Accessible Power BI reporting

Accessibility tools in Power BI make the content easier to use.

When creating Power BI content, you must consider how someone using these tools will view the information and adapt the report.

Learn more about how to use Power BI reports by using accessibility features.

Keyboard shortcuts

Power BI has its own recommended shortcuts. View all keyboard shortcuts in Power BI.

Dashboards work better and are easier to navigate when the scan mode is off. You can turn scan mode off using keyboard command CapsLock + Space bar.

Try the core keyboard navigation commands in your dashboard. Make sure navigation is easy and that you have considered ordering. Learn more about how to order your dashboard.

View all Windows keyboard shortcuts for accessibility.

Keyboard navigation/tabbing

You can use in-built and customisable keyboard commands to navigate content. This is comparable to how you would use a mouse.

Use the Tab key to move from object to object. Use the Enter key to go into more detail for an object.

If there are multiple items within an object:

• Use the arrow keys to navigate through them
• Use the Enter key to explore specific segments of the objects
• Use the Escape (Esc) key to come back out of the segment or object

Alternative tables for graph data

You can show the data in most graphs and charts in Power BI as a table instead. Do this by:

• Using keyboard command Alt + Shift + F11
• Selecting the menu (three dots at the top right of the graph/chart)

Windows Narrator

Windows Narrator is an in-built screen reader.

Screen readers give audio descriptions of the content visually displayed on a screen. The narrator reads any text on the page, along with descriptions of objects and data points. They also read out any image descriptions given in the alternative text.

You can turn Windows Narrator on by:

• Using keyboard command Windows key + Control (Ctrl) + Enter
• Searching for "Narrator" in the Windows search bar

Guidance on how to use Windows Narrator.

Learn more about screen reading software on the Royal National Institute of Blind People website.

Screen magnifiers

There are two types of screen magnifier:

1. A physical magnifier that the user places in front of the screen to magnify the content
2. A digital tool applied in the computer's display settings to enlarge content

Colour contrast settings (dark mode/high contrast)

There are pre-set colour contrast combinations within computer settings and Power BI settings. For example, dark mode or high contrast mode. This displays the content with a black/dark background and light foreground content.

This is particularly useful for users who are visually impaired, have dyslexia or have dyspraxia. 

Find a contrast theme in Power BI by:

• Searching for "Contrast themes" in the Windows search bar, or
• Using the key command left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen
• Choose the appropriate contrast theme and apply

You can also select high contrast mode from the dashboard itself by:

1. Selecting the "View" button (this is a rectangle to the top right of the dashboard)
2. Selecting the "High contrast colours" option
3. Picking a contrast setting  

Learn how to change colour contrast in Windows.

You can also change the contrast and brightness of your screen using your computer settings.