Changing the column width

Reducing the column width can make reading documents easier, as your eyes have less to scan.

Microsoft Word

You can change the column width by selecting Column Width on the Immersive Reader toolbar.

Changing the page background

Changing your background colour can help to reduce visual stress and makes reading more comfortable.

In the lmmersive Reader menu, select Page Color and choose from the available options:

Select your preferred background colour, using either a preset colour or by selecting More Colors to pick your own.

Selecting More Colors will display the standard windows colour picker.

Select OK when you've chosen your colour.

The background colour of the page will now change.

Select the Immersive Reader button in the Microsoft Edge address bar, or press F9.
In the Immersive Reader toolbar select the Text Preferences button. The following menu will appear:

Select a theme to change the background colour of the page. In the next picture, the sepia theme is chosen.

Using a line focus

This feature allows you to reduce the amount of visible text on the screen as you read. You can choose to view either one, two or five lines of text at a time.

To use Line Focus in Microsoft Word, open the Immersive Reader ribbon and select the Line Focus button.

You have the option of focusing on one, three, or five lines at a time.

The screenshot below shows the Line Focus tool being used with one line of focus.

To use Line Focus in Microsoft Edge, bring up the Immersive Reader toolbar and select Reading Preferences.

Select Line Focus to ‘on’, and choose one, three, or five lines of focus using the buttons at the bottom of the menu.

Here is the menu with line focus switched on, and five lines of focus selected:

The text is now displayed with five lines of focus.

To scroll through the text, click the up and down arrow buttons in the bottom-right hand corner, or use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard.

Text spacing

This feature will increase the spacing between letters on the page.

In Microsoft Word, open the Immersive Reader ribbon and press the Text Spacing button. The horizontal and vertical text spacing will now be increased.

To use Text Spacing in Microsoft Edge, elect the Text Preferences button from the Immersive Reader toolbar:

Switch Text Spacing to ‘on.’

The vertical and horizontal text spacing is now increased.