I have low vision and primarily access information visually using tools like large print and magnification, so I rely on various types of low vision assistive technology to access digital text. One category of tools that I rely on heavily when accessing web content is known as a simplified reading display, which applies a consistent font size, background color, and single-column layout to text, making it easier to read with low vision or other print disabilities.
Out of all of the simplified reading displays I use, the tool I turn to the most often is Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, a free built-in simplified reading display available across several Microsoft products with no extra downloads required. Updated in 2025, here is how I use Microsoft Immersive Reader with low vision and information about Immersive Reader accessibility for large print.
How to open Immersive Reader
Microsoft has made Immersive Reader available across a variety of applications, along with an Immersive Reader API for integrating it into other tools. Supported applications include:
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge
Immersive Reader is supported in the Microsoft Edge web browser for Windows 10 and Windows 11, as well as the iOS and Android Microsoft Edge web browsers.
To open Immersive Reader on Windows, press F9 on the keyboard or select the Enter Immersive Reader icon in the address bar, which is a book icon with a speaker (it may be hidden by the More Options menu, which is a circle with three dots inside). Press F9 or the icon again to close Immersive Reader.
To open Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge for iOS or Android, select the Enter Immersive Reader icon in the address bar, which is a book icon with a speaker. Select the icon again to close Immersive Reader.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms supports Immersive Reader on all forms and across all devices, it does not need to be manually enabled. Each question is displayed one at a time, prompting the user to close Immersive Reader before selecting an answer.
To open Immersive Reader in Microsoft Forms on any device, open a form and select the More Options icon with three dots next to the form title, then select Enable Immersive Reader. To open each question in Immersive Reader, select the Enable Immersive Reader icon next to the question.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Lens
Microsoft Lens supports Immersive Reader on their mobile applications. Once a user scans a document or other content with Lens, they can select Immersive Reader from the list of save options and have the text displayed on their device.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote supports Immersive Reader in its desktop, web, and mobile applications. Immersive Reader can be found in the View tab- select the Immersive Reader icon to open the page in Immersive Reader.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook supports Immersive Reader for the Windows desktop and web applications, but not mobile applications.
To open an email in Immersive Reader on desktop, open the View tab in the ribbon and select Open Immersive Reader.
To open an email in Immersive Reader on Outlook for the web, select Open More Actions > View > Open Immersive Reader.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint supports Immersive Reader for web applications, but not the mobile or desktop applications.
To open Immersive Reader in PowerPoint, select text or slide(s) and open the View tab in the ribbon, then select Open Immersive Reader. Another option is to use the keyboard shortcut Control + Shift + I, or right-click on a slide or highlighted text and select Open Immersive Reader.
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word supports Immersive Reader for the desktop, web, and mobile applications.
To open Immersive Reader in Microsoft Word, select View > Open Immersive Reader.
Other applications that support Immersive Reader
Other applications that offer built-in support for Immersive Reader include (but are not limited to):
- Wakelet
- Canvas learning management system
- Anthology Ally
- Microsoft Teams
- Helperbird
Supported file types
Immersive Reader supports the following file types in each of these applications:
- Word documents (.doc, .docx)
- OneNote notebooks (.one)
- PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)
- PDF (.pdf)
- Website/HTML files (.html)
Related links
- Customize Microsoft Edge Accessibility For Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Lens With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft OneNote With Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- Wakelet Accessibility Features For Low Vision
- How I Use Canvas With Low Vision
- Using Anthology Ally With Low Vision
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
Customize Immersive Reader for low vision
Microsoft Immersive Reader customization features may vary by application and are not synchronized across devices or applications— users will need to configure Immersive Reader settings in each application when using it for the first time. To navigate content in Immersive Reader, use the scroll wheel/gesture, swipe up/down, or use arrow keys.
Page Color
Page color may be listed as an individual option or in the group of settings labeled Text Preferences. Unless otherwise noted, Immersive Reader page themes use black text (#333333).
Page colors and page themes for Immersive Reader include:
- Light (#FCFCFC)
- Sepia (#F9F5E9)
- Grey (#E6E6E6)
- Black (#333333), text (#EDEDED)
- Dark Grey (#242424), text (#B2B2B2)
- Green (#91FFA6)
- Blue (#87FAFF)
- Yellow (#FEFF5C)
- Rose (#FEBABA)
- Apricot (#F1BFA9)
- Light Orange (#F0D592)
- Light Yellow (#ECEB8B)
- Lime (#B8D686)
- Light Green (#A5DA90)
- Light Teal (#94E2BE)
- Turquoise (#89E1DD)
- Teal (#8ED5DE)
- Sky Blue (#A3CFE4)
- Light Blue (#B3CAEC)
- Lavender (#D1BFEB)
- Orchid (#EDB5F3)
- Pink (#F6B6D9)
- Carnation (#FDACC3)
Links/hyperlinks across all themes are shown in a medium blue color.
Font styles
Within Text Preferences, users can select a font style that will be applied across all text. The Text Preferences icon features two uppercase As stacked together.
Some versions of Immersive Reader (such as those in Microsoft Word) use the same font style as the document, while others provide the option to choose a print disability friendly font.
Font styles for Immersive Reader include:
- Calibri (sans serif)
- Sitka (serif)
- Comic Sans
Font sizes
Immersive Reader displays text content in a responsive layout/reflowable layout, making it easier to view text in large print without having to scroll horizontally. When using Immersive Reader with Microsoft Word, the font for Immersive Reader can be resized using page zoom. For other versions of Immersive Reader, there are seven font sizes available that are adjusted on a slider.
Font sizes available in Immersive Reader (measured with Microsoft Edge) include:
- 13 px
- 14.5 px
- 16 px
- 18 px
- 22 px
- 29 px
- 54 px
Outlook offers larger font sizes for Immersive Reader in addition to the font sizes listed above. Outlook Immersive Reader font sizes include:
- 14 px
- 20 px
- 28 px
- 36 px
- 42 px
- 48 px
- 56 px
- 64 px
- 72 px
- 84 px
- 96 px
On mobile applications, Immersive Reader font sizes are given as percentages and are adjusted by tapping the text size icons or percentage box. Immersive Reader mobile font sizes include:
- 75%
- 80%
- 90%
- 100%
- 125%
- 150%
- 175%
- 200%
- 250%
- 300%
Column width
This may be listed as an individual option or grouped with Reading Preferences. Options for setting column width in Immersive Reader include:
- Very Narrow (available in Word)
- Narrow
- Medium (Moderate)
- Wide
Line spacing and line focus
In Reading Preferences, users can select whether they want to have regular line spacing or wide spacing between letters/lines, which can help with line tracking or making text easier to read. Another option is to enable line focus, which will show one, three, or five lines at a time on the screen— users can advance to the next line by scrolling.
Syllables and grammar tools
One option for making words easier to read is to enable syllables, which provides increased spacing between syllables of a word. This can be helpful when reading text out loud.
As of 2023, Immersive Reader no longer supports grammar tools in Word or Edge. Grammar tools for color-coding parts of speech are still available in Forms, OneNote, Lens, Outlook, and other applications. Colors can be customized for nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.
Color options for parts of speech in Immersive Reader include:
- Dark blue (#0C4D8A)
- Dark green (#00611C)
- Dark yellow (#6C4E13)
- Dark orange (#844001)
- Dark red (#A80005)
- Dark magenta (#7D198E)
- Light blue (#0063C3)
- Light green (#008923)
- Light yellow (#C49800)
- Light orange (#E06A00)
- Light red (#D82904)
- Light magenta (#B639D8)
Picture Dictionary is available in Reading Preferences for Forms, OneNote, Lens, Outlook, and potentially other applications. When enabled, users can select a word while reading to view a Boardmaker illustration that corresponds with the word.
Translate
Another tool in Reading Preferences, Immersive Reader can translate selected text or an entire page of text into a different language. Dozens of languages are available in Immersive Reader, including Latin and non-Latin alphabets.
Read Aloud
With Read Aloud, users can listen to text read out loud with a synthesized male or female voice by selecting the Play button or selecting Read Aloud. Word-level highlighting is used, meaning that each word is highlighted on the page as it is read out loud.
Options for customizing Read Aloud in Voice Settings (located next to the play button include:
- Voice speed, adjusted in increments of 0.25x from 0.5x to 2.5x speed
- Male or female voice
Read Aloud can also be enabled outside of Immersive Reader with the following options:
- Select the Read Aloud icon in the address bar of Microsoft Edge
- Use the keyboard shortcut Control + Shift + U in Microsoft Edge
- Select the Read Aloud icon in Microsoft Word or Outlook
- Use the keyboard shortcut Control + Alt + Space in Microsoft Word
Related links
- Paper Colors And Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- My Favorite Free Fonts For Print Disabilities
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
How I use Immersive Reader with low vision
Wondering how I personally use Immersive Reader as a student with low vision? Here are four ways I have personally used Immersive Reader in four different contexts in the last four days:
Using Immersive Reader as a college student
- Checking email in Outlook on desktop computer, which is helpful for reading longer emails. This was also super helpful when I interned at Microsoft!
- Reading online articles and papers for classes.
- Double-checking announcements posted in Canvas or converting content with Anthology Ally.
- Listening to equations read out loud from a formula sheet.
Using Immersive Reader as an intern/research assistant
- Reading documentation that had been divided into three columns and was challenging to enlarge with pinch-to-zoom. Immersive Reader solved the problem!
- Displaying notes during a meeting that were emailed in advance.
- Opening a page in Immersive Reader when screen sharing or presenting information at a distance so that it’s easier for everyone to see.
- Completing a survey created in Microsoft Forms.
Using Immersive Reader for learning a new language
- Using Read Aloud to listen to the pronunciation of new or unfamiliar words
- Enabling picture dictionary when available to see a visual translation of content
- Labeling parts of speech and syllables to help with pronunciation
- Displaying text in a much larger font size than I normally read to figure out how words are spelled.
Immersive Reader for “fun” tasks
- Reading articles, recipes, and other online content in a single-column layout without ads or distractions.
- Introducing Immersive Reader to another student by using the tool with some of my own website posts.
- Reading a draft of something my friend is writing while using line guide to help with tracking.
- Checking new content that was added to a shared Wakelet.
It is not uncommon for me to use Immersive Reader several dozen times in one day, especially when working on papers for class or when reading articles posted online. I like it so much more than browser zoom for reading!
Related links
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- How To Create An Accessible Formula Sheet
- How I Organize Emails In College With Low Vision
- How To Make Things On The Board Easier To See
- Language Learning Tips And Resources For Low Vision
- Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
- Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
More resources on using Immersive Reader with low vision
- I gave a presentation in 2020 that serves as a crash course for using Immersive Reader, and it also includes a handout with several tips. Check it out at My Talk At I’m Determined Summit: Crash Course In Immersive Reader
- Immersive Reader isn’t the only simplified reading display I use, and it isn’t the only tool I use for reading digital text either. Learn more about display customizations for low vision and reading tools in A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Another reading tool that I use frequently for reading text on my iPad is Hover Text, which I write about in How To Use Hover Text For iPad With Low Vision
- For my Android phone, another built-in feature I use when reading text is Reader Mode, which I write about in Google Reader Mode and Low Vision
Published April 20, 2023. Updated July 2025