Windows Colorblind Filter
Thanks to this feature being built in, you don’t have to download anything special. If you suffer from Protanopia, Deuteranopia, or Tritanopia, all you have to do is adjust a few settings to make Windows 10 much easier to see and interact with. The first two conditions deal with red/green color blindness, while the latter deals with blue/yellow color blindness. The filter is only available in Windows 10. The only options for previous versions of Windows are to adjust the contrast and install third-party tools, which don’t always work as well and may not be free. With the right filter enabled, you should be able to distinguish colors much more clearly on Windows 10.
Setting Up the Filter
All of the Windows Colorblind Filter settings are within the “Ease of Access” settings for accessibility. Start by opening Settings and choosing “Ease of Access.” Choose “Color filters” on the left. Toggle “Turn on color filters” to On. You’ll then be able to choose which filter to use. You have six to pick from, including:
Inverted – Changes every color to its opposite.Grayscale – Uses only black, gray, and white shades.Grayscale inverted – Creates a photo negative-style version of the screen.Red-green Deuteranopia – Focuses on red-green colorblindness where green is weaker.Red-green Protanopia – Focuses on red-green colorblindness where red is weaker.Blue-yellow Tritanopia – Focuses on blue-yellow colorblindness.
As soon as you choose an option, you’ll see the colors on your screen change. You can also check out the color wheel below the filters to see how the colors change with each filter.
Using High Contrast
There’s also one more setting you may want to use to see colors better in Windows 10. Click on “High contrast” to the left of the Settings screen. Toggle the “Turn on high contrast” option to On. It may take a few seconds for Windows to adjust. You can use this setting in conjunction with any of the color filters. You’ll immediately notice that colors are much more vivid. You can use high-contrast settings even if you’re not colorblind. You don’t need to turn on any colorblind filters to use high contrast. Take the time to customize your high-contrast settings, such as selecting a theme and the color for common elements, such as text, button text, and hyperlinks.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Using Windows Colorblind Filters is ideal if you’re the only person using the computer. However, if others who aren’t colorblind are also using the computer, they may prefer to change everything back. This can get annoying if you’re going back into “Ease of Access” and manually changing the settings every time. Instead, enable a keyboard shortcut to quickly revert back to your desired settings. In the Color Filters screen, there’s an option to turn on a shortcut key. Check the “Allow the shortcut key to toggle filter on and off” box. Now all you have to do is press Win + Ctrl + C to toggle your settings on and off. You can do the same for any high-contrast settings. You don’t have to turn on a special setting to enable the shortcut key. Instead, just press Alt + Shift + Print Screen to switch back and forth. Play around with the settings to get your colors looking just right and enjoy Windows 10 in a whole new way.
