There's more than one way to set up a PC to make it more accessible, depending on your needs. Everybody works differently, and there are lots of settings you can change so you can use your PC the way you want.

The most commonly used accessibility options are available in PC settings. To get to them, swipe in from the right edge of the screen and select Settings (or if you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and select Settings), select Change PC settings, and then select Ease of Access

Notes: 

  • Common accessibility options are also available from the sign-in screen. Select Ease of Access  Ease of Access button in the lower-left corner and choose the features or settings for your PC that you want. They'll be available each time it starts.

  • You can also get to accessibility settings from the desktop. To do this, press the Windows logo key  + U.

To make your screen easier to see, you can change some common settings under Ease of Access.

  • Magnifier. This is a tool that enlarges part—or all—of your screen so you can see the words and images better.

  • High contrast. If it’s hard to read text on your screen because you need more color contrast, you can turn on high contrast.

  • Other options. Here you can turn off animations in Windows, adjust cursor thickness, and make other selections to customize your visual experience.

You can also change the size of apps, text, and other items on the screen:

  1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then select Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then select Settings.)

  2. Select PC and devices and then select Display.

  3. Under Change the size of apps, text, and other items on the screen (only applies to displays that can support it, make your selection.

You can also change the Start screen tile size:

  1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then select Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then select Settings.)

  2. Select Tiles and then move the slider under Show more tiles.

Note: This slider is only available for displays that support it.

With Narrator, you can interact with your PC without a display by hearing audio descriptions of text, buttons, and videos on the screen. For more info, see Hear text read aloud with Narrator.

Select Mouse, and then select the options that you want to use:

  • Change the color and size of mouse pointers. You can use these options to make the mouse pointer larger, or change the color of the pointer to make it easier to see.

  • Turn on mouse keys. If using a mouse is awkward or difficult, you can turn on mouse keys so you don't need to use a mouse. Instead, you can use the numeric keypad or the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the pointer.

Note: If you prefer to use your PC without using a mouse, try using Windows Speech Recognition, a tool that lets you use voice commands to work with Windows. For more info, see How to use Speech Recognition.

There are a few different ways to make the keyboard easier to use. Using keyboard shortcuts is quick and convenient. For more info, see Keyboard shortcuts. If you have a touch PC, you can type without an external keyboard. Another way to customize your experience is through keyboard settings.

Select Keyboard, and then select the options that you want to use:

  • On-Screen Keyboard. If you prefer to use your PC without using a keyboard, try using On-Screen Keyboard, a tool that lets you enter text by selecting characters on the screen.

  • Sticky Keys. With Sticky Keys turned on, you won't have to press complicated key combos. For example, instead of pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del at the same time, you can press keys one at a time.

  • Toggle Keys. Toggle Keys play a notification each time you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock keys. These notifications can help prevent the frustration of inadvertently pressing a key and not realizing it.

  • Filter Keys. When you turn on Filter Keys, Windows ignores when you press the same key rapidly or when you press keys for several seconds unintentionally.

You can also use Speech Recognition to dictate text or control your PC with voice commands. For more info, see How to use Speech Recognition.

For more info about other assistive technologies, go to theMicrosoft Accessibilitywebsite.

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