Most smart devices like Windows PC, Mac, and Android have some features to make accessibility easier for all types of users. An example is Windows Narrator, a screen reader describing the contents of a screen to users. The described information, in turn, helps the user navigate his device. Mac also has something similar named VoiceOver.
Now the principle of using a screen reader is based on screen content having descriptions. This is why images often have Alt text. When an image doesn’t have a description, Google Chrome has introduced a feature to help get one. Here’s how to enable image descriptions on your Chrome for PC and Android
To note: The setting to enable image descriptions is not available on Chrome for iPhone.
How to Enable Image Descriptions on Google Chrome for PC
Using the enable image descriptions feature, images are sent to Google to help create one. If Google can’t do this, the screen reader will read No description available. There are two ways to enable image descriptions on Google Chrome for PC. They understand:
Using the context menu
If you’re on a page and want to get the description of an image as quickly as possible, that’s where the context menu comes in. Chrome’s context menu can be used to customize your browsing experience. You need to know the shortcut to open the context menu and activate the feature. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: On your PC, click on the Start menu and search for Chrome.
2nd step: Click Open to launch the Chrome app from the results.
Step 3: Enter the address of the web page containing the image without description.
Step 4: On your keyboard, press the Shift + F10 keys simultaneously to launch the context menu. You can also right-click on Chrome to display the context menu.
Step 5: Click the drop-down menu next to the option “Get image descriptions from Google”. Choose between Always and Just once options for the frequency of image descriptions.
Step 6: Click “Yes, I accept” to confirm the recovery of image descriptions by Google.
After enabling the setting, your screen reader should have no problem describing an image, unless Chrome cannot provide a description.
Use Chrome settings
Most Chrome features are accessible through the Settings menu. Here are the steps to enable image descriptions from Settings on Windows 11.
Step 1: On your PC, click on the Start menu and search for Chrome.
2nd step: Click Open to launch the Chrome app from the results.
Step 3: Enter the address of the web page containing the image without description.
Step 4: Move your cursor to the top right of the browser and click on the vertical ellipsis to “Customize and control Google Chrome”.
Step 5: Click on Settings in the options.
Step 6: On the new page, click Accessibility.
Step 7: On the right side of the page, tap the button next to “Get image descriptions from Google”.
Step 8: Click “Yes, I accept” to confirm the recovery of image descriptions by Google.
Image descriptions will not appear visually, only spoken through screen readers.
How to Enable Image Descriptions on Google Chrome for Android Using Settings
To enable image descriptions from a page you’re on in Chrome, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Launch Chrome from your device’s home screen.
2nd step: Tap the horizontal ellipsis at the top of the page.
Step 3: In the More menu, tap Settings.
Step 4: Scroll down to Advanced Settings and tap Accessibility.
Step 5: Tap the toggle next to “Get image descriptions” to turn it on.
For image descriptions to work on Chrome for Android or to have the option to enable them from settings, make sure your device has a screen reader. The screen reader must also be enabled on your device. Without a screen reader, you won’t be able to enable image descriptions.
Enable dynamic subtitles on Google Chrome
Another accessibility option on Google Chrome is live captions. Where enabling image descriptions focuses only on retrieving the description of an image from Google and communicating via a screen reader, live captions work differently. With Chrome’s live captions, audio/video content is transcribed in real time.