How to use visual and color accessibility options on your MacSource: Bryan M. Wolfe/iMore

If you have particular sensitivities or color blindness, there are accessibility features on Mac that can help you get the most out of your experience. You can invert colors, increase contrast, and more. Here's a look at the Mac accessibility options for the visually impaired.

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How to invert colors

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click the checkbox next to Invert colors.

    To invert colors, click display in the menu on the left. Next, click the checkbox next to invert colorsSource: iMore

How to switch to grayscale

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.
  5. Choose the Color Filters tab.
  6. Select the checkbox for Enable Color Filters.

  7. Choose Grayscale from the pulldown menu.

    Click Display on the menu on the left, choose the Color Filters tab. Select the checkbox next to Enable Color Filters. Choose Grayscale as your optionSource: iMore

How to use shapes to differentiate some settings

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click the checkbox next to Differentiate without color.

    To differentiate without color, click Display in the Accessibility options, then click the checkbox next to Differentiate without colorSource: iMore

How to reduce motion

Reducing motion on your Mac is new to macOS Sierra, and it makes animations more subtle. For instance, when you activate the dashboard, the windows jump instead of slide, and they crossfade back into place.

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click the checkbox next to Reduce motion.

    To reduce motion, click Display from the Accessibility options, then click the checkbox next to Reduce MotionSource: iMore

How to increase contrast

Increasing contrast on your Mac can help text stand out more clearly and can help buttons and app icons appear more pronounced as well.

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  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.
  5. Click the checkbox next to Increase contrast.

How to reduce transparency

Reducing transparency using Mac accessibility options helps your Dock and desktop icons stand out more and makes the top menu bar opaque to clearly see all your app icons and menu items.

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click the checkbox next to Reduce transparency.

    To reduce transparency, click on Display in the Accessibility choice, then check the box for Reduce transparencySource: iMore

How to change the display contrast

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click and drag the slider next to Display contrast to increase or decrease.

    To change the display contrast, click Display under the Accessibility settings, then click and drag the slider next to Display contrastSource: iMore

How to change cursor size and enable/disable shake mouse pointer to locate

You can also adjust the cursor size based on your preferences.

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.
  5. Click on the Cursor tab on the right side of the screen.

  6. Click and drag the slider next to Cursor size.

    To adjust the cursor size, click Display under the accessibility option, then click on the Cursor tab. Click and drag the slider next to the cursor size to make a changeSource: iMore

If you can't find your mouse cursor on your screen, you can enable the shake feature, and your mouse cursor will get more significant when you shake your mouse.

To enable/disable shake mouse pointer to locate:

  1. Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.

  3. Click Accessibility.

    To enter Accessibility on your Mac, click on the Apple menu at the top left. Then choose System Preferences. Click on the Accessibility linkSource: iMore

  4. Click Display in the menu on the left.

  5. Click on the Cursor tab on the right side of the screen. 6.Choose the checkbox next to Shake mouse pointer.

    To enable or disable the shake mouse pointer, click Display under the accessibility option, then click on the Cursor tab. Check or uncheck the checkbox next to Shake mouse pointerSource: iMore

Mac accessibility options: Questions?

Questions about using accessibility on Mac? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated February 2021: Updated for latest macOS version.

macOS Big Sur

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