Screen mask, reading ruler, and spotlight bookmarklet for distraction-free reading on any webpage.
A lightweight accessibility bookmarklet for reducing visual clutter with a movable spotlight, reading line, and dimmed screen mask overlay. Works from the bookmarks bar with no extension, no account, and no install package.
Useful for ADHD, dyslexia, autism, neurodivergent browsing, sensory processing differences, visual overstimulation, reading fatigue, focus support, study support, and accessibility use cases.
Then drag the Spotlight button to your bookmarks bar and click it on any webpage.
 digital.gov.au |
 Good Things |
 Vision Australia |
 Visit NSW |
 digital.gov.au |
 Good Things |
 Vision Australia |
 Visit NSW |
Spotlight Focus Tool adds a movable visual overlay to the current webpage so you can focus on either:
- a circular spotlight around the cursor
- a horizontal reading line across the page
The current version also supports:
- resizing the spotlight or reading line
- adjusting the background dimness
- toggling a simple dark mode
- turning the overlay on or off without exiting
- freezing the spotlight position
- instant exit with the Escape key
- an on-screen help panel showing controls
Many websites are visually noisy. Ads, banners, sidebars, popups, animations, and dense layouts can make reading and concentration harder than they need to be.
Spotlight Focus Tool provides a fast, lightweight way to create a narrower visual focus on top of any webpage without installing a browser extension or signing up for anything.
Many similar tools are packaged as full browser extensions.
Spotlight Focus Tool is intentionally simple:
- bookmarklet-based
- no account required
- no install package required
- easy to try in seconds
- easy to fork and modify
- works directly on top of existing webpages
This makes it useful for quick accessibility support, personal experimentation, demonstrations, and lightweight distraction reduction.
- Bookmarklet-based focus tool
- Screen mask overlay
- Circle spotlight mode
- Line reading ruler mode
- Adjustable spotlight size
- Adjustable line height
- Adjustable background dimness
- Toggleable dark mode
- Freeze position mode
- Toggle overlay on or off
- Keyboard-driven controls
- On-screen help box
- Easy to share and fork
Then:
- Drag the Spotlight button to your bookmarks bar
- Open any webpage
- Click the bookmarklet to activate the tool
- Mouse → move the spotlight
- C → switch to circle mode
- L → switch to line mode
- Left / Right Arrow → resize spotlight or line height
- Shift + Left / Right Arrow → decrease or increase background dimness
- D → toggle dark mode
- S → toggle spotlight on or off
- F → freeze or unfreeze spotlight position
- Esc → exit and remove the tool from the page
When activated, the bookmarklet injects a lightweight overlay into the current webpage.
In circle mode, the spotlight follows the cursor. In line mode, the tool creates a horizontal reading band that tracks vertical cursor position. The rest of the page is dimmed while the focused area remains visible. A simple dark-style override can also be toggled for a darker reading environment.
This project may be useful for people who want support with:
- ADHD
- dyslexia
- autism
- neurodivergent browsing
- sensory processing differences
- visual overstimulation
- reading fatigue
- focus and concentration
- accessibility support
- study support
- deep reading on cluttered websites
This is not a medical device and does not make therapeutic claims. It is a simple visual focus aid that some people may find helpful.
- reading articles with less distraction
- following text line by line
- reducing visual overwhelm on busy websites
- supporting study sessions
- keeping attention on one part of the screen
- demonstrating accessibility ideas quickly via a bookmarklet
Spotlight Focus Tool runs locally in the browser as a bookmarklet.
It does not require an account, backend service, or cloud connection.
- best suited to desktop browser use
- requires access to the bookmarks bar
- some webpages with unusual layouts or browser restrictions may behave differently
- the dark mode is intentionally simple and may not perfectly restyle every site
- keep it simple
- keep it lightweight
- make it easy for anyone to try
- support accessibility and neurodivergent-friendly browsing
- encourage community improvements
Possible future improvements:
- adjustable colour overlays
- more reading ruler variations
- saved settings
- better touch support
- improved mobile behaviour
- accessibility presets
- high contrast themes
- browser extension version
Contributions, improvements, and accessibility feedback are welcome.
Especially helpful areas include:
- accessibility testing
- neurodivergent user feedback
- browser compatibility fixes
- UI improvements
- better keyboard support
- mobile and touch support
- extension packaging
Other free tools in this space include Screen Mask, Reading Ruler / ReadingLine, FocusFlow, Helperbird, and Focus Ex. Most are browser extensions rather than lightweight bookmarklets.
If you find this useful, consider:
- starring the repo
- sharing it with accessibility communities
- suggesting improvements
- opening issues for bugs or ideas