, which is useful because a blind person may not otherwise get an immediate sense of the document's visual structure. It could also help someone create content for a blog post or web page in Markdown and convert it to HTML.
Leasey File Manager is a simple file manager designed for people using JAWS. It is launched with the Leasey key followed by Windows+F by default.
It is not trying to replace every feature of File Explorer. Instead, it focuses on common file tasks and presents them in a way which is clear, consistent and efficient. You can browse folders, open files, copy files, paste files, delete files, rename files, create folders, create zip archives, view properties, copy full paths, search for files and folders, and tag files for later action. And it is amazingly fast!
The file list can show details such as type, size, created date and modified date, or it can show file names only. That view preference is global, so if you prefer a simpler list, Leasey File Manager can stay that way across folders and sessions.
Typing can be used to find items quickly. You can read columns, sort the list, open a context menu and perform file operations. The context menu brings together useful actions without forcing you to remember every keystroke.
Tagging is one of the features which makes Leasey File Manager useful beyond ordinary browsing. You can tag files, report tagged items, report the selected size, and remove tags. This can be helpful when gathering files from different parts of a folder before copying, cutting, deleting or reviewing them.
There are also commands for Copy, Cut and Paste, Open With, Show in File Explorer, Send To, Rename, Create Folder, Create Zip Archive, Delete, Properties and Copy Full Path. Creating a shortcut to open a folder in Leasey File Manager is also supported.
The Drive List gives access to drives, and Options include a data location setting. Search allows you to look for files and folders.
For many users, File Explorer is usable but not always pleasant. Leasey File Manager is intended to make common file operations more predictable, especially for people who work heavily from the keyboard and want JAWS to give concise, meaningful information.
Although the largest areas are Media Centre, Notes, Cuts, Database, ChatGPT, File Manager and LeaseySocial, Leasey 11.5 includes many other improvements which deserve mention.
The Leasey Start Menu has been redesigned to make it easier to find and launch applications. It displays applications found in the Windows Start Menu, including regular desktop programs and Microsoft Store style apps where Windows makes them available. You can filter the list, launch items, remove items you do not want to see, restore removed items, add your own files or portable programs, rename items, rearrange the order and add selected items to the Leasey Main Menu.
The Leasey Main Menu is a shorter menu for applications and tools you use most often. The Start Menu is useful for finding things. The Main Menu is intended for fast daily launching. You can add items from the Start Menu or add files manually, remove entries, rename them and move them up or down.
LeaseyConnect is an address book for storing and reviewing contact information. It is designed around finding a contact quickly, reviewing details, editing if necessary and copying useful pieces of information such as phone numbers, email addresses and social media names.
LeaseyDiary has also been redesigned. It includes date and view controls, appointment lists, searching, Go to Date, practical reminder options and export tools. It can export the whole diary as text or ICS, and it includes a phone calendar subscription feature. This allows LeaseyDiary to keep an ICS calendar file updated in a folder you choose, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud Drive. You can then subscribe to that file from a phone or tablet calendar app. The calendar is not sent to Hartgen Consultancy. It is your file, in your chosen location.
LeaseyTasks is built into LeaseyDiary. It provides a simple task list with task name, possible completion date, category, priority, percentage complete, reminders, attachment and notes. Tasks can be filtered by status, category or priority. If you set a completion date, LeaseyDiary can place an all-day diary entry on that date showing that the task is due.
The Computer Report feature generates an HTML report about the computer, including information such as Windows version, drives, installed applications, network configuration, services, startup commands, BIOS, memory and updates where available.
Synchronising data between devices is supported for several Leasey applications by allowing the data location to be changed to a cloud storage folder or portable drive. Applications include LeaseyNotes, LeaseyDiary, Leasey Media Centre, LeaseyConnect, LeaseyStart Menu, Leasey Main Menu, LeaseyCuts, Leasey Database Manager, Leasey Spell Check and LeaseySocial. If no application database exists in the chosen LeaseyData folder, Leasey can copy the current local data there first. This means existing data can move with you rather than being abandoned.
Leasey Spell Check gives JAWS users a consistent way of checking spelling in plain text, regardless of which application was used to write the text. Copy the text to the clipboard, press the Leasey key followed by Alt+F7, and Leasey Spell Check checks the clipboard text. If corrections are made, the corrected text is copied back to the clipboard. If there are no errors, it tells you so and leaves the clipboard alone. It supports UK and US English dictionaries.
Together, these smaller areas reinforce the direction of Leasey 11.5: make established tasks clearer, more accessible and more consistent.
The final major feature in Leasey 11.5 is also one of the most exciting: LeaseySocial.
LeaseySocial is a new Windows desktop client designed for Mastodon and Bluesky. The objective is not to reproduce every feature of every social media client. The objective is to make the core social media experience fast, keyboard-friendly, JAWS-friendly and, where possible, Braille-friendly.
The main window is deliberately simple. It contains an Accounts list if more than one account has been added, a Timelines list, a Posts list and a row of common buttons such as Refresh, New Post, Reply, View and Links. If only one Mastodon account is configured, the Accounts list is hidden and the layout starts with Timelines and Posts.
This matters because social media clients can become visually and structurally overwhelming. LeaseySocial is designed so that the main things are laid out in front of you. Accounts, timelines and posts are not buried. If you have multiple accounts, you can move between them. When you select an account, the Timelines list changes to show the timelines configured for that account.
The Posts list is built from configurable fields. The default fields are Author, Post, Date, Client and Status. As you move with Up and Down Arrow, JAWS reads the row. Left and Right Arrow move through the configured fields and speak the selected field. This means you can hear just the author, just the post text, just the date, just the client used, or the status such as Public, Followers only or Direct message.
The order of those fields, and whether they are included at all, is controlled from the Columns tab in Options. That setting is account-specific. If you want Author and Post only, you can remove Date, Client and Status. If you want Status before the post text, you can move it. The same configuration controls what is spoken and Brailled for each item.
LeaseySocial supports multiple Mastodon accounts and Bluesky accounts. All configured Mastodon accounts are streamed while the app is running. This means you can receive new posts, mentions and notifications from more than one account. Bluesky accounts are monitored too, with LeaseySocial checking Home, Mentions and Notifications repeatedly and announcing new items as they arrive.
If a new item arrives for a non-current account, the account name is included first so you know which account received it. This also applies if you are focused away from LeaseySocial. For example, if you are working in another application and a mention arrives, LeaseySocial can announce the account and the new item.
The Braille support in LeaseySocial is one of the most important accessibility enhancements in the whole update. Whenever a status message is spoken, LeaseySocial can relay the same information as a Braille Flash Message. That includes new posts arriving when you are not focused inside the app. If you are using a Braille display, the information is not only spoken into the room; it is also available silently and directly on the display.
Timelines include core timelines such as Home, Mentions, Notifications and Sent. Other timelines can include Local, Federated, Bookmarks, Favourites, user timelines, conversation timelines, search timelines, list timelines, People I Follow, People Following Me, recent posts on the current instance and recent posts on another instance.
Timeline order can be configured. The Timelines tab in Options lets you move timelines up or down and remove those which are removable. Home, Mentions, Notifications and Sent are treated as core timelines. Temporary timelines such as searches, user timelines and instance timelines can persist across sessions if they remain in the list. LeaseySocial also tries to remember your position in each timeline where possible.
Reading posts is straightforward. Use Up and Down Arrow in the Posts list. Use Left and Right Arrow to hear the configured fields. Press Enter to open the focused post in a Post Details dialog. That dialog contains the full post, post information and action buttons such as Follow, Unfollow, Read Profile, Edit Profile, Mention, Boost, Favourite, Bookmark, Open Web and Close depending on the situation.
There is a Where Am I command with Control+Shift+I. In the main window, it can say something like the account name, timeline and current post position. In Options, it can say which settings page is being configured. In the Compose dialog, it gives composition information such as the current field, how many characters have been typed and how many remain.
The context menu is extensive, with common commands near the top and less frequent commands under More Actions. Common actions include New Post, Reply, Reply All, Quote, Open Links, Play Media, Copy Post, Direct Message, Conversation, User Timeline, Lists Manager, Boost, Favourite and Bookmark. More Actions includes editing and deleting your own posts, describing an image with ChatGPT, search, find, follow and unfollow, filters, nicknames, pinning, muting, blocking, refreshing, recent instance posts, streaming controls, Where Am I and Options.
Composing posts is done in a standard Windows dialog. The main controls include the post text, visibility, content warning, thread mode, scheduling, polls, media file, browse button and alternative text for images. The title bar shows the character count. If you exceed the instance limit, a sound can be played if sounds are enabled. Visibility options for Mastodon include Public, Unlisted, Followers only and Direct.
Reply and Reply All are distinct. Control+R replies to the author of the focused post only. Control+Shift+R replies to all relevant users mentioned in the post while avoiding your own username where appropriate. Quote posts are supported where the Mastodon instance supports them, and where quote posts are not supported LeaseySocial falls back to inserting a link to the original post.
Boosts, favourites and bookmarks are supported. You can boost, bookmark, remove a bookmark, favourite and unfavourite posts. You can pin and unpin your own posts where the server supports it. You can edit and delete your own posts. If an action is not allowed by the server, or if the post is not yours, LeaseySocial is expected to give a clear accessible error.
Direct messages are supported. If a post is focused, the username field can be prefilled with the focused user's username. Search is available for posts, users and hashtags. Search results open as a timeline. Find in Current Timeline searches what is already loaded locally, with F3 and Shift+F3 for next and previous results.
Copying posts is designed to produce readable text. The copied post includes a readable author line and the post body. For boosts and notifications, copied text should include useful context such as who boosted or favourited the post.
Opening links has also been considered. Control+O opens a list of links found in the focused post. Links from quoted posts are included where available. LeaseySocial attempts to avoid presenting only a Mastodon status URL when there are more useful web links in the post.
Media support includes image and audio indications in the Posts list. Describe Image with ChatGPT is available from More Actions, using the OpenAI API key already stored in Leasey's ChatGPT settings. Audio playback can pass playable audio attachments to Leasey Media Centre, and Control+Enter is the shortcut for Play Media.
Content warnings are configurable. Users can choose to show post text only, show the content warning followed by the post text, or hide post text and show the warning only. This is important because some users want protected text hidden while arrowing through a timeline.
Thread Mode is available in the Compose dialog. When enabled, after one part of the post is sent, the compose edit field appears again so the next part can be written. Scheduling is also available for Mastodon posts, using combo boxes for date, hour, minute and AM or PM rather than requiring users to type times in a particular format.
Polls are supported in the Compose dialog. You can add poll options, remove them, choose duration, allow multiple selections and hide vote counts until the poll closes. LeaseySocial prevents combinations Mastodon does not allow, such as polls and media attachments in the same post.
Conversations can be opened as temporary timelines. User timelines can be opened, and for boosted posts the app can offer both the original author and the person who boosted. You can browse people you follow and people following you. Follow and unfollow commands can present a list of users found in the post, including authors, boosted-by users, quoted authors and mentioned users where available.
Profiles can be read in the app. For another user, Read Profile displays available profile information such as follower count, following count, post count, profile URL and latest post date where provided. For your own account, Edit Profile allows editing of display name and profile note inside the app.
Mute and block commands are included, using Mastodon server features. Local and instance timelines are also available, including recent posts on your instance or another instance. Lists Manager lets you work with Mastodon lists already present on the server, create new lists, edit and delete lists, add accounts and open a list as a timeline.
Filters Manager is particularly powerful. It contains LeaseySocial filters and server keyword filters. LeaseySocial filters are local, account-specific filters which apply to what LeaseySocial displays, speaks, Brailles and sounds. They can apply retrospectively to the current cached timeline. For example, if your Home timeline already contains boosts and you create a local filter for boosts, those boosts can disappear from the visible timeline without deleting the cached data.
Local filters can hide categories such as original posts, replies to others, replies to me, threads, boosts or reposts, quote posts, posts with media, posts without media, your posts and your replies. They can also match text. Server keyword filters use Mastodon's server filter API and can apply to contexts such as Home, Notifications, public timelines, conversations and profiles, with actions such as hiding completely, warning before showing or blurring media where supported.
Nicknames Manager is another thoughtful addition. It works like a small speech dictionary. You can enter a name or username and specify what LeaseySocial should say instead. This is useful where usernames are long, complex, hard to remember, full of punctuation or simply inconvenient to hear repeatedly. Nicknames apply to visible timeline columns, post list speech, new item speech, Braille status messages, copied post text and Post Details text.
Options include General, Reading, Timelines, Columns, Speech, Sounds and Shortcut keys. The Speech tab contains check boxes for timelines available to the current account, including custom timelines. Each check box controls whether new items for that timeline are spoken and Brailled when they arrive. For example, you might disable speech for Home while keeping Mentions and Notifications active.
The Sounds tab is another area where LeaseySocial gives users real control. Sound packs live under the app's Data\Sounds folder, which means custom sound packs can potentially be synchronised across devices. Users can create their own sound packs with the Soundpacks Manager. The manager lets you add, edit and delete sound packs, though the Default soundpack is protected. When creating or editing a sound pack, LeaseySocial shows the expected WAV filename for each event and lets you browse to a sound file. When saved, LeaseySocial copies the chosen WAV files into the sound pack folder and gives them the filenames it expects, so the pack does not depend on the original files remaining in place.
Available sounds use friendly descriptions such as Startup sound, New home post, Post contains a poll and Boundary, top or bottom of list. Sounds can be previewed at the current volume. Preview works even if Leasey sounds are disabled, so you can test a pack before enabling it. Sounds supplement speech and Braille. They do not replace them.
Global shortcut keys are also user-configurable. They are unassigned by default because global hotkeys are precious and can conflict with other applications. Each shortcut is represented by an edit field where you type the keystroke as text, such as Alt+Shift+Up. The app does not physically capture the keystroke, which avoids many conflicts with JAWS. Available actions include next timeline, previous timeline, up or down in the current timeline, start or end of the current timeline, and minimising or restoring from the system tray. These are intended for people who want to read timelines without focusing the LeaseySocial window.
At startup, LeaseySocial checks whether there are new Mentions or Notifications since the last time it saw those timelines. If there are, it can give a summary such as two new mentions and three new notifications.
LeaseySocial is a major new step for Leasey. It brings social media into the Leasey environment in a way that feels consistent with the rest of the product: keyboard-first, speech-aware, Braille-aware, customisable and practical. It is designed for people who want to read, post, reply, follow conversations and manage social media without fighting an inaccessible or overcomplicated interface.
Key takeaway: you do not need to have any technical knowledge to map global shortcut keys, configure what you would like spoken or sent to braille or to create a soundpack. LeaseySocial guides you through each of those processes in a simple to use interface.
Leasey 11.5 is a Summer update, but it is not a small seasonal refresh. It is a broad redesign of many areas of Leasey and a substantial expansion into new territory.
The central idea is simple: take the things Leasey users already do, and make them better. Listening to radio. Recording a programme. Playing an audio book. Finding a podcast. Creating notes. Restoring notes after a mistake. Managing shortcuts. Building small databases. Asking ChatGPT questions by voice. Checking spelling. Browsing files. Keeping diaries, tasks and contacts. Reading and posting on social media.
Everywhere you look in this update, the same principles appear: clear JAWS output, keyboard efficiency, optional shortcut keys, sensible defaults, customisation where it matters, and more attention to Braille.
Best of all, documentation to support these features is key. In addition, you will be able to use Leasey Quick Steps to ask Leasey any questions about how to use specific features. Leasey will provide clear and concise step by step answers.
We will have much more to say about individual features as release approaches. Leasey Media Centre, LeaseyNotes and LeaseySocial alone could each justify their own detailed articles. But we hope this first overview gives you a sense of the scale of Leasey version 11.5.
The Summer 2026 update is about renewing Leasey for the way people use computers now, while keeping the accessibility values which made Leasey useful in the first place.
Leasey version 11.5 is planned for release in July 2026.