As an assistive technology user with low vision, I often run into bugs and other issues with various mainstream technology products, including Microsoft Office. After spending years trying to find workarounds and hoping Microsoft could read minds and solve problems, I learned about the Feedback tool in Microsoft Office and Windows 10/11, which allows users to send feedback directly to Microsoft for fixing bugs and adding features. Here are my tips for how to use the feedback tool in Microsoft Office and send valuable feedback, from my perspective as a user and as a former Microsoft intern.
How to access the feedback tool
There are a few different ways to access Microsoft’s Feedback Hub and other tools for providing feedback on products and features, including:
- Within Microsoft 365 (Office) products, open the File tab and select the Help Improve Office button, located in the top-right corner next to the account name. The icon looks like a person with a speech bubble.
- Using the keyboard shortcut Windows key-F
- Selecting the Send Feedback button in Microsoft Edge
- Selecting the Send Feedback option in the Settings menu of Microsoft applications, including Lens and Whiteboard. This is also available in several web applications, including Sway
Related links
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- How I Use Microsoft Lens With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Whiteboard With Low Vision
- How To Use Microsoft Office Sway With Assistive Technology
How to submit feedback to Microsoft
- If prompted, select a category for your feedback. Example categories may include “I like something”, “I don’t like something”, and “submit a feature request.” Some applications do not provide category prompts
- Type a summary of the issue (more on that in the next section)
- Add attachments such as a screenshot that demonstrates the problem- some applications also allow for attaching screen recordings, like Microsoft Edge
- Include an email address and select the check box if you consent to Microsoft contacting you about this issue for further questions, or leave blank to send feedback anonymously. Users can also choose whether to include diagnostic data, which can help with reproducing the issue
- Select the send button to share feedback with Microsoft.
Is this the same as tech support?
Feedback tools are different from contacting Microsoft for tech support, though support staff can also submit bugs on a user’s behalf during a call. For visually impaired users (inclusive of blind/low vision), I strongly recommend contacting the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for 24/7 individual support, which can help with troubleshooting issues. I prefer to use the Be My Eyes app to do this, though accessibility support phone numbers are also available.
Related links
- Accessibility Support Phone Numbers and Low Vision
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
- How I Use Be My Eyes With Low Vision
Tips for submitting bug reports or other feedback
Wondering how to submit bug reports or feedback that will be meaningful to Microsoft staff and that are more likely to get fixed in a timely manner? Here are some tips from my friends who work at Microsoft and read messages submitted with the feedback tool as part of their jobs:
- Share what you were doing before the issue or error occurred, providing specific steps when possible. This makes it easier to reproduce the bug and figure out what might be causing it. For example, I once created a new chart and then tried to open a different feature, which immediately caused the application to crash.
- Mention any assistive technology features you were using, if relevant. This can include specialty software (i.e JAWS) or Windows accessibility settings such as a high contrast display. If using screen magnification, mention the Zoom level/percentage and what display mode was being used (fullscreen, lens, window, etc)
- Describe the issue or error as much as possible, or share why a feature is not working in the way you are expecting. For example, high contrast mode once completely camouflaged text so that I couldn’t see what it said unless I used the select-all tool to highlight it. Including a screenshot was helpful here as I was able to demonstrate the issue.
- If the bug is connected with a specific feature or tool, mention it by name. For example, I ran into a bug with the Analyze Data tool in Excel when working on a project.
Related links
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Windows 11
- How To Use High Contrast in Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Computers
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
Examples of feedback I have sent to Microsoft over the years
As of publishing time, all of these issues have been resolved.
- “I use a high-contrast display and opened Outlook to check my email, and the sender name isn’t showing up with the inverted display. As a result, I have no idea who emailed me, though I can see the subject.” Attached screenshot that showed that the sender was not visible
- “When I used the control-v shortcut to paste a large amount of text, the screen grayed out and then the application crashed. I was able to recover the document with AutoSave but could not paste the text from my clipboard.” Mentioning that the application crashed makes it more likely that this bug will be prioritized and fixed quickly
- “Design recommendations recommended me a really weird looking design with an unreadable font and poor contrast.”
- “When I tried to use Magnifier at 225% zoom after my screen saver had been turned on, the screen saver started strobing and gave me vertigo to the point that I couldn’t use my computer as planned.” I asked someone else to type in a description of what the strobing animation looked like and submit the feedback on my behalf since I was feeling very dizzy
Related links
- How To Create Accessible PowerPoints
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- How I Optimize Microsoft Office Sway Designs For Low Vision
- Five Common Technology Behaviors That Hurt My Brain
Will Microsoft actually see this?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Once a user selects the submit button, their feedback travels to the appropriate Microsoft team that is in charge of the product or feature that they are working on. From there, a combination of program managers, software engineers, designers, and other employees will read the feedback and prioritize fixes based on the severity of the issue. When I interned at Microsoft, any feedback that was sent for the tool I worked on was read in the conference room and triaged before the end of the daily meeting.
When I receive emails requesting additional information or asking follow-up questions, they are from real Microsoft developers, and many of the bug reports I file are fixed quickly, though there are some that can take longer to be fixed completely. Any feedback report submitted typically makes its way to the people who can fix it within a matter of hours or days, depending on what time it is submitted.
Several Microsoft employees have stressed that the feedback tools are the best way to get in direct contact with Microsoft, as this ensures that user feedback is shared with the appropriate product or feature team. In a test that I did with my friend’s team, a bug report I sent was read by their team within 12 hours.
Other tips for using Microsoft feedback tools
- Some applications like Seeing AI provide an option for sending email feedback and talking directly with developers, which I’ve personally used multiple times and received replies within a day or two. Read more about Seeing AI in my post Microsoft Seeing AI And Low Vision
- Feature requests require users to log in with their Microsoft account to post, with the option to vote on suggested features as well
- Microsoft’s feedback tools can be used for reporting any kind of technology issue, not just accessibility issues. Accessibility issues are often reviewed by accessibility program managers/software engineers, in addition to the product/feature team
- This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Microsoft in any way, and all opinions are my own. The first version of this post was published during my PM internship when I was submitting bug reports almost daily when testing new features, and has since been updated to include additional information- read more about my internship in How I Set Up My Tech Internship Desk: PM Intern With Low Vision
Published July 30, 2019. Updated January 2024