• Large touch targets – increase the size of buttons
• Display size – change how big everything is on-screen e.g. icons, buttons
• Text size – make text bigger
• Dark mode – switch white backgrounds to dark colours which is easier on the eyes and the screen feels calmer and less overwhelming
• Display contrast – makes text and icons stand out more clearly against the background
• Wallpaper / Background – Use a plain background to reduce visual clutter
• Transparency – replace see-though or blurred backgrounds with a solid colour behind menus and panels, making text easier to read
• Animation effects – reduce moving effects on screen such as when opening apps
• Brightness – automatically dim the display

• Screen readers TalkBack, VoiceOver, Narrator – reads everything on-screen aloud
• Select to Speak – reads selected text aloud
• Voice Access, Voice Control – control device using your voice e.g. open apps, tap buttons, scroll
• Grammar and spelling, spell check – highlight mistakes and suggest corrections
• Word suggestion, predictive text, text suggestions – show suggestions for next word
• Voice typing, dictation – replaces typing with speaking

Here are some settings you can try to reduce distraction. You can also see our full guide of digital tools and settings to minimise distractions for more ideas.

• Immersive reader, reader mode – remove ads, pop-ups and navigation menus so you are left with only the text you want to read (see Reduce screen clutter below)
• Focus / Do not disturb mode – silence all incoming alerts, notifications and calls
• Turn off notifications per-app – stop individual apps interrupting you, or only the notifications you want
• Notification sounds – Use distinct sounds to alert you to specific notifications or actions
• Digital wellbeing (Android) / Screen Time (iOS/macOS) – how long you spend on your device and individual apps, and lets you set limits
• App timers – set a daily limit for time spent on specific apps and receive an alert when you reach it
• Kiosk / pinning mode (Android) / Guided Access (iOS) – keep a single app in view until you choose to exit
• Timer / stopwatch – track time spent on activities

These are apps and features on your device rather than settings

• Reminders / alerts – set up reminders for tasks, appointments and breaks
• Calendar – set events with alerts
• Password manager – save your passwords to your device so you don’t have to remember or type them
• Notes / Voice recorder – quickly capture thoughts without having to type
• Home screen / Desktop – Pin important apps so they are only one tap away, reducing the need to search or remember where they are

• Accessibility menu / AssistiveTouch – a large on-screen menu of your most-used controls such as screenshot and pinch to zoom, available as single tap buttons rather than complex gestures
• Touch Accommodation – change how the screen responds to taps, swipes and other gestures
• One-handed mode, Reachability – slides the top half of the screen down so you can reach everything without stretching your hand

Remove distracting parts of websites such as ads and navigation menus

• change text size, style and spacing
• change background colour
• read webpage text aloud
• Options vary depending on browser or programme used. Not all websites are supported.

Microsoft Edge
F9

or

More > Immersive Reader icon in the address bar

Microsoft Office
Word, OneNote, Outlook, Excel, Teams

View > Immersive Reader

Teams: Hover over or tap message > More icon > More actions > Immersive Reader

Google Chrome
More icon > More tools > Reading mode

Highlight text > right click > Open in reading mode

Mozilla Firefox
Reader view icon in address bar

Apple Safari
Reader icon in address bar > Show Reader

To return: page icon in address bar > Hide Reader

AssistiveTouch
Accessibility > Touch
Shortcut: Triple click side or home button (once configured)

Display size
Accessibility > Zoom

Text size
Accessibility > Display & Text Size

Dark mode
Display & Brightness > Appearance

Increase contrast
Accessibility > Display & Text Size

Wallpaper
Wallpaper

Transparency
Accessibility > Display & Text Size

Reduce motion
Accessibility > Motion

Brightness
Accessibility > Display & Text Size

VoiceOver
Accessibility > VoiceOver

Select to speak
Accessibility > Spoken Content > Speak Selection

Voice Control
Accessibility > Voice Control

Spell check
General > Keyboard

Predictive text
General > Keyboard

Voice typing
General > Keyboard > Enable Dictation
Shortcut: Tap microphone on keyboard

Focus / Do not disturb
Focus

Turn off notifications per app
Notifications > tap app > turn off

Notification sounds
Notifications > Notification Style > Sounds

Screen Time
Screen Time

Hold duration
Accessibility > Touch > Touch Accommodations

Reachability
Accessibility > Touch
Shortcut: Swipe down on bottom edge of screen or double tap home button

Accessibility menu

Shortcut: Win + A

Display size
System > Display > Scale

Text size
Accessibility > Text size

Dark mode
Personalisation > Colours

Display contrast
Accessibility > Contrast themes
Shortcut: Left Alt + Shift + Print Screen

Background
Personalisation > Background

Transparency
Accessibility > Visual effects

Animation effects
Accessibility > Visual effects

Brightness
System > Display
Shortcut: Network icon in taskbar

Narrator
Accessibility > Narrator
Shortcut: Win + Ctrl + Enter

Voice access
Accessibility > Speech > Voice access
Shortcut: Win + Ctrl + S

Grammar & spelling
Time & language > Typing

Text suggestions
Time & language > Typing

Voice typing
Accessibility > Speech > Voice typing
Shortcut: Win + H

Focus
System > Focus

Do not disturb
System > Notifications

Turn off notifications per app
System > Notifications

Notification sounds
System > Notifications

Accessibility shortcuts
Accessibility > Shortcut
Shortcut: Touch ID three times or Option + Command + F5

Display size
Displays > Larger Text/Default/More Space

Text size
Accessibility > Display > Text

Dark mode
Appearance > Auto, Dark, Light

Contrast
Accessibility > Display > Increase contrast

Display contrast
Accessibility > Display > slider

Wallpaper
Wallpaper

Reduce transparency
Accessibility > Display

Reduce motion
Accessibility > Display

Brightness
Displays

VoiceOver
Accessibility > VoiceOver
Shortcut: + Touch ID 3 times

Voice Control
Accessibility > Voice Control

Grammar & spelling
Keyboard > Text Input > Input Sources > Edit

Predictive text
Keyboard > Text input > Edit > Show inline predictive text

Voice typing
Keyboard > Dictation
Shortcut: Microphone icon

Focus
Focus

Turn off notifications per app
Notifications

Notification sounds
Sound

Screen time
Screen Time

Many of these are free or offer free trials. Paid versions give you full features.

Look for apps which use icons, images and colour alongside text as they can make navigation easier.

Disable auto-play and flashing content – turn off videos and animations starting automatically in individual apps and browsers such as Facebook, YouTube and Chrome. Look in each app’s settings to find this option.

Big Launcher – turns any Android into a huge-button phone

Assistive Access – simplified and bigger screen layout on iOS with easier ways to navigate and communicate using visuals rather than text

tiimo – visual daily planner designed for people with ADHD and autism

Goblin.tools – a collection of small, simple, single-task tools, mostly designed to help neurodivergent people with tasks they find overwhelming or difficult

Dragon speech recognition – voice-to-text tool to dictate and edit documents hands-free

Voice typing apps – type with your voice e.g. WhisperTyping, AquaVoice

Action blocks – set up specific tasks that can be done with only one tap of a big button e.g. phone someone, open up favourite radio station

Smart home assistants e.g. Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomePod – control your home and get reminders using your voice without needing to navigate apps or remember steps

Smart devices e.g. lightbulbs, heating control, curtain openers, smart locks – automate everyday tasks to reduce the number of things to remember or manage