Tips and tools to make digital devices easier to use for people with dyslexia.
There are tools and settings that can make phones, tablets, laptops and browsers easier to use for people with dyslexia. Some settings or tools may not be available or work on older phones, tablets or laptops.
You can find settings for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS in the sections below. These include simplifying layouts, reducing distractions and using voice commands to control your device.
Look for the cog icon. This is usually on your home screen, in your app list on phones and tablets, or in the Start menu on Windows.
My Computer My Way from AbilityNet also offers step-by-step instructions to change settings to meet your needs.
You can set up shortcuts on your smartphone for quick access to settings you find useful.
Browsers and reducing screen clutter
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.
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
Display
Text size – make text bigger
Text style (fonts) – change font style
Bold text – make text darker
Font smoothing, ClearType – smooth and sharpen text
Display size – change how big everything is on-screen e.g. icons, buttons
Dark mode – dark background with light text
Night light, Night Shift – reduce blue light
Magnifier, Zoom, magnification gestures – increase or focus on parts of the screen
Reading, writing and speaking
Narrator, VoiceOver, TalkBack – 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
Cursor & Pointer
Mouse pointer size, colour, trails – make it easier to see what you’re pointing at
Text cursor size, colour, thickness – make it easier to see where you’re typing
Android settings
Text size
Accessibility > Display size and text
Text style
Display > Font
Bold text
Accessibility > Display size and text
Display size
Accessibility > Display size and text
Dark mode
Display > Dark theme
Night light
Display > Night Light
Magnifier
Accessibility > Magnification
Shortcut: Two finger pinch in/out
TalkBack screen reader
Accessibility > TalkBack
Select to speak
Accessibility > Select to Speak
Voice Access
Accessibility > Voice Access
Spell check
System > Languages & input/region
Word suggestions
System > Keyboard > On screen keyboard > Corrections and suggestions
Voice typing
System > Keyboard > On-screen keyboard > Voice Typing
or
System > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Voice Typing
Shortcut: Tap microphone on keyboard
Apple iOS/iPadOS settings
Text size
Accessibility > Display & Text Size
Text style
General > Fonts
Bold text
Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Bold
Display size
Accessibility > Zoom
Dark mode
Display & Brightness > Appearance (Dark/Light)
Night light
Display & Brightness > Night Shift
Magnifier
Settings > Accessibility > Zoom
Shortcut: Two finger pinch in/out
VoiceOver screen reader
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
Apple macOS settings
Text size
Accessibility > Display > Text size
Display size
Displays > Larger Text / Default / More Space
Dark mode
Appearance > Auto, Dark, Light
Night light
Displays > Night Shift
Magnifier
Accessibility > Zoom
Shortcut: Command + Plus (+)/Minus (-)
VoiceOver screen reader
Accessibility > VoiceOver
Shortcut: Command + 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
Mouse pointer size, colour
Accessibility > Display > Pointer size
Tools and apps
Many of these are free or offer free trials. Paid versions give you full features.
OpenDyslexic font – typeface designed against some common symptoms of dyslexia
Grammarly – Proofreader for grammar, spelling and clarity using AI. Works on all operating systems and browsers
Hemmingway – Online grammar checker, paraphrasing tool, AI proofreader and readability checker. Highlights complex sentences and gives suggestions
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
Download the guide
Need further support?
Get in touch with our Support Line if you have any digital support questions or if you would like support to change your settings.