Color Contrast in Microsoft - PC/Windows

Using color thoughtfully in course materials is about making your content accessible to all students, including those with visual impairments or color blindness. Some color choices can make important information hard to read or completely invisible to some students. By designing with accessibility in mind, you create materials that engage everyone and support learning.

This guide explores tips and steps for how to ensure proper color contrast and readability in Microsoft on a PC/Windows machine. 

 

Quick Tips

  • Use high-contrast colors
  • Never rely on color alone to communicate meaning
  • Add bold, underline, or icons to reinforce important content
  • Run Check Accessibility before sharing your document 
 

How to Ensure Strong Contrast

Guidelines

  • Normal text: Minimum contrast ratio 4.5:1
  • Large text (18pt or 14pt bold+): Minimum contrast ratio 3:1 

Step-by-Step to Fix Contrast in Word

  1. Select the text that is hard to read.
  2. Go to Home → Font Color.
  3. Choose a darker color or use black for maximum contrast. Or, toggle the option for High-contrast Only.
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word interface demonstrating color selection for text. The "Theme Colors" and "Standard Colors" palette is open, showing a grid of various color swatches. The font menu and high-contrast only toggle are called out in a red box. In the background, a line of text is highlighted in gray with orange lettering that reads "icult to read," illustrating a low-contrast accessibility issue.
 

Avoid Use of Color Alone to Convey Meaning

Bad Example (Color Only):

Find the important vocabulary words in red: photosynthesis, mitosis, osmosis

Good Example (Multiple Cues):

Find the important vocabulary words: photosynthesis✅, mitosis✅, osmosis ✅ (bold + red + underline + symbol) 

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. Highlight the important words.
  2. Go to Home → Bold and/or Underline.
  3. Optionally, keep the color for extra emphasis.
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word editing ribbon Home tab with the bold and underline options highlighted in gray and emphasized with a red box.
  4. Add an icon if needed: Edit → Icons.
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word editing ribbon and document workspace with the Insert and Icons options called out in a red box. The document contains two examples of text formatting that present accessibility challenges: The first line is light orange text on a white background, demonstrating a low-color-contrast issue that is difficult to read. The second line includes the phrase "photosynthesis, mitosis, osmosis" with the words appearing in red, bold, and underlined font, each word followed by a che
 

Use Word's Check Accessibility Tool

Word can automatically check your document for accessibility issues, including color contrast.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Go to Review → Check Accessibility.
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word for PC "Review" tab in the top ribbon menu called out in a red box. The toolbar displays accessibility and language features, including a prominent icon for the Check Accessibility tool called out in a red box.
  2. The Accessibility Assistant panel appears on the right. 
  3. Look for warnings under Color and Contrast. 
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word for PC Accessibility Assistant with the Color and Contrast hard to read text contrast item indicating 1 issue.
  4. Click on each warning to see how to fix it. 
    1. A screenshot of the Microsoft Word for PC Accessibility Assistant with the Color and Contrast hard to read text contrast item and recommended solutions.
  5. Re-run the check to confirm all issues are resolved.
 

Conclusion

Thoughtful use of color in Word helps ensure all students can access and understand your materials, not just those who can perceive certain colors. By following these best practices—using high contrast, reinforcing meaning with multiple cues, and leveraging the Accessibility Checker—you can create inclusive, engaging, and professional course documents. 

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