How To Change Text And Background Colours
Some people find certain text and background colour combinations difficult to read, while others prefer to always have a specific colour, such as white text on a black background. These guides explain how you can change the text and background colours in your operating system (Windows or Mac) and browser to better suit your needs.
There are two ways to do this…
- Change the colours on your computer “Change the settings in your operating system so that your chosen colours appear every time you use your computer.”
- This guide is different depending on your operating system (Windows or Mac). Please select from the options below:
- Windows 7
- Mac Os X
- This guide is different depending on your operating system (Windows or Mac). Please select from the options below:
- Change the colours in your browser “Choose your preferred text and background colours for whenever you visit websites in browsers such as Internet Explorer
- Windows
Areas in this guide:
- Use the high-contrast colour scheme
- Change the desktop background colour
Note: The following abbreviations for keys on the Mac are used: Ctrl is used for the Control key, Apple is used for the Command key, and Alt is used for the Option key. For keyboard access, make sure ‘Full keyboard access’ is turned on – you can turn it on or off by pressing Ctrl + F1 at any time.
Use the high-contrast colour scheme
Step 1: Open the ‘Universal Access’ window
Make sure you are in ‘Finder’. If necessary, press Apple + Tab to cycle through the open applications until you return to ‘Finder’.
Click on the ‘Apple‘ icon on the menu bar or press Ctrl + F2.
Click on ‘System Preferences‘, as shown in Fig 1, or press the down arrow key to highlight it and then press Enter.
Fig 1
In the ‘System Preferences’ window (shown in Fig 2), click on the ‘Universal Access‘ icon, or press Tab repeatedly (you might need to press Ctrl + F7 first) to cycle through the icons until the ‘Universal Access‘ icon is highlighted and then press the Spacebar.
Fig 2
In the ‘Universal Access’ window (shown in Fig 3), make sure the ‘Seeing‘ tab is selected. If it is not, click on it, or press Ctrl + F7 to highlight one of the tabs and then press the left or right arrow key to select it.
Step 2: Change to the ‘white on black’ colour scheme
Under the ‘Display’ header, click the radio button next to ‘White on Black‘, or press Tab until the ‘Black on White’ radio button is highlighted (as shown in Fig 3) and use the up or down arrow key to select ‘White on Black‘.
Fig 3
The colour scheme will change straight away. To switch between the high-contrast white on black colour scheme and the standard display at any time, press Shift + Alt + Apple + 8.
You can increase or decrease the contrast level by moving the ‘Enhance contrast‘ slider, or by using the following keyboard shortcuts at any time: to increase the contrast, press Shift + Alt + Apple + ‘ . ‘ (full stop); to decrease the contrast, press Shift + Alt + Apple + ‘ , ‘ (comma).
Step 3: Set the display to grayscale
Under the ‘Display’ header, tick the box next to ‘Use grayscale‘ by clicking on it, or by pressing Tab until the box is highlighted and then press the Spacebar.
The colour scheme will change straight away. To turn it back to the standard display, untick the box by clicking on it, or by pressing the Spacebar again.
When you are finished, click on the window’s red close button or press Apple + W.
Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings cannot be changed due to local IT policies – contact your local IT support for further help.
Change the desktop background colour
Step 1: Open the ‘Desktop & Screen Saver’ window
Make sure you are in ‘Finder’. If necessary, press Apple + Tab to cycle through the open applications until you return to ‘Finder’.
Click on the ‘Apple‘ icon on the menu bar or press Ctrl + F2.
Click on ‘System Preferences‘, as shown in Fig 1, or press the down arrow key to highlight it and then press Enter.
Fig 1
In the ‘System Preferences’ window (shown in Fig 2), click on the ‘Desktop & Screen Saver‘ icon, or press Tab repeatedly (you might need to press Ctrl + F7 first) to cycle through the icons until the ‘Desktop & Screen Saver‘ icon is highlighted and then press the Spacebar.
Fig 2
In the ‘Desktop & Screen Saver’ window (shown in Fig 3), make sure the ‘Desktop‘ tab is selected. If it is not, click on it, or press Ctrl + F7 to highlight one of the tabs and then press the left or right arrow key to select it.
Step 2: Select a colour for the desktop
In the pane on the left, click on ‘Solid Colors‘ in the ‘Apple’ folder, as shown in Fig 3. Alternatively, press Tab to move to the left-hand pane, then use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the list of choices until ‘Solid Colors‘ is highlighted and then press the Spacebar.
Fig 3
Click on the colour you want (there’s no keyboard shortcut). As soon as you make a choice, the background colour changes straight away.
When you are finished, click on the window’s red close button or press Apple + W.
Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings cannot be changed due to local IT policies – contact your local IT support for further help.
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