Great news for screen reader users who rely on Slack’s Simplified Layout Mode: the accessibility regression we reported last month has been resolved.
In our February 14 article, we documented a critical, task-blocking bug introduced in Slack version 4.47.69 in which the Activity tab became completely inaccessible to JAWS users when Simplified Layout Mode was enabled. Focus was trapped on toolbar elements, and the screen reader would report only “Loading” or “Blank” rather than the expected list of notifications, mentions, and direct messages.
We are pleased to confirm that the bug has been fixed.
Confirmation from Slack
On March 12, a member of the Slack team reached out by email with the following update:
“The bug was fixed and pushed to production on the 4th of March. That’s an impressive turnaround time for such detailed and helpful bug reports! Our team also mentioned the screen recording made a huge difference in getting it resolved so quickly.”
We want to express our sincere appreciation to the Slack accessibility and product teams. Throughout this process, Slack worked diligently with members of the online disability community, asking for feedback and providing timely updates. That kind of responsive, collaborative engagement is exactly what the assistive technology community needs from software developers, and it made a real difference.
What We Learned About the Bug
In early March, additional details emerged that shed more light on the root cause. The screen-reader accessibility failure in the Activity tab occurred specifically when two conditions were met simultaneously: Simplified Layout Mode was enabled and the Slack window was not maximized. In our own testing, we were able to confirm this — when Slack was maximized, the bug was not observed.
This is a useful piece of information for anyone who may have been experiencing the issue and wondered why it appeared intermittently. If you had Slack in a smaller or restored window, the bug would surface; if you had it maximized, it would not.
A Reminder for Screen Reader Users
This bug serves as a timely reminder of a best practice that benefits all screen reader users across virtually any application: in general, it is a good idea to keep the currently active and focused window — the one where you are currently working — maximized or in full-screen mode at all times.
Here’s how to keep it maxed.
If you’re not sure whether or not the current window is maximized, follow these steps to make it so:
- Press alt+spacebar to open the System Menu for the focused application window. “Restore”, “System Menu” or something similar will be announced.
- Press the letter x to maximize the window. The window’s title will be announced and you’re brought right back to the task you were working on before maximizing.
Many accessibility-related rendering and focus issues are window-size dependent, and maximizing your working window can work around an entire category of potential problems before they get in the way of achieving your hopes and dreams. It’s a simple habit that can meaningfully improve your day-to-day experience with any application.
Next Steps
If you are running a version of Slack released on or after March 4, 2026, you should have the fix. If you are still experiencing issues navigating the Activity tab with a screen reader and Simplified Layout Mode enabled, we encourage you to reach out to Slack support right away.
Thank you to everyone in the community who tested, reported, and helped document this issue. Your participation — and especially those screen recordings — made this resolution possible.