Accessibility features in Microsoft Edge

In this article

Make text larger

Have the web read aloud to you

Read more comfortably

Get image descriptions for screen readers

High visibility outline

Use a keyboard to surf the web

Caret browsing

Tab browsing

Use high contrast for better readability

Ask before closing windows with tabs

Customize caption style

Windows 11 

In Windows 11 all accessibility features can be found on a single settings page in Microsoft Edge.

• Go to Settings and more  > Settings  > Accessibility .

Make text larger

To enlarge a single web page in Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more  and then choose Zoom in , Zoom out , or Full screen .

Or use the following keyboard shortcuts:

To set the default zoom level for all websites in Microsoft Edge, go to Settings and more > Settings  > Accessibility and select the desired zoom level from the drop-down menu under Page zoom.

Easily manage zoom levels for specific sites by selecting Zoom levels.

You can also enlarge text in Windows. Changes you make here will apply to most of the text on your device.

• In Windows 11, select Start   > Settings   > Accessibility  > Text size. Drag the slider until the sample text is easy to read, then select Apply.

• In Windows 10, select Start   > Settings   > Ease of access  > Display > Make text bigger. Drag the slider until the sample text is easy to read, then select Apply. 

Have the web read aloud to you

Microsoft Edge can read aloud news, sports stories, and other web pages to you. With your web page open, select and hold (right-click) anywhere on the page and choose Read aloud . You can also go to Settings and more  and then select Read aloud. 

Or use the following keyboard shortcut:

Read more comfortably

The Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge provides a cleaner, simpler layout with fewer distractions. Change the theme and text size to what's most comfortable for you.

1. In Microsoft Edge, navigate to the page that you want to read.

2. Select Enter Immersive Reader on the address bar (it’s only available on some web pages).

3. Under Text preferences, select the text size, and change the page theme to one of 23 options.

You can use the following keyboard shortcut for Immersive Reader:

See Use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge

Get image descriptions from Microsoft

Microsoft Edge can detect unlabeled images and generate descriptions. Image descriptions can be read aloud by screen readers in English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, and simplified Chinese. 

To turn this feature on:

1. Go to Settings and more > Settings .

2. Select Accessibility  > turn on Get image descriptions from Microsoft for screen readers, and select Yes, I'm in.

3. When this feature is turned on, Microsoft Edge will automatically generate descriptions for unlabeled images on any website.

High visibility focus indicator 

The high visibility focus indicator creates a black and white outline around a focused element on a web page. The outline will appear when you select a link or text area and when using keyboard navigation, such as the Tab key.

To turn this feature on:

1. Go to Settings and more > Settings .

2. Select Accessibility  and turn on Show a high visibility outline around the area of focus on the page.

3. When this feature is turned on, a black and white outline will appear for three seconds around the focused element on any web page.

Use a keyboard to surf the web

Using just your keyboard, you can quickly move focus through the major panes of your browser, such as:

• Browser tabs

• Address and search bar

• Favorites bar (if available)

• Web page content

• Certain popup dialogs

Use high contrast for better readability

High contrast mode makes the screen easier to read by using more distinct colors.

Turn high contrast mode on or off using the keyboard shortcut: 

Customize a high contrast theme in Windows: 

• In Windows 11, select Start   > Settings   > Accessibility > Contrast themes. Choose a theme from the drop-down menu and select Apply.

• In Windows 10, select Start   > Settings   > Ease of Access  > High contrast. Under Use high contrast, set Turn on high contrast to On. Under Choose a theme, select a high contrast theme, and select Apply.

Ask before closing windows with tabs

In Microsoft Edge, you can prevent your browser from closing a window with multiple open tabs by asking for confirmation before you exit.

To turn this feature on:

1. Go to Settings and more > Settings .

2. Select Accessibility  and turn on Ask before closing a window with multiple tabs.

3. When this feature is turned on, Microsoft Edge will ask for confirmation before closing a window or windows with multiple tabs open.

Customize caption style

Make your device easier to use without sound by displaying audio as text. 

To access caption preferences in Microsoft Edge:

1. Go to Settings and more > Settings .

2. Select Accessibility  and select Open system preferences for captions.

To access caption preferences in Windows:

• In Windows 11, select Start  > Settings   > Accessibility  > Captions . Under Captions, choose the caption style from the drop-down menu or select Edit to customize captions.

• In Windows 10, select Start  > Settings   > Ease of Access  > Closed captions  . Under Closed captions, select from the various drop-down menus to customize captions.