Chromebook (ChromeOS) accessibility settings

Words and pictures look too small

Display size

Try first

Makes everything on the screen bigger, including the row of apps and tabs.

Shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Plus (+) bigger, Ctrl + Shift + Minus (-) smaller

Steps, undo and source

Press Ctrl + Shift and Plus (+) to make the screen bigger.

To undo: Press Ctrl + Shift + 0 to reset.

From Google Chromebook Help: Zoom in or magnify your Chromebook screen (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Page zoom

Makes the web page you are looking at bigger.

Shortcut Ctrl + Plus (+), Ctrl + Minus (-)

Steps, undo and source

Press Ctrl and Plus (+).

To undo: Press Ctrl + 0 to reset.

From Google Chromebook Help: Zoom in or magnify your Chromebook screen (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Full-screen magnifier

Magnifies the whole screen like a magnifying glass.

Shortcut Ctrl + Search + M

Steps, undo and source

Press Ctrl + Search + M.
Or Settings > Accessibility, then turn on Full-screen magnifier.

To undo: Press Ctrl + Search + M again.

On some keyboards the Search key is the Launcher key.

From Google Chromebook Help: Zoom in or magnify your Chromebook screen (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Docked magnifier

Magnifies the top third of the screen; the normal screen shows below.

Shortcut Ctrl + Search + D

Steps, undo and source

Press Ctrl + Search + D.

To undo: Press Ctrl + Search + D again.

From Google Chromebook Help: Zoom in or magnify your Chromebook screen (checked Oct 14, 2026).

The screen is faint, glary or hard on the eyes

High contrast

Try first

Strong contrast for text and the screen.

Shortcut Search + Ctrl + H

Steps, undo and source

Press Search + Ctrl + H.

To undo: Press Search + Ctrl + H again.

From Google Chromebook Help: Chromebook keyboard shortcuts (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Color correction

Filters for colour blindness, or grayscale, with adjustable intensity.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility, under display and magnification.
Turn on Color correction and choose a filter.

To undo: Turn Color correction off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

The pointer or typing cursor gets lost

Bigger cursor, highlighted

Try first

A larger, coloured mouse cursor, with an optional highlight.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility > Cursor and touchpad.
Change the cursor size or colour; turn on cursor highlighting.

To undo: Set the cursor size and colour back.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Highlight text cursor

Highlights the typing cursor when it appears or moves.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility, under Keyboard and text input.
Turn on Highlight text cursor.

To undo: Turn it off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Videos, calls and alert sounds are hard to hear

Live Caption

Try first

Real-time captions for audio and video played in the Chrome browser.

Captions can get words wrong. Do not rely on them alone in an emergency.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Audio and captions" select Captions.
Turn on Live Caption.

To undo: Turn Live Caption off.

If the Live Caption setting is not there, Google says the feature is not yet supported on that Chromebook.

From Google Chromebook Help: Use captions on your Chromebook (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Same sound through all speakers

Plays all sounds together through all speakers (like mono).

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility, under Audio.
Turn on playing all sounds through all speakers.

To undo: Turn it off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Pressing keys is hard (two at once, keys repeat)

Sticky keys

Try first

Press Search, Shift, Alt or Ctrl once before the next key, instead of holding it.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Keyboard and text input", turn on Sticky keys.

To undo: Turn Sticky keys off.

Press a key twice to hold it; a third time to let go.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Slow keys and Bounce keys

Slow keys waits before accepting a key; Bounce keys ignores quick repeats.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility, under Keyboard and text input.
Turn on Slow keys or Bounce keys and set the delay.

To undo: Turn them off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).

On-screen keyboard

A keyboard on the screen to use with the pointer or touch.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Keyboard and text input", turn on On-screen keyboard.

To undo: Turn it off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Use the on-screen keyboard (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Clicking, double-clicking or dragging is hard

Automatic clicks

Try first

Clicks for you when the cursor stops moving for a moment.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Mouse and touchpad", turn on "Automatically click when the mouse cursor stops".
Choose the delay before the click.

To undo: Turn it off; or pick "No action (pause)" in the click menu.

From Google Chromebook Help: Automatically click objects on your Chromebook (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Mouse keys

Moves the cursor and clicks with the keyboard.

Shortcut Launcher + Alt + 4 pauses or resumes

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility > Cursor and touchpad.
Turn on Mouse keys.

To undo: Turn Mouse keys off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Use Mouse keys to control your cursor (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Reading long text is tiring

Select-to-speak

Try first

Reads the text you select out loud, highlighting each word.

Shortcut Search + S

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Text-to-Speech", turn on Select-to-speak.
Highlight text, then press Search + S.

To undo: Press Ctrl or Search to stop; turn Select-to-speak off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Hear text read aloud (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Talking would be easier than typing

Dictation

Try first

Speak to type almost anywhere you can type.

Shortcut Search + D

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility; under "Keyboard and text input", turn on Dictation.
Click where you want to type, then press Search + D.

To undo: Say "Cancel", or turn Dictation off.

The spoken language must match the Chromebook's language.

From Google Chromebook Help: Type text with your voice (checked Oct 14, 2026).

Too much moving, flashing and popping up

Reduced animations

Try first

Limits movement on the screen.

Steps, undo and source

Settings > Accessibility, under display and magnification.
Turn on Reduced animations.

To undo: Turn Reduced animations off.

From Google Chromebook Help: Turn on Chromebook accessibility features (checked Oct 14, 2026).