[libreoffice-accessibility] Re: Subject: Re: [URGENT ACCESSIBILITY REQUEST] Feature Request: Urgent accessibility scaling and customization options for UI elements

Dear Evangelos,

thank you for providing more details. I'll mention some thoughts on 
thembelow.

On 2026-07-20 23:33, Vaggelhs Va wrote:
> 1. Windows DPI Scaling Integration & The Problem of System-Wide Chaos:
> You correctly pointed out that setting a higher scale factor in Windows 
> enlarges the UI. However, relying on Windows display scaling forces a 
> massive, system-wide change. Applying a high scaling factor globally 
> alters every single application and element on the computer, which 
> ultimately creates absolute visual chaos across the OS.

Why does that create a chaos across the OS? Is that because some 
applications are broken with display scaling applied? (If so, that 
sounds like something that should be fixed in these.)

In general, being able to set the scale factor in one place for all 
applications seems to be a very useful feature to me, rather than having 
to configure it for every single application.

> Furthermore, LibreOffice’s internal scaling (Tools > Options > View) has 
> severe technical limitations when interacting with native Windows DPI 
> scaling. At 150% or higher, the layout breaks, leaving menus distorted 
> and unreadable. 

Can you please describe in more detail, what exactly you are configuring 
and how it breaks in a Bugzilla ticket and leave a link here? (It's 
unclear to me at first sight which of the options in the "View" options 
page you're referring to. None of them look directly scaling-related to me.)


> The comparison to Windows scaling should only serve as a 
> benchmark; a fundamental pillar of open-source philosophy is the 
> functional autonomy of each application. A software suite as powerful as 
> LibreOffice should be self-reliant and capable of handling its own 
> accessibility scaling independently from the OS.

As mentioned above: I think using the scaling configured in the OS (at 
least by default) seems reasonable to me.

As a side note, there are some experiments with supporting a Qt based UI 
on Windows as well (i.e. using the so-called "qt6 vcl plugin" there, 
which so far was only used on Linux). If that were used, the scaling 
should be adjustable per application by setting an environment variable 
before starting the application (e.g. QT_SCALE_FACTOR=1.75).

I'm not aware of a way to achieve the same with the current Windows 
version of LibreOffice, however (related ticket: 
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=101646 ).


> 2. Percentage-Based Icon Scaling & The "Extra Large" Missing Preset:
> You mentioned that an "Extra Large" preset already exists. However, I 
> must note that in the Greek localized version of LibreOffice which I 
> use, this option is nowhere to be found or does not display correctly.

In the English UI, I see "Small", "Large" and "Extra Large" as options 
for the toolbar icon size. What do you see in Greek?

> More importantly, text-based descriptors ("Small", "Large", "Extra 
> Large") are highly subjective and restrictive for severe visual 
> impairments. Replacing these presets with an objective, percentage-based 
> input (e.g., a spin box or slider from 100% to 250%) will allow users 
> with low vision to achieve the precise adjustments they need.

That sounds tricky. Apart from other aspects: To my knowledge, icons are 
currently provided in specific resolution/sizes, so scaling those 
up/down might result in some bluriness. (SVG is one option, but I think 
there is more to do to use that by default in LibreOffice, and also 
then, "random" sizes might not always look great.)

Do you have any sample application in mind that does what you suggest?


> 3. Flexible Menu and Toolbar Scaling:
> Currently, toolbar and menu font sizes feel locked in relation to each 
> other. Introducing a unified percentage scaling factor that enlarges 
> fonts, icons, and menus simultaneously would ensure a perfectly 
> balanced, sharp interface on modern high-resolution (HiDPI) displays, 
> tailored to individual accessibility needs.

I'm not sure whether I understand what you're suggesting here. If I 
understand, the "unified percentage scaling factor" sounds like what the 
OS-level scaling should already be for conceptually. Or do you have 
something else in mind (besides your suggestion to allow setting that 
per application)?

> 4. Granular UI Customization (Individual Toolbar/Icon Scaling):
> To significantly reduce eye strain during long working hours, users 
> should ideally be able to scale individual toolbars or specific high- 
> frequency icons independently (e.g., setting the Formatting Toolbar to 
> 180% while keeping others at 100%).

I'm still having a hard time understanding the exact rationale of being 
able to scale single UI elements with a different scale factor than 
others. ("If a user has a hard time reading small text or identifying in 
one toolbar, wouldn't that be the same in another one?")
In order to focus on only specific toolbars, LibreOffice allows to 
individually show/hide toolbars. Can applying the scale factor to the 
ones shown and hiding those that are currently not of interest be an option?


> Regarding the "Tools -> 
> Customization -> Toolbars" menu you mentioned, while it allows adding/ 
> removing buttons, it does not solve the visual scaling and structural 
> layout issues that occur under high magnification.

That sounds like it would profit from bug reports in Bugzilla with more 
details on the exact problems you're encountering.

> 5. Automated Dictionary and Spellcheck Updates:
> Currently, updating language and spellcheck dictionaries requires users 
> to manually navigate, download, and install extensions. This creates 
> unnecessary technical barriers for disabled users. These updates should 
> be seamlessly integrated into the application's standard update process.

I'm not familiar with the details of the current status of how that 
works for language and spellcheck extensions.
The "Tools" -> "Extensions" dialog has at least a "Check for Updates" 
button and I've seen dialogs that allow specific kinds of extensions 
from within LibreOffice (e.g. in "Tools" -> "Options" -> "Appearance", 
there is a "Add more themes" button that opens a dialog that allows 
installing more themes directly from within LibreOffice.) But there is 
likely potential for further improvement.

That's not directly related to the rest of the discussion here and other 
people knowledgeable about the topic might not be on this accessibility 
mailing list. Bringing this up on one of the design channels or in an 
enhancement request in Bugzilla are potential ways I can think of for 
further discussion including more people.

> 6. Built-in, Ready-to-Use Icon Themes:
> Users should not have to manually locate, download, and copy external 
> icon packs into system directories. LibreOffice would benefit greatly 
> from a comprehensive, pre-installed gallery of distinct icon themes— 
> specifically tailored for high contrast and visibility—that can be 
> applied with a single click directly from the settings menu.

That sounds like a nice enhancement request for Bugzilla if there is 
currently no corresponding icon theme.

> An Alternative Suggestion: A Dedicated Accessibility Edition?
> If the development team is concerned that adding these heavy scaling and 
> customization options might bloat or overburden the standard version of 
> LibreOffice, perhaps an alternative route could be examined: creating a 
> specialized, dedicated Accessibility Edition of LibreOffice. This fork 
> or variant would be specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of 
> users with visual and motor disabilities, ensuring total inclusion 
> without affecting the core main release.

In general, I think that accessibility improvements should best go to 
the "standard" version of LibreOffice, without requiring any specialized 
fork. Providing an accessible LibreOffice suited for users with 
different disabilities is definitely a goal we have for LibreOffice.

Of course, introducing and maintaining new features (whether or not they 
are accessibility related) requires some effort. Understanding the exact 
reasons/backgrounds why a feature is needed (and possibly discussing 
potential alternative solutions) helps to prioritize, as there is always 
more that could be done if time/resources weren't limited.

> Seamless Integration & Screen Reader Compatibility:
> It is absolutely vital that all these UI enhancements strictly maintain 
> and enhance full compatibility with the NVDA screen reader, which I rely 
> on daily, and must not disrupt existing features like executing custom 
> text-cleaning macros.

Agreed. If you run into any issues with NVDA or other assistive 
technology, please let us know. (Ideally via corresponding bug reports 
in Bugzilla as that helps with keeping track of them.)

> Regarding the specific bug with the Toolbar Icon Replacement (Point 4 of 
> my previous email), I will follow your advice and open a dedicated 
> ticket on Bugzilla with exact steps to reproduce it, and I will share 
> the link with you.

Thanks!

Best regards,
Michael

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