Confluence cloud - accessibility

[Jason Cross]

My org has just moved us to Confluence Cloud from on-premise version. 

The Confluence sections when editing are virtually invisible, as are the columns. This wasn't an issue with on-prem. 

Is there anyway to make these clearer to see? 

[Julien Morel]

Hi @Jason Cross,

One small thing I would add: if this is mostly a problem while editing, it can help to create a very simple "layout test" page with only two sections and a few columns. That makes it easier to tell whether the problem is the Confluence editor guides themselves or a particular page template/macro combination.

For published pages, I would avoid relying on the editor's section outlines as the visual separator. In Cloud, I usually make the structure clearer with page design choices instead:

1. Use headings between sections.

2. Add dividers where the reading flow changes.

3. Keep columns for short supporting content, not dense tables or long procedures.

4. Use full-width pages for content where layout clarity matters.

If the issue is accessibility for multiple users after moving from Data Center, I would also document a couple of screenshots and send it as feedback/support to Atlassian. There is not much an admin can tune globally for those editor guide lines.

[James Gamble]

Hola Jason,

Yes, there are a few options, but there are some limitations depending on exactly what you’re trying to improve.

In Confluence Cloud, the “faint” sections and columns in edit mode are unfortunately intentional in the new editor experience. Atlassian reduced the visual emphasis of section borders and column guides compared to Data Center, so there isn’t a setting to fully restore the old contrast or make those layout guides more prominent.

That said, there are a couple of practical workarounds depending on what’s bothering you:

• If the issue is readability while editing, the main option is to zoom the browser or temporarily switch to full-width page layout while working, since narrower layouts make the column boundaries feel more compressed.
• If the issue is how content looks when published, you can improve clarity by using consistent section backgrounds or dividers between sections, which makes layout separation more visible without relying on the editor guides.
• If what you’re really missing is the older visual structure from on-prem, that unfortunately isn’t configurable in Cloud. The editor was intentionally simplified, and Atlassian doesn’t expose a setting to bring back the stronger column/section outlines from Data Center.

So, in short, you can improve usability a bit with layout choices, but the reduced visibility of sections/columns in Cloud itself isn’t something that can be fully turned back on.

Thanks,

James