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By Scot, 10+ years in IT support and helpdesk ·How these guides are checked
Windows 11 includes Magnifier (Win + Plus), Narrator (screen reader), Live Captions, Voice Access, high contrast themes, and sticky keys. Open Settings → Accessibility to explore and enable these features.
Checked against Microsoft Learn - Windows release health and Microsoft Learn - end of support and retirement between 5 Aug 2026 and 12 Sep 2026. Nothing published in that period has been linked to this guide.
Windows includes a comprehensive set of accessibility features designed to make your computer easier to see, hear, and interact with. Many of these features are useful for everyone — not only users with disabilities. This article is a quick-reference guide to every major accessibility feature in Windows, organized by category, with keyboard shortcuts and a decision guide to help you find the right tool.
In this guide
| Feature | What It Does | How to Access It | Keyboard Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text size | Increase text size across Windows without changing display resolution | Settings → Accessibility → Text size | None (slider in Settings) |
| Display scaling | Scale everything on screen (text, icons, apps) by percentage | Settings → Display → Scale | None (dropdown in Settings) |
| Magnifier | Zoom in on part of the screen with a movable magnification lens | Settings → Accessibility → Magnifier | Win + Plus (+) to start, Win + Esc to stop |
| High contrast / Contrast themes | Apply high-contrast colour schemes for better visibility | Settings → Accessibility → Contrast themes | Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen |
| Colour filters | Apply colour filters for colour blindness (deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia) or grayscale | Settings → Accessibility → Colour filters | Win + Ctrl + C (toggle on/off) |
| Night light | Reduce blue light emission to reduce eye strain, especially at night | Settings → Display → Night light | None (toggle in Quick Settings) |
| Mouse cursor size and colour | Enlarge the cursor or change its colour for easier tracking | Settings → Accessibility → Mouse pointer and touch | None (slider in Settings) |
| Text cursor indicator | Add a coloured visual indicator to the blinking text cursor | Settings → Accessibility → Text cursor | None (toggle in Settings) |
| Dark mode | Switch Windows and apps to a dark colour scheme to reduce glare | Settings → Personalization → Colours → Choose your mode → Dark | None |
Colour filters and contrast themes are the two most commonly confused entries in that table — one shifts the colours an app chose, the other replaces the palette outright. How to Use Color Filters and High-Contrast Themes in Windows covers both, including where each one stops working.
| Problem | Best Feature |
|---|---|
| Text is too small to read | Text size (increase the slider to 120–150%) |
| Everything on screen is too small (icons, buttons, text) | Display scaling (set to 125% or 150%) |
| I need to zoom in on a specific area temporarily | Magnifier (Win + Plus) |
| I have difficulty distinguishing colours | Colour filters (choose your colour blindness type) |
| The screen is too bright at night | Night light |
| I lose track of my mouse cursor | Mouse cursor size and colour (enlarge and change colour) |
| Low contrast makes text hard to read | Contrast themes (select a high-contrast theme) |
| Feature | What It Does | How to Access It | Keyboard Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Captions (Win 11) | Real-time subtitles for any audio playing on your computer — meetings, videos, podcasts | Settings → Accessibility → Captions | Win + Ctrl + L |
| Mono audio | Combines left and right audio channels into one — useful if you hear better in one ear | Settings → Accessibility → Audio | None (toggle in Settings) |
| Flash notifications | Flash the screen or taskbar when a notification sound plays | Settings → Accessibility → Audio → Flash my screen during audio notifications | None |
| Teams Live Captions | Real-time subtitles during Teams meetings (separate from Windows Live Captions) | Teams meeting → ⋯ → Turn on live captions | None |
Tip: Windows Live Captions (Win + Ctrl + L) work with any audio source on your computer — YouTube, Zoom, recorded videos, and even in-person conversations through your microphone. They are not limited to Teams.
| Feature | What It Does | How to Access It | Keyboard Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice Typing (Win 11) | Dictate text anywhere you can type — emails, documents, search bars | Click any text field, then press the shortcut | Win + H |
| Sticky Keys | Press modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Win) one at a time instead of holding them together | Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Sticky Keys | Press Shift 5 times |
| Filter Keys | Ignore brief or repeated keystrokes — helps users with tremors or unsteady hands | Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Filter Keys | Hold Right Shift for 8 seconds |
| On-Screen Keyboard | A virtual keyboard you can operate with a mouse, touch screen, or eye tracker | Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → On-Screen Keyboard | Win + Ctrl + O |
| Mouse Keys | Control the mouse pointer using the number pad on your keyboard | Settings → Accessibility → Mouse → Mouse Keys | Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock |
| Voice Access (Win 11) | Control your entire computer — clicking, scrolling, opening apps — using only your voice | Settings → Accessibility → Speech → Voice Access | None (enable in Settings) |
| Touch keyboard | On-screen keyboard optimized for touch screens | Taskbar → Touch Keyboard icon | None |
Voice Typing and Voice Access sound similar and do different jobs: Voice Typing puts words into a text box, while Voice Access drives the whole operating system. How to Use Voice Access to Control Windows walks through the setup and the commands worth memorising.
| Feature | What It Does | How to Access It | Keyboard Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Built-in screen reader that reads text, buttons, and menus aloud | Settings → Accessibility → Narrator | Win + Ctrl + Enter |
Narrator key commands (the Narrator key is Caps Lock or Insert by default):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Narrator key + Right arrow | Read next item |
| Narrator key + Left arrow | Read previous item |
| Ctrl | Stop reading |
| Narrator key + S | Read summary of a web page |
| Narrator key + W | Read the current window title |
| Narrator key + D | Read the current item details |
| Shortcut | Feature |
|---|---|
| Win + Plus (+) | Start Magnifier (zoom in) |
| Win + Esc | Stop Magnifier |
| Win + Ctrl + Enter | Toggle Narrator on/off |
| Win + Ctrl + L | Toggle Live Captions (Windows 11) |
| Win + Ctrl + C | Toggle Colour Filters |
| Win + Ctrl + O | Open On-Screen Keyboard |
| Win + H | Start Voice Typing (Windows 11) |
| Win + U | Open Accessibility Settings |
| Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen | Toggle High Contrast mode |
| Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock | Toggle Mouse Keys |
| Shift × 5 | Toggle Sticky Keys |
| Hold Right Shift (8 sec) | Toggle Filter Keys |
| I Need To... | Use This Feature |
|---|---|
| Make text bigger | Text size or Display scaling |
| Zoom in on part of the screen | Magnifier |
| Reduce eye strain at night | Night light |
| See subtitles for any audio | Live Captions |
| Have the computer read content aloud | Narrator |
| Type without using a keyboard | Voice Typing |
| Control the computer without a mouse | Voice Access or Mouse Keys |
| Use keyboard shortcuts one key at a time | Sticky Keys |
| Find my mouse cursor more easily | Mouse cursor size and colour |
| Reduce screen brightness/glare | Dark mode or Night light |
| Apply a high-visibility colour scheme | Contrast themes |
| Filter colours for colour blindness | Colour filters |
Every feature above changes what happens on your screen. None of them changes a file you send to somebody else — for that, the Office Accessibility Checker is the tool, and How to Check Documents for Accessibility in Office covers it.
INFO
Most accessibility features can be toggled on and off instantly using the keyboard shortcuts above. If you accidentally activate a feature (e.g., Narrator starts reading aloud), use the corresponding shortcut to turn it off.
| Symptom / Error | Potential Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator starts unexpectedly | Accidentally pressed Win + Ctrl + Enter | Press Win + Ctrl + Enter again to toggle Narrator off. |
| Magnifier is stuck on and won't close | Esc key not working as expected | Press Win + Esc to close Magnifier. If that does not work, go to Settings → Accessibility → Magnifier and toggle it off. |
| Live Captions option is missing | Running Windows 10 | Live Captions require Windows 11. Update your OS, or use Teams Live Captions for meetings. |
| Voice Typing does not respond | Microphone access blocked | Go to Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and ensure microphone access is enabled for desktop apps. |
| Sticky Keys keeps activating accidentally | Pressing Shift 5 times triggers it | Open Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Sticky Keys and disable the keyboard shortcut trigger. |
| Colour filter changes disappeared after restart | Feature was toggled off | Press Win + Ctrl + C to re-enable, or go to Settings → Accessibility → Colour filters and toggle on. |
| High Contrast mode makes apps look broken | App does not support contrast themes well | Switch to a different contrast theme in Settings → Accessibility → Contrast themes, or disable and use Dark mode instead. |
| Text cursor indicator not visible | Indicator turned off or colour blends with background | Go to Settings → Accessibility → Text cursor and toggle the indicator on. Choose a bright, contrasting colour. |
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