I have been using the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system for a long time, and have developed my own preferences when it comes to low vision accessibility settings for Windows 10. Here are settings to enable for Windows 10 to help make the device easier to use for people with low vision or who use large print on their computer. Almost all of these can be found in the Ease of Access Center from within Control Panel.
About my devices
I use a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and HP Sprout desktop computer. I have all of these low vision accessibility settings for Windows 10 enabled on each device.
Related links
- HP Sprout Review
- Questions To Ask When Choosing A Laptop For College
- Why I brought my desktop computer to college
Section- Make the Computer Easier to See
High contrast theme
While I don’t use it very often, the option exists to have the computer have a high contrast theme on the desktop and toolbar. The user can choose the contrast theme by clicking “choose a high contrast theme”
Make things on the screen larger/ Change the size of text and icons
I scale mine to 125%
Advanced display settings/advanced sizing of text
I have all font options at size 24 with bold text.
Make things on the screen easier to see
I made the focus rectangle thicker and set the thickness of the blinking cursor to 8. I also turn off all unnecessary animations.
Section- Windows Settings
Ease of Access/Mouse
My pointer size is the largest one.
Other option
For touch feedback, I use darker, larger visual feedback.
Related links
- Using High Contrast Themes In Windows 10
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
- Mouse Pointers and Low Vision
- Computer Lab Accommodations For Low Vision Students
- Choosing A Computer Mouse With Low Vision
Summary of low vision accessibility settings for Windows 10
- Enable a high-contrast theme to simplify colors and make text easier to see
- Make things on the screen larger and change the size and text of icons
- Advanced display settings and advanced sizing of text can set a standard font size across most apps
- Make things on the screen easier to see by increasing cursor thickness and disabling animations
- Customize the mouse pointer, size, and color in Windows settings
- For touch feedback, enable darker and larger visual feedback
