How to make Windows 11 more accessible

Microsoft has made Windows 11 easy to use for those with a variety of needs with features like live captions and voice access

Windows 11 is an operating system that’s intended to be use friendly for most users. So if you have limited hearing, vision, mobility, or other disabilities, Microsoft has added plenty of features to help make your PC easier to use. There are features like Live Captions, Voice Access, and Narrator. We have a look at all these features for you right here and how to use them for your needs.

Windows 11 accessibility features for low-vision users

There are multiple features in Windows 11 that are designed for those with vision issues. There is the Narrator, which can read about what’s happening on the screen; color controls to make the screen easier to read; a magnifier to make the screen appear bigger; and color filters that help you distinguish between subtle color changes. Here’s a look at how to use them.

Narrator

Accessing Narrator is as simple as using a keyboard combination. If you have limited to no vision, the Narrator will read aloud what’s happening on the screen and will let you use your PC without a mouse for common tasks. Then, you can interact with objects on the screen.

1. Press the Windows + Ctrl + Enter keys on your keyboard to start Narrator.
2. This will launch Narrator Home, and the Narrator will read what it sees on the screen.
3. Choose the Start Narrator after sign-in option to start it automatically when you sign in to your PC.
4. To further tweak settings, press Windows + Ctrl + N to open Narrator Settings.
5. Exit Narrator by pressing Windows + Ctrl + Enter again.

Contrast themes

Windows 11 has a high contrast mode that can make it easier to read the contents on your screen. It changes the screen to colors that have high contrast, such as a black background with white highlights. It’s easy to access, and you can choose either Aquatic, Desert, Dusk, or Night Sky. There are also additional controls once you choose a theme with the Edit button.

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
2. Choose Accessibility.
3. Choose Contrast Themes.
4. Pick one from the list and select Apply.

Magnifier

Magnifier lets you make certain parts of the screen bigger. This can help enlarge images or text. It is available with a keyboard shortcut, so it’s super easy to access.

1. Press the Windows + plus sign on your keyboard. This will automatically zoom in.
2. Keep hitting Windows + plus sign to zoom in or Windows + minus sign to zoom out.
3. Press the Windows Key and Esc to exit Magnifier.

Color filters

Finally, we have color filters, which are designed for users with different forms of color blindness by changing the colors on the screen.

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
2. Choose Accessibility.
3. Toggle on Color Filters.
4. Select a color filter from the list based on your type of color blindness.

Windows 11 accessibility features for hearing impairments

There are two Windows 11 accessibility features designed for the deaf or hard of hearing: live captions and single-channel audio.

Live captions

Live captions were added recently during update 22H2. The feature transcribes what’s happening on your screen while you’re watching or listening to something. You’ll then see captions in an area at the top of your open windows, similar to the closed caption bar on a TV set.

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
2. Choose Accessibility.
3. Choose Captions.
4. Turn on the toggle for Live captions.
5. Download the required files.
6. If you want, you can edit the caption style by choosing the various options for white on black, small caps, large text, or yellow on blue. Pressing the Edit button gives you more control.
7. Now when you want to access live captions, use Windows + Ctrl + L to turn them on.

You can learn more about these options in our Windows 11 live captions guide.

Other audio features

Windows 11 has a couple more features for users with hearing impairments. First, if you can only hear from one ear, you can use mono audio to hear all the sounds in one channel. You can also make it so that audio notifications flash the screen, so you get a visual cue as well.

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
2. Choose Accessibility.
3. Choose Audio.
4. Turn the switch for mono audio to On.
5. Under Flash my screen during audio notifications, choose whether you want to flash the title bar of the active window, the entire window, or the entire screen.

Windows 11 features for users with limited mobility

For those with mobility issues, there are three features that can make Windows 11 easier to use. Voice access will let you control Windows using just your voice instead of a keyboard and mouse; eye control lets you use your eyes as a touchpad (with special hardware); and voice typing will let you use your voice for dictation.

Voice access

Voice access was first introduced in the Windows 11 22H2 update and requires an initial internet connection for setup. Once complete, you can use your voice for common interactions in Windows, like opening the Start Menu, navigating settings, and so much more.

1. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
2. Choose Accessibility.
3. Choose Speech.
4. Toggle voice access pn.
5. Check the box for Start Voice access after you sign in to your PC. This enables it to start automatically.
6. Click the Download button at the top of your screen.
7. Follow the instructions on your screen.
8. Once set up, you can say “voice access wake up” or click the microphone icon at the top of your screen to start prompts.

You can learn more about setting up voice access in our dedicated guide.

Eye control

Eye control lets you use your eyes to navigate the operating system, replacing the typical mouse. You’ll need special hardware, which Microsoft lists on its support page, but once up and running, you can enable it with the steps below. You might need assistance from somebody for these steps, however.

1. Plug your device into your PC, and mount it securely following the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Download the required software by following the guide included with your peripheral.
3. Open the Windows 11 Settings app with Windows + I.
4. Choose Accessibility.
5. Choose Eye control
6. Toggle the feature on and follow the steps on your screen to set up the feature.

Voice typing

We end with voice typing. This is one of the simplest Windows features that helps you use your voice to type instead of your keyboard.

1. Press Windows + H on your keyboard.
2. Place the cursor where you want to type
3. Begin saying what you want to type out, including prompts for punctuation marks.
4. You can so go to Windows Settings> Accessibility> Speech to turn on Windows Speech Recognition, which allows you to interact with your PC.

How to use Immersive Reader to help you focus and learn

Windows 11’s built-in browser, Microsoft Edge, has a feature known as the Immersive Reader. This feature can change the way your webpage looks and even read out webpages for you. Immersive Reader is available across Microsoft Edge, OneNote, and Microsoft Word.

Open Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. On your keyboard, press F9 (you may need to use hold the Fn key on some devices).
3. You also can choose the Immersive Reader icon in the address bar, it looks like a book
4. To read out the webpage, choose Read aloud in the menu bar at the top (looks like the letter A).
5. To change the text size and color, choose Text Preferences.
6. To highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and turn words into syllables, choose the Grammar Tools option.
7. To see tools like Line focus, translate, and a picture dictionary, choose the Reading Preferences option.

Immersive Reader in OneNote

1. Open OneNote.
2. Choose View.
3. Choose Immersive Reader.

Once you open Immersive Reader, you can select Play to hear paragraphs out loud.

Immersive Reader in Word

1. Open Word.
2. Select View.
3. Select Immersive Reader.
4. Word will launch in full screen

You can click anywhere in your Word document, and the Immersive Reader ribbon will minimize. You can bring it back at any time by clicking the … at the top of the screen. From there, you’ll see options to change the width of the column, change the page color, line focus, text space, highlight syllables, and even read aloud the text.

As you can tell, we covered a lot of ground in this guide. Windows 11 is designed to be easy to use, no matter your use case or what disabilities you might have. We hope you found our guide helpful. And remember, we’re always writing about Windows, so check out our Windows 11 hub for more!