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7 accessibility features on Windows 11 you didn’t know about
Most devices and operating systems nowadays come with a host of accessibility features that make it easy for the specially-abled to use them. Apple has been at the forefront of this for several years, but other brands are also catching up more recently with useful features. Samsung introduced a bunch of accessibility features on its smartphones as a part of OneUI a couple of years back, while Google has been dropping a few of its own features for Android here and there. More recently, Microsoft has jumped onto the bandwagon by adding a slew of accessibility features to the Office suite. In fact, the company has also introduced several accessibility features on Windows 11 that not a lot of users may be aware of.
A lot of these features are quite helpful and can drastically improve the way you use your computer. Whether you're visually impaired, have a hearing disability, or simply want to improve your focus when working on your Windows PC, these accessibility features will definitely come in handy. So, grab your laptop or PC, fire up the Settings app, and enable all the features corresponding to your usage to use your computer in the most effective and efficient manner.
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Narrator
Read out what's on your screen
This feature is specially designed for those who are visually impaired but can be used by anyone who has difficulty reading what's on the screen. Narrator is the built-in screen reading tool on Windows 11 that not only reads out text but also describes visual elements like photos, videos, etc. in a natural manner. It sounds as though a human is reading out to you -- both in terms of pace and diction. Moreover, the Narrator tool also works with certain Braille devices making it even more user-friendly.
Microsoft has also published a complete guide to using the Narrator app which describes all the various tools for reading, scanning, and navigating around your PC. There are certain key commands, gestures, and shortcuts that you can use to trigger certain features in the Narrator and make your life easier. Sometimes, I use this feature to read long articles when I'm either too lazy to scroll or when my hands are occupied, and I can't access the mouse.
Live captions
Read what's being said
The Live captions feature is pretty much the opposite of what the Narrator does, which means it's intended for users who are hard of hearing. If there's an audio or video playing on your PC, Windows will generate live captions for it in real time and display it at the top of the screen. This way, you can read them like subtitles while watching your favorite type of content. The best part is that the live captions are generated for any form of media without the requirement of any subtitle file.
Another use case for the Live captions feature that I personally take advantage of all the time is if you want to watch a video without disturbing those around you. On some occasions, I forget to carry my wireless earbuds with me when traveling on the bus or metro. Since it's a public place, I can't play videos on the loudspeaker since it would disturb those around me. This is where you can enable Live captions and watch YouTube videos or even TikTok content without creating a nuisance.
Flash screen for notifications
Shift your attention to incoming messages
This one's for all of you with a hearing disability, or for anyone who likes keeping their PC on mute all the time like me. We all receive notifications on our PCs all the time. It could be a text, an email, a calendar invite, a reminder, or a message from the boss on Slack. While all of these notifications may not be important all the time, some of them may be time-sensitive and may require immediate attention. With your PC on mute, you risk missing out on these notifications. Well, not anymore.
Enter the 'flash my screen during audio notifications' feature. As the name suggests -- the feature -- when enabled -- flashes your entire screen every time you receive a new notification. This alerts you at the right time, so you don't miss out on important notifications. It's a simple feature, but one that's extremely helpful.
Voice commands and AI voice typing
Use your voice to control your PC
Well, no prizes for guessing what this feature does. It's interesting how we can control our entire smart home ecosystem using voice, but the feature was missing on our computers for so long. Thankfully, Windows 11 has introduced it for those who may be immobile. If you can't use a keyboard and mouse combo to control your PC, you can switch to using your voice to perform certain actions. For instance, you can say "Open Chrome" and your computer will fire up the Chrome browser.
Apart from performing tasks with your voice, Windows 11 also lets you type using your voice thanks to some new improvements using AI. While speech-to-text has been around for a while, the addition of AI ensures your messages have the right punctuation without you explicitly mentioning them. Essentially, the AI will determine your style of speaking and automatically decipher where to add a comma or a question mark. It works surprisingly well and can be a good way to send a quick message or email to a friend or colleague.
Eye control
Scroll with your eyes
If using your voice to control your computer isn't possible, you can perform some gestures using just your eyes. Unlike most other features on this list, this one requires additional hardware in the form of an eye tracker. Microsoft has a list of officially supported eye trackers that you can use for this purpose.
Once you have the hardware ready, you can program it to read the movement of your eyes and perform certain gestures. For instance, you can look up and down to scroll a webpage accordingly. Perhaps, look left to go back to the previous page and look right to go to the subsequent one? There are several ways this can be useful and time-saving too.
Built-in Pomodoro timer
Complete work in short bursts
I personally use a Pomodoro timer all the time when working. It helps me stay productive in small tranches while ensuring I complete my quota of work on time. For those unaware, a Pomodoro timer is a timer for a set duration, generally 20 minutes. The idea is that you divide your work into sets of 20 minutes each. This way, you're setting smaller goals that you can achieve one at a time. Traditionally, you would have to use a third-party app or browser extension to use the timer on your PC. However, Microsoft now offers it as a part of its accessibility suite on Windows 11.
In fact, the Focus Sessions feature does more than just give you a timer to work. It turns on the Do not disturb mode, which hides unnecessary notifications from popping up when working. You can also set app and website restrictions, so if you want to stay away from social media when working, you can make those changes accordingly. It also reminds you to take breaks occasionally, since let's face it, it's important to keep your mind fresh.
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Focus better when reading
Stay away from distractions
This one's in continuation of the Focus Sessions feature on Windows 11. The immersive reader highlights certain portions of text that you should focus on when reading an article or an ebook. This helps your brain focus only on what is necessary without getting distracted. You can set the size of the portion you want to be highlighted, and Windows will do it for you. If you're a quick reader, you may find it slightly difficult to get used to.
However, once you are accustomed to it, you will learn that your brain is getting trained to stay focused on a single objective without wandering around and looking for other things to do. The feature also removes visual clutter from a webpage like ads, unnecessary media, etc. to help you concentrate on the main content.
Use these features to your advantage
While most of the accessibility features are meant for the specially-abled, anyone can take advantage of them to improve their workflow or bring about a change in the way they use their computer. For instance, I use the narrate feature when I'm eating and I can't use my hands to scroll through a webpage. Similarly, the Pomodoro timer is extremely effective if you procrastinate regularly and want to get work done on time.
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