| title | description | ms.topic | ms.date | keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Accessibility in Windows 11 and Windows 10 |
This page provides the information for you to get started developing accessible Windows apps. |
article |
11/28/2023 |
Accessibility in Windows 10, Accessibility, building accessible win32 apps, building accessible UWP apps, building accessible WPF apps, building accessible WinForms apps |
Products and services—including electronic media—are accessible when they are designed to provide full and successful experiences for as many people as possible.
Build accessible and inclusive Windows applications, with improved functionality and usability, for people with disabilities (both temporary and permanent), personal preferences, specific work styles, or situational constraints (such as shared work spaces, driving, cooking, glare, and so on). Some common solutions include providing information in alternative formats (such as captions on a video) or enabling the use of assistive technologies (such as screen readers).
Everyone should have access to the same rooms in a building, whether they need to use the stairs or the elevator.
This page provides information on how the various Windows development frameworks provide accessibility support for developers building Windows applications, assistive technology developers building tools such as screen readers and magnifiers, and software test engineers creating automated scripts for testing applications.
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**Universal Windows Platform (UWP)**
Develop accessible apps and tools on the modern platform for Windows applications and games on any Windows device (including PCs, phones, Xbox, HoloLens, and more), and publish them to the Microsoft Store.
[Designing inclusive software](/windows/uwp/accessibility/designing-inclusive-software)
[Developing inclusive Windows apps](/windows/uwp/accessibility/developing-inclusive-windows-apps)
[Accessibility testing](/windows/uwp/accessibility/accessibility-testing)
[Accessibility in the Store](/windows/uwp/accessibility/accessibility-in-the-store)
:::column-end:::
:::column:::
**Win32 platform**
Develop accessible apps and tools on the original platform for C/C++ Windows applications.
[What's new in Windows accessibility and automation](/windows/desktop/accessibility-whatsnew)
[Developing accessible applications for Windows](/windows/desktop/accessibility-appdev)
[Developing accessible UI frameworks for Windows](/windows/desktop/accessibility-uiframeworkdev)
[Developing assistive technology for Windows](/windows/desktop/accessibility-atdev)
[Testing for accessibility](/windows/desktop/accessibility-testwithuia)
[Legacy accessibility and automation technology - MSAA to UI Automation](/windows/desktop/accessibility-legacy)
[Windows Accessibility features](/windows/desktop/winauto/about-windows-accessibility-features)
[Guidelines for designing accessible apps](/windows/desktop/uxguide/inter-accessibility)
:::column-end:::
:::row-end:::
:::row:::
:::column:::
**Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)**
Develop accessible apps and tools on the established platform for managed Windows applications with a XAML UI model and the .NET Framework.
[Accessibility Best Practices](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/accessibility-best-practices)
[UI Automation Fundamentals](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/index)
[UI Automation Providers for Managed Code](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-providers-for-managed-code)
[UI Automation Clients for Managed Code](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-clients-for-managed-code)
[UI Automation Control Patterns](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-control-patterns)
[UI Automation Text Pattern](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-text-pattern)
[UI Automation Control Types](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-control-types)
[UI Automation Specification and Community Promise](/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/ui-automation-specification-and-community-promise)
:::column-end:::
:::column:::
**Windows Forms (WinForms)**
Develop accessible apps and tools for managed Windows applications with a XAML UI model and the .NET Framework.
[Windows Forms Accessibility](/dotnet/framework/winforms/advanced/windows-forms-accessibility)
[Creating an Accessible Windows Application](/dotnet/framework/winforms/advanced/walkthrough-creating-an-accessible-windows-based-application)
[Properties on Windows Forms Controls That Support Accessibility Guidelines](/dotnet/framework/winforms/advanced/properties-on-windows-forms-controls-that-support-accessibility-guidelines)
[Providing Accessibility Information for Controls on a Windows Form](/dotnet/framework/winforms/controls/providing-accessibility-information-for-controls-on-a-windows-form)
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column span="2"::: Web accessibility
Design, build, and test accessible web sites in Microsoft Edge.
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: Introduction to web accessibility
[Designing accessible websites](/microsoft-edge/accessibility/design)
:::column-end::: :::column::: Building accessible websites
[Testing accessible websites](/microsoft-edge/accessibility/test)
:::column-end::: :::row-end:::
Download and run full Windows samples that demonstrate various accessibility features and functionality.
:::row::: :::column::: Code sample browser
The new samples browser replacing the MSDN Code Gallery.
:::column-end::: :::column::: MSDN Code Gallery (GitHub archive)
Download samples for Windows, Windows Phone, Microsoft Azure, Office, SharePoint, Silverlight and other products.
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: Windows classic samples on GitHub
These samples demonstrate the functionality and programming model for Windows and Windows Server.
:::column-end::: :::column::: Universal Windows Platform (UWP) samples on GitHub
These samples demonstrate the API usage patterns for the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) in the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows 10 and later.
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column span="2"::: WinUI 2 Gallery
This app demonstrates the various Xaml controls supported in the Fluent Design System.
:::column-end::: :::row-end:::
Various videos covering how to build accessible Windows applications to general accessibility concerns and how Microsoft addresses them.
:::row::: :::column::: Microsoft's Accessibility API :::column-end::: :::column::: Introduction to disability and accessibility :::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: > [!VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/embed/6b0K2883rXA] :::column-end::: :::column::: > [!VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kl4CT4DaypM] :::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row:::
:::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: One Dev Minute: Developing apps for accessibility :::column-end::: :::column::: Windows 11 accessibility features empower everyone :::column-end::: :::column::: Making the mouse pointers easier to see :::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: > [!VIDEO 001a0bd5-c137-4a17-b45f-9f4368bf379d] :::column-end::: :::column::: > [!VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/embed/uDzVBNry31s] :::column-end::: :::column::: > [!VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/embed/BoME-Wr_jNw] :::column-end::: :::row-end:::
:::row::: :::column span="3"::: Blogs and news
The latest from the world of Microsoft accessibility.
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: In the news :::column-end::: :::column::: Accessibility blogs :::column-end::: :::column::: Windows UI Automation blogs :::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column span="3"::: Community and support
A place where Windows developers and users meet and learn together.
:::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: Windows community - Accessibility :::column-end::: :::column::: Windows Accessibility and Automation Development Forum :::column-end::: :::row-end::: :::row::: :::column::: Stack Overflow :::column-end::: :::column::: Disability Answer Desk :::column-end::: :::row-end:::