Turn on accessibility features
If you're visually impaired or have trouble typing, you can make your Chromebook screen easier to see, have web pages read out loud, and make your keyboard easier to use.
Turn on accessibility features
- Sign in to your Chromebook.
- If you're using your Chromebook for the first time, select Accessibility from the Welcome screen when you first turn it on.
- Click the status area, where your account picture appears.
- Select Settings.
- Click Show advanced settings at the bottom of the page.
- In the "Accessibility" section, select the boxes next to:
- Make the cursor bigger (so it's more visible on the screen)
- Turn on high contrast mode (makes the screen easier to read)
- Turn on spoken feedback (describes what is happening on the screen)
- Turn on sticky keys (allows shortcut keys to be typed in sequence, without pressing modifier keys at the same time)
- Turn on the screen magnifier (enlarges items on the screen)
- Automatically click when the cursor stops (click without using your mouse)
- Turn on the on-screen keyboard (shows a keyboard that can be clicked with a mouse)
After you've turn on accessibility features, you can adjust them from your keyboard:
- To turn spoken feedback on or off, press Ctrl + Alt + Z.
- To magnify the screen, press Ctrl + Alt + Brightness up or Brightness down (or use Ctrl + Alt + two fingers scrolling up or down on the trackpad). To pan the view around, move your cursor past the edge of the screen.
Your Chromebook's screen reader is called ChromeVox. ChromeVox describes what's happening on the screen and can read documents and webpages out loud.
To have web pages read out loud, press the arrow keys while holding down the Shift and Search keys. If you're using an external keyboard, press the arrow keys while holding down the Shift and Windows keys.
For your security, your Chromebook will not say your password out loud when you sign in.
You can use the on-screen keyboard to type with your Chromebook.
- You can use shortcuts with the keyboard by pressing the keys in sequence.
- You can keep the keyboard on the screen by clicking the keyboard lock on the bottom-right.
- If you want to type accented letters, you can click and hold any key to bring up alternatives.
To have each element on a page read out loud, press the arrow keys while holding down the Shift and Search keys. If you're using an external keyboard, press the arrow keys while holding down the Shift and Windows keys.
For your security, your Chromebook will not say your password out loud when you sign in.
You can turn on some accessibility features the first time you turn on your Chromebook:
- Turn on spoken feedback (describes what is happening on the screen)
- Make the cursor bigger (so it's more visible on the screen)
- Turn on high contrast mode (makes the screen easier to read)
- Turn on the screen magnifier (enlarges items on the screen)
- Turn on the on-screen keyboard (shows a keyboard that can be clicked with a mouse)
To use a refreshable Braille display, plug the display into a USB port on your Chromebook, then enable spoken feedback by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Z.
Your Chromebook works with many, but not all, Braille displays. You'll see a list of compatible displays below; we'll update this list as additional displays are supported.
Compatible Braille displays
Manufacturer | Model |
---|---|
APH | Refreshabraille |
Baum | PocketVario |
SuperVario | |
VarioConnect | |
VarioPro | |
Eurobraille | Esys |
Esytime | |
Freedom Scientific | PAC Mate |
Focus Blue | |
Handy Tech | Active Braille |
Braille Star | |
Modular Evolution | |
Braillino (with USB to serial adapter) | |
Braille Wave (with USB to serial adapter) | |
Bookworm (with USB to serial adapter) | |
Easy Braille (with USB to serial adapter) | |
Humanware | BrailleConnect |
Brailliant BI | |
Optelec | ALVA BC640, BC680 |
ALVA Satellite 544, 570, 584 (Traveller versions) | |
ALVA USB640 | |
Tieman Braille Voyager | |
Papenmeier | Braillex Trio |