General accessibility

For users that have accessibility needs, Fastmail offers different features for assistance. There are also third-party applications that we recommend which provide additional accessibility features.

Accessibility in the Fastmail interface

Within the Fastmail interface, we provide options to customize your account's styling to fit your needs. We also include keyboard shortcuts, which can help you access and sort through things quicker for your account.

Custom theme colors and button styles

You have the option to change the theme of the Fastmail interface. We offer a light mode and a dark mode, and a few different preset color options. You can also set your own custom theme colors if preferred.

We also offer two button styles, the Modern and Bold styles. To make buttons more prominent on the interface, we recommend using the Bold button style.

These changes can be made via the Settings → Display options screen, in the Theme section.

Rich text and plain text

You can set your account to use rich text or plain text. Rich text allows for visual styling of emails. This means that when you receive emails, you'll see any visual styling that senders have added to their emails (such as bolding or italics). If you set your account to view emails in plain text, then the visual styling of emails will be stripped away and you'll see the emails in a simple format.

If you have difficulty reading stylized emails, then we recommend you choose the plain text option. This can be set via the Settings → Display options screen. In the Reading section, choose the Plain text option under View messages in.

Font sizes and font styles

Changes to text size and font can be made via the Settings → Display options screen, in the Accessibility section. Increasing the font size and choosing a font style that fits your preference can make text easier to read.

The font size of your account can be increased or decreased by clicking the Text size dropdown. We offer text sizes from "Small" to "XXXL." 

 The UI Font is the font style of our interface. By default, the interface uses the Proxima Nova font. If you prefer, you can select the System font option, which will then use the font style that your device is using. Along with that, if you're using plain text on your account, you can choose to use a monospace font style by enabling the Use a monospaced font for plain text option.

Keyboard shortcuts

We offer preset keyboard shortcuts that you can utilize for easier navigation and use of your account. Enabling keyboard shortcuts will allow you to perform certain actions directly with your keyboard, instead of having to use your mouse or touchpad.

Keyboard shortcuts can be enabled via the Settings → Display options screen, in the Accessibility section. Click on the toggle for Enable keyboard shortcuts to enable/disable it.

For more information, please see our Keyboard shortcuts help page.

Accessible third-party applications we recommend

VoiceOver on macOS and iOS

The VoiceOver feature on macOS and iOS provides spoken and Brailled descriptions of items on the device's screen. For macOS, it provides control of the computer through the use of the keyboard. For iOS, controls use taps and other gestures. This can work well with the Fastmail interface, and also the Apple Mail client.

If you want to use the Apple Mail client along with VoiceOver, you can set up your Fastmail account on Apple Mail. Please note that you'll need to use an app password when setting up your Fastmail account on third-party mail clients.

For more information on VoiceOver, you can view the Apple help pages for VoiceOver on macOS and VoiceOver on iOS.

Accessibility-related concerns or suggestions

If you have any concerns regarding the accessibility of Fastmail, please feel free to reach out to us and let us know! We're always looking to improve the user experience and interface of Fastmail, so hearing from our users is very helpful.

If you have suggestions of accessibility features offered by other third-party apps that you'd like to share with us, we'd love to hear this as well.

You can reach out by submitting a ticket via our online form or by emailing support@fastmail.com.

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