How to manage accessibility features in windows 10

As you understand from the name Optional Features, Windows 10 allows users to install certain features which are helpful but not mandatory. This means you can also do away without those features. For example, the Insider Hub feature is a one that provides you latest news and alerts for new Builds. So this feature is helpful in the sense it’ll keep you updated with information about Windows 10 but it’s not necessary. The following tutorial will show you how to install those features and also check history of previously downloaded optional features.

Steps to Manage Optional Features in Windows 10

1. Open Start Menu, go to Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Apps & Features on the left panel.

4. In the right panel, click on Manage Optional Features.

5. To check option features history, click on See optional feature history.

6. If you have installed any Optional Features within the last 7 days, then it’ll show up in history. Otherwise, you will see No feature History. Click on the back arrow to go to the previous stage.

7. To install a new optional feature, click on Add a feature.

8. Click on a feature that you want to install.

9. If you want to uninstall an already installed feature, then select it and click Uninstall.

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If you want to make your screen easier to see, Windows 10 offers a lot of features and options that can help you. Here are a few suggestions.

Adjust size and color

To adjust the size of text, apps, and other items, select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Display . Use the slider under Make text bigger to make just the text on your screen larger. Or, select an option from the drop-down menu under Make everything bigger to change the size of everything on your screen.

If there’s not enough contrast between the elements on your screen, try using a high contrast theme. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > High contrast , and switch on the toggle under Turn on high contrast.

To make the apps in your Start menu appear larger, right-click (or tap and hold) the app tile you want to resize, select Resize, and then choose the size that you want.

Know where you’re pointing

Make your mouse more visible by changing the color and size of the mouse pointer. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Cursor & pointer , and choose the options that work best for you.

By adding pointer trails you can see where the mouse is moving on the screen. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options. In the Mouse Properties window, select the Pointer Options tab, and then Display pointer trails.

Windows can also show visual feedback when you touch the screen. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Cursor & pointer , and then select the toggle under Show visual feedback around the touch points when I touch the screen.

Magnify your screen

Magnifier enlarges part or all of your screen so you can see words and images better. To open Magnifier quickly, press the Windows logo key + Plus sign (+). When Magnifier is open, use Windows logo key + Plus sign (+) or Windows logo key + Minus sign (-) to zoom in or out. To close Magnifier, press Windows logo key + Esc.

Apply color filters

Make photos, text, and colors easier to see by applying a color filter to your screen. Color filters change the color palette on the screen and can help you distinguish between things that differ only by color.

To apply color filters, select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters , and choose the options that work best for you.

To turn on and turn off your color filters quickly, select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters , and select Allow the shortcut key to toggle filter on or off. Then press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + C.

To learn more about color filters, read Use color filters in Windows 10.

Use Narrator to navigate your PC

Narrator is the built-in screen reader in Windows that reads aloud what’s on your screen so you can use that information to navigate your PC. To start or stop Narrator, press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter.

For more info on how to use Narrator, check out the Complete guide to Narrator.

Original Title: Family Safety

How do I turn off family features?

To turn off or stop using the family features Microsoft provides, follow the instructions for the version of Windows you’re using.

From a web browser, go to and sign in with the Microsoft account of an adult in the family.

To remove a child, choose Remove at the top of the section labeled Select a child to view or edit their settings .

To remove an adult, including the account you used to sign in with, choose Remove at the top of the Adults section. If you’re the only adult in the family, you’ll need to remove all the kids before you can remove yourself.

Select the person you want to remove from the family.

Select the Remove button that appears when you’ve chosen the person to remove.

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Welcome to Microsoft Community.

If you remove Family Safety by following the steps mentioned, all the restrictions that existed due to Family Safety will be removed from your child’s account. Rest all the data and apps will be there.

Hope this information was helpful.

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Still not sure the question was answered or understood. The problem is that my Grandson has purchased and downloaded several apps and programs related to his Gaming activity. My concern is that the curfew and time limits in the parental controls are not working. and shutting him down automatically at 8PM or after so many hours of use. The forum suggested deleting his account and re-creating it. My question was “won’t that wipe out all his programs and downloads as well.” I don’t want to take him off Parental Controls, I just want them to work effectively.

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I removed my child and I’m trying to remove myself but whenever I go onto the family it sayd add child or add another child instead. also I cant find the adults section on Microsoft so I cant remove my self please reply asap thank you

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What if you don’t know the family account? How do you disconnect your PC from this feature without logging in to Microsoft? My son has a his own laptop, he’s logged in with a local account, not a Microsoft account, but “Family Features” is preventing him from running things including Chrome. I never installed Family Features, I don’t have a Parent Account, I have no idea why his laptop is behaving this way. All I want to do is stop the PC from having any parental controls. I don’t need them, it’s just crippling his computer. It’s Windows 10.

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I got similar problem,

I did create a family account for my son (as a child), we faced a lot of problems since then like installing games or other apps (that online family feature is so difficult to use, very little settings and so on), so I decided to delete sons account and my own (as adult – administrator), since then I can’t install anything on my PC myself, I can’t disable that annoying Microsoft family feature it keeps saying that I have to ask adult permission, lol.

Please help me to stop that family feature on my Windows 10 (build 15063.674).

P.S. I feel sorry I upgraded from Win7 to Win10 🙁

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I resolved my son’s issue with the help of Microsoft support.

As a quick recap, my son was the only user on his machine, logging on with a local administrator account, not a Microsoft account, and with full admin privileges but he was still subjected to “family features”.

The solution was to create a new local account and delete his existing one. After deleting his old account we renamed the new one to how the old one was named. After that everything was good.

@audisaudis you say you deleted your son’s account and your own. Obviously you must still have SOME account on the machine. You have to make sure you are using local machine accounts, not Microsoft ones.

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For us to be able to provide the best resolution about this issue, please answer the following:

• What troubleshooting have you tried so far?
• Are you getting any error messages when the window crashes?
• Is this the only option in your settings page that encounters the problem?

We suggest you run the System File Checker tool to see if the issue is related to corrupted files on the computer.

We look forward to your response.

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I have tried running a malware detection sweep, gone through the troubleshooting guides found online, and also just tried your “system file checker” which failed by saying (“Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service”)

I get no messages when the program crashes. I click on the “Manage Optional Features”, a window pops up for a few seconds, then simply goes away. This is the only program/options I am having problems with (so far) in Windows.

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The following 5 methods enable you to quickly launch Programs and Features on Windows 10 computer.

Video guide on how to open Programs and Features in Windows 10:

5 ways to open Programs and Features in Windows 10:

Way 1: Open it by search.

Type program in the search box on desktop, and choose Programs and Features from the list.

Way 2: Turn it on in Control Panel.

Step 2: Select Programs and click Programs and Features.

Way 3: Open it via Run.

Use Windows+R to display Run, input appwiz.cpl and tap OK.

Way 4: Turn it on through CMD.

Step 2: Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.

Way 5: Open it in Windows PowerShell.

Step 1: Get into Start Menu and start Windows PowerShell.

written by Jenny Lay-Flurrie Chief Accessibility Officer Sep 30, 2019

At Microsoft, we often say, “come as you are , do what you love . ” Our business excels when our employees bring their full self to work . Simply put, inclusion drives innovation.

W ith the unemployment rate for people with disabilities double that of people without disabilities and 1+ billion people around the world , we need to work together to create more inclusive workplaces.

The Accenture/ Disability : IN study last year showed that companies that focus on inclusion outperform their peers and in Microsoft we have proven time over time that if we empower employees with disabilities to bring all their expertise to the workplace, it leads to amazing innovation . This is a call to action: every workplace needs to be an inclusive workplace.

That’s why this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) theme “The Right Talent, Right Now” is so pertinent to Microsoft and we will be celebrating it throughout the month of October .

Creating Inclusive Workplaces

To truly change perceptions of what disability means, it ‘ s important to drive awareness and change societal stereotypes of disability. People with disabilities are in every part and every level of an organization and I’m proud that today we are sharing the stories of several Microsoft employees , discussing the ir personal journey and underscoring the importance of self-disclosing their disabilities to their teams and peers. It is so great that leaders from across the company are helping to spark such an important conversation, including Angela Mills, partner group program manager, PlayFab , Microsoft ; Craig Cincotta, senior director of communications, Azure and Business Applications, Microsoft ; and Dona Sarkar , head of the Windows Insiders Program, Microsoft.

Self-disclosing you r disability is a very personal choice. But as employers, it is also our responsibility to create inclusive workplaces where everyone can bring their whole self to work and feel comfortable sharing what resources they need in order to be successful.

Developing Technology that Empowers

In addition to the need for more inclusive workplaces, we also have an equal need to work to make technology more accessible for people with disabilities and explore the role technology can play to empower people in the workplace and beyond.

This month, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella will be meeting with employees to explore what is possible with technology and share a few demos that help to see the potential for how we can use technology to empower people with disabilities in new ways. The first demo shows Code Jumper , a new way to assist children who are blind or with low vision to learn computer coding and programming skills . Developed by Microsoft and distributed by the American P rinting House for the Blind , this educational to ol aims to bridge the skills gap and open up the world of coding to every student.

Click here to load media

At Microsoft, w e offer an array of accessible products and services . From built-in features within Microsoft365 to innovative apps and services. Check out our Accessibility Features Sway to learn more and do follow us on twitter, we’ll be sharing hints and tips all month!

We Are All Advocates

There is a simple concept in the world of accessibility and disability inclusion ‘ i f you don’t know, ask ‘. If you don’t know what resources are available in your workplace, raise the question. If you are unsure of what responsibilities your organization has to help empower employees with disabilities, seek out the information. The more we ask questions and have a willingness to learn and grow, the better off we will all be.

Microsoft President Brad Smith recently spoke at the National Federation of the Blind 2019 National Convention about why we can’t just focus on technology, we need to put people first. He underscored that we need to look beyond the products and features that everyone uses today and fundamentally ask ourselves, “How can we imagine new technology that can fundamentally improve people’s lives in ways they haven’t yet experienced?” Over the summer, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela attended the Disability:IN Annual Conference and Expo and represented Microsoft, where he accepted the Marketplace Innovator of the Year Award on behalf of the company. Reflecting on his experience at the conference, he noted that , “including people with disabilities in our organizations pays off in multiple ways. At Microsoft, inclusion is at the core of our mission.”

This gets to the heart of what we do every day at Microsoft and how we can empower people with disabilities around the world. We are all on a journey together. Building partnerships, listening, asking, and learning can net results for your organization. We don’t have all the answers, but if we work together, we can create positive change for everyone.

I also think it is incredibly important to try new things and ask ourselves, “what more can we do to empower our employees and the broader disability community?” For example, we have been working with BraunAbility, a leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles and other mobility transportation solutions, to test a new 3-D graphic for ADA Parking spaces at the Living Well Health Center on our Redmond Campus. Our goal is to help drivers and passengers get in and out of their vehicle safely and to help deter misuse of the accessible spaces and access aisles. This is part of BraunAbility’s Drive for Inclusion initiative and we are getting great feedback from employees. Creating an inclusive culture is so much more than just adhering to laws (which is important!), but really focusing on everything we can do to build an environment where everyone can thrive.

Tune in throughout the month as we share more stories, demos, and ways to get involved in the movement.

World Autism Awareness Day – A Playbook to Inclusive Hiring

Reimagining the Future of Accessible Education with AI (Part 2)

Reimagining the Future of Accessible Education with AI

UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Sharing our learnings to create a more accessible world

Troubleshoot a non-working network without rebooting

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What to Know

• Disable: Control Panel >Network & Internet >Network and Sharing Center >Change adapter settings. Right-click [network] >Disable.
• Enable: From the same Network Connections screen, right-click the network and choose Enable.
• Before disabling a network connection, save any open web-based files so that you don’t lose your work.

If your internet isn’t working, disable and re-enable the connection to reset the network-specific functionality without rebooting the computer. This reset may clear certain kinds of network problems just like a full reboot would. In this guide, we show you how to disable and enable a network connection on any device with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, or XP.

How to Disable A Network Connection

Disabling and re-enabling network connections is done through Control Panel.

In Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista, select Network & Internet. Alternatively, you can right-click the internet icon in the taskbar (next to the clock) and select Open Network & Internet settings.

In Windows XP, change to Category view, select Network and Internet Connections > Network Connections, then skip to Step 4.

If your Control Panel doesn’t look like the screenshot below, instead having a bunch of icons, try looking for Network and Sharing Center; if you find it you can skip right to Step 4.

Select Network and Sharing Center.

Select Change adapter settings. In Windows Vista, choose Manage network connections.

In the Network Connections screen, right-click or tap-and-hold the connection you want to disable, then select Disable. The icon for the connection turns grey to show that it’s disabled.

If Disable doesn’t appear in the menu, the connection is disabled.

If prompted, confirm the action, or enter an admin password if you’re not logged in as an administrator.

The internet connection is disabled.

How to Enable A Network Connection

Enabling a network connection is similar, but you’ll use the Enable option instead.

Repeat Steps 1, 2, and 3 (from above) to access the Network Connections screen.

Right-click or tap-and-hold the connection you want to enable, and choose Enable.

If prompted, enter an admin password or confirm the action.

The icon is no longer gray, indicating that the connection is enabled.

One “hidden” feature in Windows is a series of keyboard commands that turn on accessibility functions for the disabled. People who turn these commands (like StickyKeys) on by accident may think their keyboard is malfunctioning. Here’s how to disable these options through Control Panel.

One of the “hidden” features in Windows that can throw off the uninitiated is a series of keyboard commands that turn on accessibility functions for the disabled.

These commands are handy for people who might have trouble working a regular keyboard, but they’ve been known to cause big problems for people who turn them on by accident and don’t know how to turn them off. They’ve led people to think the keyboard has a problem, or else the keyboard driver.

The most common accessibility shortcut that gets enabled by accident is StickyKeys. This causes the Shift, Ctrl or Alt keys to remain held down when tapped (so that someone can operate them without needing more than one finger at a time).

StickyKeys is enabled by tapping the Shift key five times in a row, something that might seem difficult to do by accident but which does happen. (I once turned on StickyKeys when idly tapping the Shift key out of boredom, and only after a panicked moment realized what I’d done.) And when it does happen, people find that their keyboard seems to be malfunctioning for some inexplicable reason.

Microsoft’s reason for default-enabling keyboard shortcuts for accessibility options was to allow people with disabilities to sit down at any Windows computer and be able to use it, unhindered. In theory, it’s a good idea. But unless you’re administering machines that are publicly available or that might possibly be used in such circumstances, it might be better to simply disable the accessibility shortcuts by default to prevent someone accidentally triggering them without realizing it.

To disable these options through Control Panel, select Accessibility Options | Keyboard, uncheck each of the “Use” boxes, and then click “Settings” for each accessibility option and disable the “Use shortcut” box. You can then also set a Group Policy option to ensure they’re not changed in the future.

If you want to change these options manually through a script or Group Policy Option, they’re stored in the Registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility. Set the Flags value to 506 in the StickyKeys subkey, 58 for ToggleKeys, 58 for MouseKeys and 122 for Keyboard Response to disable them all. If you open up the Registry and observe these values while changing the Control Panel settings, you can inspect the values created and use those for more fine-grained changes.

Finally, be sure to record these changes somewhere, so that a person who needs these features can get access to them later if they have to.

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Introduction

This guide demos how to Install RSAT in Windows 10.

Starting with Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809), you no longer need to download and install RSAT in Windows 10. RSAT now appears as a “Windows optional feature” right in Windows 10.

Options to Install RSAT in Windows 10

The 3 options discussed in this guide are (Install RSAT):

1. From Manage optional features
2. DISM
3. PowerShell

Install RSAT in Windows 10 with Manage Optional Features

To enable RSAT with Manage Optional Features:

• Type Optional Features in the search bar. Then select Manage Optional Features.

• When Optional features settings opens, click Add features.

• Then scroll through available features and click on the feature you wish to add.

• Finally, click Install.

• Once you click Install, the feature will disappear from the list. To confirm it has been enabled, click the back button beside Settings.

• Then click see optional feature history. The feature you just installed should be in the list. The installation progress bar will be displayed.

• When the installation is completed, scroll down the Optional features list. RSAT will be listed.

• To confirm that this feature is installed, search for it.

Install RSAT in Windows 10 with DISM

Another method to install RSAT is to use DISM Command.

• Type cmd in search bar. Then right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

• If you receive User Account Control prompt, click Yes.

• At command prompt, type this command. Then press enter.

The command lists all available RSAT optional features you can install.

• To install a feature, type this command. Then press enter.

0.0.1.0” with the name of the RSAT feature you wish to install.

To avoid errors, it is recommended to copy the feature name from the results of the DISM.exe /Online /Get-Capabilities command.

The last command will install Group Policy Management console.

• To confirm that the feature was installed successfully, run this command

0.0.1.0” with the RSAT feature you installed…

Here is the result…The State is Installed.

Install RSAT in Windows 10 with PowerShell

The last method to install RSAT is with PowerShell.

Here are the detailed steps:

• Search PowerShell. Then right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as Administrator.

• At powershell command prompt, to list available RSAT features, type the command below. Then press enter.

Here is the result of the command:

• To install one of the RSAT features, use the command below:

• PowerShell will start installing the feature…

• When the installation is completed, the result will display as shown below. If you need to restart, RestartNeeded will display True.

• To confirm that the feature installed successfully, use a command similar to the one below:

Te result should show that the feature is installed

Conclusion

With one of the methods discussed in this guide you should be able to install RSAT in Windows 10.

Have a question or comment? Use the “Leave a Reply” form found at the end of this page.

For more Windows guides visit our Windows How To page.