Running Color Blind Tests in PowerPoint for the Web

Not everyone sees colors the same way! If your slides rely only on color to show meaning, some people might miss the message entirely! On this page, we will explore how you can check your existing slides for color-blindness issues.

Why test for color-blind audiences?
So, what can you do?
Color blindness tests in Microsoft’s Edge browser
Conclusion

Why test for color-blind audiences?

Imagine you’re at a traffic light, but instead of red, yellow, and green, you see three similar shades of gray, as shown in Figure 1, below. How would you know when to stop or go? That’s how color-blind viewers feel when they see a presentation that relies only on color to convey meaning! We will look at testing color-blind tests so that you can overcome this problem, later in this article.

Figure 1: Traffic light as seen by color blind users

Color blindness affects about 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women, which means if you’re presenting to a room of 50 people, chances are at least a few won’t see colors the way you do.

Color blindness is just one of many accessibility challenges. Other factors, such as visual and hearing impairments, also impact audience engagement. By prioritizing accessible design, you ensure a more inclusive experience for everyone, not just those with color vision deficiencies.

What Does This Mean for Your Slides?

Let’s say you create a pie chart where profits are green and losses are red. That works—unless your audience can’t tell the difference! To them, the two sections may look exactly the same. Instead, add labels, patterns, or icons to make it clear which section represents what.

Another example: You highlight key terms in blue and supporting details in purple. Good idea, right? Not if they both look identical to some of your viewers. Instead, try bold text, underlines, or different fonts to make the important stuff stand out.

So, how can you make a difference?

You can test your slides with simulation software to see how it appears to color-blind users, and that’s what this article is all about. However, even before you do so, be mindful of these guidelines.

Easy Fixes for Everyone!

Think of accessibility like baking a cake—color is just the frosting, but the real substance comes from structure and contrast. Here’s how to make sure your slides work for all eyes:

• Use high contrast – Dark text on a light background (or vice versa) is easiest to read.
• Add patterns or symbols – Instead of just using red and green for “bad” and “good,” add ❌ and ✅ for clarity.
• Label your visuals – Don’t assume color alone will do the job—spell it out.

By making these simple tweaks, you’re not just helping color-blind viewers—you’re improving your slides for everyone. Better clarity = better communication! 🚀

Color blindness tests in Microsoft’s Edge browser

1. Launch PowerPoint for the Web within the Microsoft Edge browser and open the presentation that you want to check for color blindness. It’s best you do not do this test with a text-heavy presentation. Rather, choose a presentation that includes color pictures and some charts and diagrams, as shown in Figure 2, below.
2. 
   Figure 2: Presentations with color pictures and charts

Why PowerPoint for the Web for Testing Color Blindness?

Great question! Why not just use PowerPoint on the desktop? And why PowerPoint for the Web instead? Oh, and why are we using Microsoft Edge—can’t we just pick any browser?

Here’s the deal: The color blindness testing features we’re using only work in a web browser, and in this case, Microsoft Edge is the one that supports them properly. So, if you want to follow along, Edge is the way to go!
2. Now, you need to open the Inspect panel in Microsoft Edge. This is done typically via the right-click menu, but PowerPoint for the Web does not respect any browser-specific right-click options. Therefore, you need to use a keyboard shortcut as a workaround.
3. Click somewhere on the edge of the PowerPoint for the Web interface, or on the URL bar, highlighted in red within Figure 2, above. Next, press the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + I on Windows and Linux, or Command + Option + I on macOS.
3. This action typically results in the new Inspect window opening, as shown in Figure 3, below.
4. 
   Figure 3: Inspect window
5. You now need to click on the Rendering tab, which as you can see is not available in the interface shown in Figure 3, above. Now, click the + button, highlighted in red within Figure 3.
4. Clicking the + button shows more tabs, as shown in Figure 4, below. Choose the Rendering tab, highlighted in red within Figure 4.
5. 
   Figure 4: Choose the Rendering tab
5. Now, the Rendering tab will be active, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5, below.
6. 
   Figure 5: Emulate vision deficiencies
7. Next, scroll down until you find the Emulate vision deficiencies option, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 5, above. Click the drop-down box, shown highlighted in blue within Figure 5, and choose the color blindness type you want to test. We chose Protanopia (no red), but you can choose the type you want.

Types of Color Blindness

This page is all about testing your PowerPoint slides for color blindness but wait—we haven’t even talked about the different types of color blindness yet! Want to learn more? No worries, we’ve got you covered—just head over to our PowerPoint Slides for Color-Blind Audiences page to get the full scoop!
6. Take a look at Figure 6, below—this is what the slide from Figure 2, shown previously on this page, looks like to someone with Protanopia (a type of color blindness that leaves out red). See the difference?
7. 
   Figure 6: Results for Protanopia type color blindness
8. Want to see how other color blindness types affect your slides? Figure 7, below, shows Deuteranopia (where green disappears), and Figure 8, further below, shows Tritanopia (where blue goes missing). Check them out below.
9. 
   Figure 7: Results for Deuteranopia type color blindness
10. 
    Figure 8: Results for Tritanopia type color blindness

Conclusion

Ensuring your PowerPoint slides are accessible to color-blind audiences is crucial for effective communication. By testing your slides for various color vision deficiencies, you can identify and adjust problematic color combinations, enhancing readability and inclusivity. Utilizing tools and features within PowerPoint for the Web running on Microsoft’s Edge browser allows you to simulate how slides appear to individuals with different types of color blindness, enabling you to make informed design choices that accommodate all viewers.

So, how do you tackle problems, and ensure that your slide content is suitable for color-blind audiences? Play with different colors, and keep testing to ensure that colors can be differentiated, especially in charts and diagrams. As you make this approach a part of your presentation design workflow, you will be mindful of the choices you make.