Windows High Contrast: Make Text Stand Out
Windows High Contrast mode uses bold colors with strong contrast to make text and buttons easier to see — helpful for low vision, eye strain.
3 min read · 4 steps · Checked April 2026
Step 1. Open High Contrast settings
Click the Start menu and open Settings (the gear icon). Click "Accessibility" in the left sidebar, then scroll down and click "Contrast themes." You will see four preset themes with names like "Aquatic," "Desert," "Dusk," and "Night sky," as well as the classic "High contrast" options.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: The quickest way to preview High Contrast is to press Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen on your keyboard. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to turn it on — click Yes to try it right away.
Step 2. Choose a contrast theme
Under "Contrast themes," click the dropdown menu to see available options. "High Contrast Black" (white text on black) is the most popular choice for people who find bright screens uncomfortable. "High Contrast White" (black text on white) works well in bright rooms. Click a theme name to preview it, then click "Apply" to activate it.
Step 3. Customize the colors if needed
After selecting a theme, click "Edit" to change individual colors — for example, the color used for text, background, hyperlinks, and selected items. This is optional but allows fine-tuning if you find certain color combinations more readable than the presets.
Step 4. Turn High Contrast off when needed
Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen again to toggle High Contrast off, or go back to SettingsAccessibilityContrast themes and choose "None" from the dropdown. Your screen will return to its normal color scheme right away.
Windows High Contrast mode changes your screen's color scheme to use bold, highly contrasting colors — usually white text on a black background, or black text on a white background — making text and interface elements much easier to distinguish. This feature is built into Windows and costs nothing to use.
High Contrast is helpful for people who have low vision, experience eye strain or fatigue when looking at screens, work in bright environments where glare makes normal screens hard to read, or prefer a bolder, more readable display. Some people also find that High Contrast reduces headaches during long computer sessions.
Windows offers several preset High Contrast themes. "High Contrast Black" uses white text on a black background. "High Contrast White" uses dark text on a white background. There are also two other options called "High Contrast 1" and "High Contrast 2" which use accent colors for links and selected items. You can try each one and pick the combination that is easiest for your eyes.
The keyboard shortcut to turn High Contrast on or off is Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen. Once you enable it, a confirmation box appears — press Enter or click Yes to confirm. Using this shortcut again toggles it back off, making it easy to switch between normal mode and High Contrast mode.
Note that High Contrast mode changes the appearance of Windows itself — the Start menu, File Explorer, Settings, and most built-in apps. Some third-party websites and apps may not fully respect the High Contrast setting, though modern browsers like Chrome and Microsoft Edge handle it well.
Official sources
- Microsoft Support — support.microsoft.com
- Windows Help — support.microsoft.com
- Microsoft 365 Help — support.microsoft.com
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