TOP Microsoft Edge extensions to improve accessibility

Edge has become the web browser developed by Microsoft to replace the mythical Internet Explorer that didn’t cause so many headaches at the time. Now, Edge is a much more reliable browser with a Chromium engine, which allows it to be compatible with a wide number of functions that allow it to increase its functionality.

In order to help people with problems, Microsoft’s browser incorporates its own accessibility features. In addition, if we want to improve them, we can use add-ons that will take care of maximizing this section, in order to be more effective for certain types of users.

TOP Microsoft Edge extensions to improve accessibility

Edge accessibility options

When we refer to the term accessibility within the scope of web browsers, we refer to certain features that have been developed to improve the display and handling of certain web pages by adapting certain parameters. Through this, the aim is to make the browser as practical as possible and without limitations for any type of person.

To do this, Edge has its own Accessibility menu that we can access by clicking on the icon with three points in the upper right. This will display a menu where we will select the Configuration section. In the new window that appears, in the left column we will find the Accessibility section.

Accesibilidad Edge

Later on the right side of the screen we can see a series of functions that we can enable to help us improve interaction with the browser.

  • Display a high visibility outline around the focus area of the page.
  • Page Zoom – Change the zoom level for all websites.
  • Live subtitles: Create English subtitles when we play audio.
  • Customize the appearance of the subtitles.
  • Get Microsoft image descriptions for screen readers.
  • Ask before closing a window with multiple tabs.
  • Show mini menu when selecting text.
  • Navigate through pages with a text cursor.
  • Use the F12 key to open the developer tools.
  • Show download menu when starting a download.

In the event that these functions are not enough we can always choose to install specific extensions from the Edge Add-ons page .

Colorblind enhancements

In the event that we suffer from problems caused by color blindness, we can use one of the following extensions for Edge:

Color enhancer, personalize a website to improve its perception

This plugin for Edge allows us to select a customizable color filter that is applied to web pages to improve the perception of color, in a way that can be of great help to people who are partially colorblind.

Once installed, we click on its icon from where we can adjust the color perception automatically. From its Configuration section we will be able to select the row with the most blurred stars and adjust the color through a slider bar so that they are fully visible.

Potenciador de color

Through these settings that we can easily make, the website that we want to visit will be much easier to navigate when we have problems with color vision. We can download this plugin for free for Edge.

Contrast your page, select high contrast color filters

By installing this extension, it will allow us to browse any website we choose through a selection of high-contrast color filters, which have been designed to make text easier to read. This way, when we install the extension, it causes all the pages to invert their color so that black turns white and white turns black.

Contrasta tu página

We simply have to press its icon located on the toolbar to activate and deactivate it, as well as customize its use for a certain site. In addition, it has a keyboard shortcut through which we will be able to quickly change its configuration while browsing.

We can download and install this plugin from the Edge Store .

hearing problems

For users who are hard of hearing or deaf, these add-ons for Edge can be of great help.

Substital, add subtitles to videos

This extension is responsible for adding subtitles to any video, movie, or series that we are viewing on any platform such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Vimeo, among others. This is something that can be very useful to us in various circumstances, either because we are learning languages or because we have certain hearing problems.

Substital

The application has its own subtitle search engine, it also allows you to add them directly with just drag and drop, being compatible with the SRT or ZIP formats that an SRT contains. It also allows us to manually synchronize the subtitles correctly in the event that they are out of sync, and allows us to change both their size, as well as the color of the text and the color of the background.

Download Substital for free from the Edge website.

eLang, translate text and video navigation subtitles

This extension is especially suitable for both students and people with hearing disabilities as it is responsible for translating text and subtitles with video navigation, being compatible with platforms such as YouTube and Netflix. It has more than 100 languages available and offers detailed information about the translated word such as voice acting, synonyms and pronunciation.

eLang

We can conveniently navigate through videos with repeat and slow phrase repeat, as well as search through subtitles. It also allows you to add new words with translation and context directed to our vocabulary.

In order to use eLang, simply install it from the Edge add-ons page .

for dyslexics

In the event that our vision problems may be related to dyslexia, these add-ons for Edge will be of great help:

Helperbird, customize any website according to our needs

We are talking about an extension that offers us a wide range of tools to be able to customize any website according to our needs and in this way be able to improve its accessibility, writing, reading and productivity. It has support and fonts for dyslexics , Microsoft’s immersive reader, OCR with text extraction, among other utilities.

Helperbird

It stands out for its intuitive and easy-to-use design, giving us personalized support to make websites, PDFs and documents more accessible. It also offers other accessibility tools that can be very useful, such as changing the size of the cursor, the size of shortcuts, using its reader mode to eliminate distractions. In addition, it has support for sign language among other essential features.

Helperbird has a free version that we can install from the Edge Store.

ClaroRead, listen to sentences as we write them

Through the use of this extension we will be able to read any text on a web page and later listen to the text read and marked to be able to follow it. It is an ideal application for taking exams, reviewing work and especially for people who have problems such as dyslexia. We will be able to listen to PDFs in an accessible way, as well as listen to letters, words or phrases as we write them.

ClaroRead

We can also activate a transparent color layer so that the pages are tinted in the tone that best suits us to make it easier for us to read. In addition, we can activate word prediction to be able to get help with our writing and writing.

Download ClaroRead for Edge and improve the reading of any web content.

Other accessibility features

Now we are going to see a series of extensions for Edge that will also be responsible for adding accessibility features every time we use the Microsoft browser.

Zoom for Microsoft Edge, increase or decrease a font

It is an ideal complement for people who have eye problems such as lazy eye, amblyopia or simply have difficulty reading content on a screen. With this application we will be able to zoom in or out of the content of a web page by using a zoom button, which will allow us to read more comfortably.

Zoom para Microsoft Edge

It has the ability to automatically save a certain zoom value for a website. In this way, every time we visit this website, the extension will take care of restoring the zoom value that we would have specified. Likewise, it will always be possible to restore the default zoom.

We can download Zoom for Microsoft Edge for free.

Stylebot, change the design of a web page

There are times when the appearance of a website that we visit is not exactly pleasant, so we may have to deal with certain accessibility problems. Therefore, by using this plugin, we can make a change of image for the web by modifying its code. This allows us to change some features such as font, text color, background color, and text alignment, in order to improve readability.

Stylebot

From its icon located in the toolbar, it shows us a sidebar from where we can select the element of the website that we want to change, be it the title, the body of the text , among others, to modify it. If, in addition, we know its CSS we can change its code and enable its Readability mode that will allow us to reduce the website to its most basic elements, apply light, dark and sepia themes, adjust the font, the width of the text or the height of the line.

Download Stylebot for free from the Edge Add-on Store .