Color Contrast in Microsoft Word
Overview
Contrast ratio refers to how bright or dark colors appear on screens. Text is much easier to read when
there is sufficient contrast between the text and the background. This is good design for everyone and
especially important for low vision users. WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (3:1 for
large text).
Checking contrast within Microsoft Word can be a bit of a challenge because Word uses RGB values for
color and most online color contrast checkers use Hex values. (Stick to colors like black or navy blue on
a white background and there’s no need to check the contrast.)
Checking and Correcting Contrast
1. To check the contrast in a word document, begin by highlighting the text (or object) you wish to
check.
2. A quick format menu will pop up. Select the Font Color option.
3. When that menu expands, select More Colors.
4. There will be values listed for Red, Green, and Blue. Record these. These are the RGB values.
5. Convert RGB to Hex by using Google's Color Picker
.
a. Enter the RGB values in the corresponding box, separating them by commas.
b. The HEX value will automatically adjust in the corresponding HEX box. Record this.
c. Repeat this process if using a different color background than white (HEX value of
#FFFFFF).
6. Use an online color contrast checker
to find the contrast ratio.
a. Enter the background and foreground HEX values into the contrast checker.
b. The checker will provide a contrast ratio and also clearly identify whether it meets
WCAG criteria.
7. If the contrast does not meet WCAG criteria, use the sliders to adjust the color to “Pass.”
a. Those new HEX values will need to be converted back to RGB using the
Google Color
Picker in order to update accordingly within Word.
b. Highlight the existing text within Word and navigate back to the More Colors menu
using the previous steps.
c. Enter the new RGB values.
