Description
About Accessibility Preferences
Introduction
Accessibility Preferences summarizes browser-visible prefers-* and related media features (reduced motion, color scheme, contrast, forced colors, and more). It is environment context for developers and QA, not a medical report or a full WCAG audit.
What this tool does
It queries matchMedia for supported accessibility media features, explains prefer-contrast in plain language, and links to focused tools for motion, scheme, forced colors, contrast math, keyboard focus, and speech. Unsupported rows stay labeled unsupported.
When to use it
Start here when a bug needs OS/browser preference context, or when choosing which specialized a11y tool to open next. Use Color Contrast Checker for hex contrast math and professional auditors (axe, WAVE) for site conformance.
How it works
CSS media features such as prefers-reduced-motion, prefers-color-scheme, prefers-contrast, and forced-colors are read locally. Engines and OS versions differ. Many assistive technologies never appear as CSS prefers-* rows. Permissions stay none.
Step-by-step instructions
- Open Accessibility Preferences on the browser profile under test.
- Note each reported preference with browser and OS names.
- Open a dedicated tool when you need a live preview or contrast calculation.
- Label the capture as informational media signals, not a clinical or compliance certificate.
Common problems
Unsupported rows are platform limits. Browser overrides can disagree with OS labels. Hub screenshots are not WAVE replacements and are not medical evidence.
Privacy explanation
Media features display locally. DeviceHub does not build a health record from these signals. Some preference screenshots can feel sensitive; share on a need-to-know basis.