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Set up your phone and computer for low vision

Live Fully

Every phone and computer already has a screen reader, a magnifier and display settings built in, free. These are the steps to turn them on, taken from the makers' own guides, plus the two Windows programs people add, and the settings that help most with each kind of vision loss.

Pick your deviceGet training near you

At a glance

  • Built in and free

    Screen reader and magnifier

    VoiceOver and Zoom on iPhone, iPad and Mac; TalkBack and Magnification on Android; Narrator and Magnifier on Windows.

  • Free to add on Windows

    NVDA

    A full screen reader, free and open source, from NV Access.

  • Paid, often funded

    ZoomText and JAWS

    Magnification and screen reading for Windows. Your state agency can often buy them for work or school.

  • Start early

    Learn while you can still see the screen

    Skills carry over as vision changes; the shortcuts become habit.

Your device

Pick the one you use. Each path is from the maker's current guide; settings names are exact, so you can search for them.

iPhone and iPad

The paths below are from the iPhone User Guide; iPad uses the same settings.

  1. Set the Accessibility Shortcut first

    Go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and select the features you want, such as VoiceOver and Zoom. From then on, triple-click the side button (Face ID models) or the Home button to turn them on or off. On supported models you can also assign the Action button, or a double or triple tap on the back of the phone.

  2. Turn on VoiceOver, the screen reader

    Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver, or ask Siri, "Turn on VoiceOver." VoiceOver changes the gestures: touch or drag to hear what is under your finger, then use VoiceOver gestures to act. Start with the VoiceOver Tutorial (Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > VoiceOver Tutorial) and the VoiceOver Practice area, where gestures do nothing except tell you what they would do.

  3. Turn on Zoom, the magnifier

    Settings > Accessibility > Zoom. Choose Full Screen Zoom or Window Zoom (a lens you move), set the Maximum Zoom Level, and pick a Zoom Filter: Inverted, Grayscale, Grayscale Inverted or Low Light. Double-tap with three fingers to zoom; triple-tap with three fingers for the Zoom menu. Zoom and VoiceOver work together.

  4. Make text bigger and bolder

    Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size: Larger Text (turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes for more), Bold Text, and Increase Contrast. Add the Text Size control to Control Center to change it inside any app.

  5. Tame bright screens

    In Display & Text Size, turn on Reduce White Point to tone down bright colors, Smart Invert for dark backgrounds in apps without Dark Mode, and Color Filters to tint or gray the screen. Reduce Transparency makes blurred backgrounds solid.

Beyond what is built in

Windows users have two more choices. Both run alongside the built-in features, and both are used in workplaces, which is why state agencies often pay for them.

  • NVDA, free

    A free, open-source screen reader for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 from NV Access. Download the launcher, choose "Install NVDA on this computer" (or "Create portable copy" for a USB stick), and in the welcome dialog pick the Desktop or Laptop keyboard layout and whether Caps Lock should act as the NVDA key (Insert is the default). NVDA + N opens the menu; Preferences > NVDA Settings holds speech, braille and vision options, including Visual Highlight, which marks the focus on screen so you can find it with the vision you have. On web pages, single letters move you around: H for headings, K for links, F for form fields, T for tables, L for lists. Tools > Add-on Store adds features.

    Download NVDA (opens in a new tab)

  • ZoomText and JAWS, paid

    ZoomText magnifies and, in the Magnifier/Reader edition, reads the screen aloud; JAWS is the screen reader from the same company, and Fusion combines them. In the US the company sells home annual licenses and a 90-day timed license as well as permanent ones. Before buying, ask your state agency: if you need the software for work or school, it may provide it with training.

    ZoomText (opens in a new tab)

Settings by how you see

Different retinal conditions take different parts of sight. These are the built-in settings people with each pattern tend to lean on; try them before buying anything.

  • Bright light hurts

    Cone dystrophies, achromatopsia, and some people with retinitis pigmentosa. iPhone: Reduce White Point, Smart Invert and the Zoom filter Low Light; Dark Mode everywhere. Windows: Ctrl + Alt + I in Magnifier. Lower the brightness before you reach for sunglasses indoors.

  • The center is missing

    Stargardt disease and other macular conditions. Big text first (Larger Text with Larger Accessibility Sizes, Bold Text), then magnification that follows what you are doing (Zoom with Follow Focus and Smart Typing; Android Follow typing; Mac Hover Text), and a screen reader for long reading so you are not fighting for every word.

  • The sides are missing

    Retinitis pigmentosa and related conditions. Keep magnification low so more fits in the field you have; use Window Zoom, the Mac Picture-in-Picture style or the Windows lens, and something that shows where the focus is: NVDA's Visual Highlight, a larger pointer, high contrast. Learn the keyboard shortcuts so you are not hunting across the screen.

  • Hearing loss too

    Usher syndrome. Braille displays work with VoiceOver and NVDA; check each system's hearing settings for captions and visual alerts; a slower speech rate helps when speech is hard to hear.

Start before you need it

Turn on the screen reader for ten minutes a day while you can still see the screen. The gestures and shortcuts become habit, and when your vision changes the tools are already yours.

Getting trained

You do not have to work this out alone, and the training is usually free.

Sources

Medical disclaimer. This page is for education. Settings names and paths are taken from the makers' guides for current software versions and can change with updates; which settings help you is something to work out with a vision rehabilitation specialist.

Medical Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not a substitute for seeking medical opinions, nor an endorsement of any treatments, research, or organizations. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and public press releases. Genetic testing and clinical management should be performed by qualified healthcare professionals, including ophthalmologists and genetic counselors.