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Accessibility Features

Built-in accessibility tools on every major OS that make your device easier to see, hear, and use

Every operating system has built-in tools that make your screen easier to read, your input easier to manage, and your device easier to use overall. These aren't just for people with disabilities – zoom is great for presentations, larger text reduces eye strain, and color filters can help anyone working in bright sunlight. Here's what's available and how to turn it on.

All accessibility features live in one place: Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility.

Zoom (magnification):

  1. Open System Settings > Accessibility > Zoom
  2. Turn on one or more zoom styles:
    • Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom – Option + Cmd + = to zoom in, Option + Cmd + - to zoom out, Option + Cmd + 8 to toggle
    • Use scroll gesture with modifier keys – hold Control and scroll up/down to zoom
    • Hover Text – hold Cmd and hover over text to see a magnified version
  3. Choose between full-screen zoom, split-screen, or picture-in-picture

Text size:

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display
  2. Drag the Text size slider to make system-wide text larger
  3. Changes apply across menus, sidebars, and most apps immediately

Color filters:

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Color Filters
  2. Turn on Color Filters and choose a filter type:
    • Grayscale – removes all color
    • Red/Green Filter (Protanopia or Deuteranopia) – for red-green color blindness
    • Blue/Yellow Filter (Tritanopia) – for blue-yellow color blindness
  3. Adjust the intensity slider to your preference

Increased contrast and reduce motion:

  1. In System Settings > Accessibility > Display, toggle:
    • Increase contrast – makes borders and separators more visible
    • Reduce motion – replaces animations with simple fades
    • Reduce transparency – makes window backgrounds solid instead of translucent

VoiceOver (screen reader):

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver
  2. Turn on VoiceOver or press Cmd + F5 to toggle it
  3. VoiceOver reads everything on screen aloud and lets you navigate with keyboard commands
  4. On first launch, the VoiceOver Training walks you through the basics

Voice Control:

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control
  2. Turn on Voice Control – macOS downloads a language file on first use
  3. Say commands like "click Save," "scroll down," or "open Safari" to control your Mac hands-free
  4. A microphone icon in the menu bar shows when it's active

Captions:

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Captions
  2. Turn on Prefer closed captions and SDH for videos that support it
  3. Customize caption style (text size, color, background)

Pointer size and color:

  1. In System Settings > Accessibility > Display, look for Pointer options
  2. Drag the Pointer size slider to make the cursor larger
  3. On newer macOS versions, you can also change the pointer outline and fill colors

Sticky Keys:

  1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > Sticky Keys
  2. Turn on Sticky Keys to press modifier keys (Shift, Cmd, Option, Control) one at a time instead of holding them together
  3. This is genuinely useful for one-handed typing – if you keep triggering it accidentally, see keyboard troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions

Are accessibility features only for people with disabilities?▾

No. Many of these tools are useful for anyone. Zoom is great for presentations and demos, larger text reduces eye strain during long work sessions, reduce motion helps with motion sensitivity, and voice control is convenient when your hands are full. Try them out – you might find a few you want to keep on.

Will turning on accessibility features slow down my device?▾

Most features have no noticeable performance impact. Screen readers (VoiceOver, Narrator, Orca, TalkBack) use some additional processing, and zoom on older devices can feel slightly heavier, but modern hardware handles all of these without issue.

Can I toggle accessibility features on and off quickly?▾

Yes, every OS has shortcuts. On Mac, press Cmd + F5 for VoiceOver or set up Accessibility Shortcut in System Settings. On Windows, Win + Plus for magnifier, Win + Ctrl + C for color filters, Win + Ctrl + Enter for Narrator. On iOS, triple-press the side button. On Android, use the floating accessibility button or volume key shortcut.

What's the difference between text size and display scaling?▾

Text size only makes text bigger while keeping icons and UI elements the same size. Display scaling (also called resolution scaling) makes everything larger, including buttons, icons, and windows. Start with text size if you just need more readable text. See screen resolution and scaling for more on display scaling.

I keep accidentally triggering Sticky Keys. How do I stop that?▾

On Windows, pressing Shift five times triggers the Sticky Keys prompt. On Mac, pressing Shift five times can trigger it too. To disable the shortcut without disabling Sticky Keys entirely, see keyboard and mouse troubleshooting for steps to turn off the trigger shortcut on each OS.