ChromeOS Accessibility Settings
To Open Accessibility Settings
- Go to Clock > Settings > Advanced >Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
Pro-Tip: Enable Always show accessibility options in the system menu for quicker access to the most commonly used accessibility features.
Make Text, Icons and the Pointer Bigger
Make Text Bigger
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Open appearance settings
- Select a Font size
Tips & Notes
The settings menus in Chrome OS can be a bit confusing. If you feel lost, close the settings tab and go back into settings again.
Make Everything Bigger
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Open Display size settings
- Select a display size using the slider
Tips & Notes
Display sizing makes everything on the screen look bigger but can make less information available on the screen requiring more scrolling.
Show Large Mouse Pointer
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Show large mouse cursor toggle
- Select a size using the slider
Tips & Notes
Optional: adjust the toggle to Highlight the mouse cursor when it is moving to make it easier to find on the screen.
Adjust Colors and Contrast
Change the Color of the Mouse
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Choose a cursor color
Tips & Notes
Choose from:
- Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple and Pink
Try High Contrast
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Use high contrast mode toggle
Tips & Notes
The selected theme cannot be customized from the default dark background, light text provided.
Use Night Light
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Open display device settings
- Adjust the Night Light toggle
Tips & Notes
Night Light reduces the blue light emitted from the computer screen. Reducing blue light may reduce eye strain when used in dimly lit or dark settings.
Magnify Apps and Text or Use a Screen Reader
Use the Screen Magnifier
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable fullscreen magnifier toggle
Tips & Notes
Magnifier can enlarge the entire screen, or a part of it as needed. Options can be adjusted using the Enable docked magnifier toggle.
Zoom Apps
One the Web: Control +
Tips & Notes
Use this shortcut to quickly increase the size of the text in programs such as any web browser or in productivity applications such as Microsoft Word or Outlook.
Use the Built-In Screen Reader
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable ChromeVox toggle
Tips & Notes
CHromeVox is a screen reader designed to support individuals who are blind or who have limited vision.
Audio Adjustment and Captioning
Activate Mono Audio
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Play the same audio through all speakers (mono audio) toggle
Tips & Notes
Mono audio may improve the listening experience for individuals who have significantly better hearing in one ear by combining the left and right audio channels into one channel.
Adjust How Captions are Presented
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Captions
- Adjust the caption text
- Adjust the caption's background
Tips & Notes
The closed captions settings provide several options for displaying captions for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Captions can also be useful for people in noisy environments or who otherwise have difficulty listening. Options include adjusting the color, size, style and presentation of the caption text and its background.
Use Live Caption
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Captions
- Adjust the Live Caption toggle
Tips & Notes
Live caption automatically creates captions for media including audio and videos.
Hands-free Dictation
Turn on Dictation
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable dictation toggle
Tips & Notes
The computer must be connected to the internet to use dictation.
Adaptive Keyboard and Mouse Settings
Activate Sticky Keys
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable sticky keys toggle
Tips & Notes
Sticky keys is designed to enable one handed activation of multi-key combinations such as CTRL+ P (print) or CTRL+ Tab (switch windows). The feature holds down each system key (CTRL, Alt, Shift or Search) until an alpha-numeric key is pressed.
Turn on Delay Before Repeat
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable auto-repeat toggle
- Adjust the Delay before repeat slider
Tips & Notes
Delay before repeat can be used to prevent multiple presses of a key when key repeat is enabled.
Use the On-screen Keyboard
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable on-screen keyboard toggle
Tips & Notes
The on-screen keyboard may be an alternative to the hardware keyboard for individuals who have limited or no use of their hands because it can be controlled using external ability switches, adaptive pointing devices such as head pointing or using eye gaze.
Activate Auto-click
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Automatically click when the cursor stops toggle
Tips & Notes
Auto-click sends a left click to the computer when the mouse stops moving and is very useful when accessing the computer using head pointing or eye gaze technologies.
Control the Device Using Switches
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Switch Access toggle
Tips & Notes
Switch access allows an individual to use one or multiple switches to operate a device. The switches are used to control a scanning interface on the screen. Auto and direct scanning methods are supported.
Support Focus, Reading and Writing
Configure Do Not Disturb
- Settings Panel > Notifications Arrow
- Adjust the Do not disturb toggle
Tips & Notes
Do Not Disturb silences most notification sounds and pop-up alerts. Notifications can be enabled or disabled for specific applications when do not disturb is activated.
Use Select to Speak
- Settings > Advanced > Accessibility
- Manage accessibility features
- Adjust the Enable select-to-speak toggle
Tips & Notes
The select-to-speak feature offers several options including:
- Highlight each word as it is spoken
- Customized the word's highlight color and background
- Shade background contents while reading
- Enable display of speed, pause and reading voice controls
Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE)
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