In this article I’m going to explain many settings that I use to improve the usability and accessibility of Windows in general for my customers. If you happen to be a member of my , I’ve already done these for you. However, this list could be beneficial for anyone looking for some shortcuts in getting a computer ready for screen reader users especially. The suggestions here are based on Windows 11, and many of them will also apply to earlier versions of Windows but may be in a different location.Tame your tech services
Note divisions of settings are grouped by headings for easy navigation.
Also, each setting category has a link so that you can jump to it directly from this article.
Contents
Settings
Notifications
Storage Sense
Multi-tasking
Personalization
Taskbar
Apps
Installed Apps
Advanced App Settings
Default Apps
Startup
Accounts
Windows Hello
Time and Language
Date and Time
Typing
Accessibility
Visual effects
Settings
To access the Windows Settings, simply press the Windows key and the “I” key at the same time. From here, we can explore a variety of settings that will help streamline your computing experience. So, let’s get started and discover the power of Windows customization!
Notifications
Under system, notifications, look for a setting called:
Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what’s new and suggested
This setting shows what is new in major versions of Windows. It also can give tips in how to use hardware in different ways. Many find this setting to be intrusive when updating windows and would rather just get into windows. Disabling this setting can make upgrading just a little quicker.
Get tips and suggestions when using Windows
This setting can give general tips on how to use windows more efficiently. However, it doesn’t take into account access technologies. Disabling this setting can eliminate unneeded notifications.
Disable programs from popping up notifications
In this same area you may have noticed a list of programs. Pressing Enter on a program will allow you to enable or disable notifications for that program. If you know a program gives you too many notifications sometimes it is just easier to disable that notification. Of course, you can also disable all notifications, but that can be overkill as you can miss important notifications such as windows updates, or security notifications.
Enabling Storage Sense will automate the process of deleting unnecessary files on your device, freeing up valuable disk space. Storage Sense monitors your device’s storage usage and applies certain rules to determine which files to delete, such as temporary files, system files, and other files that are no longer needed by Windows. This is an excellent way to optimize your device’s performance and maintain a clutter-free system.
Show Microsoft Edge tabs when snapping or pressing Alt + Tab
By default, Windows shows Microsoft Edge tabs when using the Alt+Tab function to switch between open windows. However, this feature can be confusing for some users and may cause difficulty for keyboard and screen reader users. To avoid any potential issues, I recommend changing this setting to “Don’t show tabs”. This will help ensure a more streamlined and efficient navigation experience for everyone.
Personalization
Task view
This setting is on by default and allows you to manage virtual desktops. If you don’t use this feature turn it off. It will help to prevent accidentally getting into a new virtual desktop. It will also remove an icon from the taskbar.
Widgets and chat
Both of these settings are also shown on the taskbar. Widgets provide quick access to information and tools from a variety of sources, such as weather, news, sports, and productivity. These widgets can sometimes get in the way or can be distracting. If you don’t use them, turn them off. The chat button places a Microsoft Teams icon to make it easy to chat and to use Microsoft Teams features. If you don’t use it, turn it off.
System tray icons
These settings control what icons are shown in what used to be called System Tray, but now it is called the notification area. You can also show or hide icons. Hidden icons will only be shown by activating the chevron in the notification area.
Taskbar behavior
This group of settings allows you to set several aspects of the taskbar itself. This allows you to set the following. • Leave the taskbar centered or set it to the left as in earlier versions of windows.
• Automatically hide the taskbar
• Show badges on taskbar apps
• Show flashing on taskbar apps
These are the most common settings that most want to change in this area.
Apps
Now moving on to the Apps settings category.
This is where you can remove apps or programs that are installed on your system. It is always recommended to look through and take out anything that is not needed, especially when you get a new computer.
By default, windows limits you to only getting apps from the Microsoft Store. Changing this setting to anywhere is recommended as you will be able to install any software regardless of where it came from.
This settings area allows you to set default apps for mail, browsing, and media playback. You can also set default apps for various filetypes here.
“Here, you can view a list of apps and programs that automatically run when Windows starts up. Each item is labeled with its impact level, indicating how much it affects system performance. You can choose to disable any unnecessary items to speed up the startup process.”
Accounts
Here you can specify that windows uses a pin, face recognition, or finger recognition to log into windows. This is based on your hardware, and you also need a Microsoft account to make this work.
Time and Language
Here is where you can change your time zone and set if the time zone and clock settings are automatically synchronized with internet time servers.
Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard
“Ever feel like your computer is trying to finish your sentences for you? It’s not always helpful, is it? Well, this setting is the culprit. Turn it off and save yourself from the constant annoyance of your computer thinking it knows you better than you know yourself.”
Autocorrect misspelt words
This setting allows the computer to try and automatically correct words that you don’t spell right. Some want this turned off.
Highlight misspelt words
When this setting is enabled, any words that are not recognized by the installed language dictionary as correctly spelled will be underlined with a red squiggly line, indicating a possible misspelling. This feature can help users catch spelling errors and improve the accuracy of their writing. This can be helpful for visual users, especially if they do not have Microsoft Office installed.
Accessibility
This section could stand alone as its own article. For the moment I’ll stick to some general accessibility settings that could apply to anyone. Let me know in the comments if you’d like more in this or another section.
Visual effects
If you can’t see them, you don’t need them. Here is where you can turn off some of this so called eye candy.
Always show scrollbars
When this setting is enabled, scrollbars will always be visible in applications that use them, such as web browsers, text editors, and file explorer. This can make it easier to navigate through large amounts of content and provide a better visual cue of the current location within the content. It can be helpful for low-vision users to always have the scrollbars on so they can find them quicker. Screen reader users don’t really need this since they are navigating via keyboard commands.
Transparency effects
This is a Windows setting that makes some parts of the Windows user interface partly transparent, such as the taskbar, Start menu, and Action Center. When this setting is enabled, these interface elements appear semi-transparent, allowing users to look through them to the desktop or other open windows. Screen reader users are not affected, but low-vision users can be.
Animation effects
This is a Windows setting that creates visual effects that occur when they open, close, minimize, and maximize windows. When this setting is enabled, users will see visual animations such as fades, slides, and other effects when they interact with windows. Low-vision users can be distracted by these effects so this could be a good thing to turn off.
Dismiss notifications after this amount of time
This setting allows you to specify how long a Windows notification stays on screen. Because it can take time for users of Access Technology to get to these notifications you should adjust this accordingly. By default, this is set to a mere 5 seconds. You can adjust this to up to 5 minutes if needed.
Well, that is it for the accessibility settings. As I said before let me know if you’d like more on a particular topic in the comments. For now…
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