Mac Accessibility for the Visually Impaired:

Last Updated April 3rd, 2026. Included in this website page are the following sections. Mac Accessibility Features for the Visually Impaired. Online Resources About Mac Accessibility for the Visually Impaired. Adaptive Keyboards for Mac from Maxiaids. About Mac Keyboard Shortcuts. Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigation. Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing Text. VoiceOver Screen Reader on Mac. VoiceOver Modifier and VoiceOver Cursor. Turn VoiceOver for Mac on. To Enter Mac VoiceOver Commands. Hear the Names of Keys you Press for Mac VoiceOver. Navigate the Screen with VoiceOver on Mac. Interact with Grouped Items with VoiceOver on Mac. Go Directly to a Specific Item with VoiceOver on Mac. Mac Trackpad VoiceOver Gestures. End of list.

Mac Accessibility Features for the Visually Impaired:

MacOS includes accessibility features that make it easier to see what’s on the screen and speak what’s on the screen. To adjust the accessibility features on a Mac, go to Apple Menu, then System Settings, and then Accessibility. The accessibility features available include Display Features, Zoom Features, Spoken Content Features, Descriptions, VoiceOver Screen Reader for Mac.

Online Resources About Mac Accessibility for the Visually Impaired:

Adaptive Keyboards for Macs from Maxiaids:

About Mac Keyboard Shortcuts:

Keyboard Shortcuts are shortcuts using one or more keys on a keyboard that provide an another way to do something that is typically done with a mouse.
Keyboard Shortcuts can do different tasks depending on the application or website they are being used on.
Keyboard Shortcuts can be helpful for visually impaired people because they can be easier than trying to find a specific location on the computer screen to do something such as open Settings.
Keyboard Shortcuts can be used on a Mac with VoiceOver Screen Reader to complete tasks.

Keyboard Abbreviations and Symbols:

Command (or Cmd) ⌘.
Fn (Function) or Globe.
Control (or Ctrl) ⌃.
Option (or Alt) ⌥.
Shift ⇧.
Caps Lock ⇪.
Esc (Escape) ⎋.
Tab ⇥.
Delete ⌫.
Return ⏎.
Up Arrow ▲.
Down Arrow ▼.
Left Arrow ◀.
Right Arrow ▶.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigation:

Use the arrow keys to move around.
Use the Tab key to move to the next item.
Type Shift then Tab to move to the previous item.
Use the Enter key to select the current item.
To open the Apple Menu, type Control then F2.
To find specific text, type Command then the letter F.
To go back to the desktop, type Fn (Function) or Globe then the letter H.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing Text:

To move the text cursor to the beginning of a line, type Command then left arrow key.
To move the text cursor to the end of a line, type Command the right arrow key.
To select text to the right of the text cursor, type Option then Shift then right arrow key.
To select one character to the left of the text cursor, type Shift then left arrow key.
To select one character to the right of the text cursor, type Shift then right arrow key.
To select all of the text in the document, type Command then the letter A.
To copy an item such as text or an image, type Command then the letter C.
To cut an item such as text or an image, type Command then the letter X.
To paste an item, type Command then the letter V.
To make text bolded, type Command then the letter B.
To add a link to selected text, type Command then the letter K.

To minimize the front window to the Dock, type Command then the letter M.
To minimize all windows of the front app, type Option then Command then the letter M.
To open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open, type Command then the letter O.
To open a print dialog so that you can print the current document, type Command then the letter P.
To quit the current app, type Command then the letter Q.
To open a new tab, type Command then the letter T.
To close the front window, type Command then the letter W.
To close all windows of the app, type Option then Command then the letter W.
To move focus to the menu bar, type Control then F2 or Function then Control then F2. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate the menu, type Return to open a selected menu or choose a selected menu item, or type the menu item's name to jump to that item in the selected menu.
To move focus to the Dock, type Control then F3 or Function then Control then F3.
To move focus to the active window or next window, type Control then F4 or Function then Control then F4.
To move focus to the window toolbar, type Control then F5 or Function then Control then F5.
To move focus to the floating window, type Control then F6 or Function then Control then F6.
To move focus to the previous panel, type Control then Shift then F6.
To change the way Tab moves focus between navigation of all controls on the screen, or only text boxes and lists, type Control then F7 or Function then Control then F7.
To move focus to the status menu in the menu bar, type Control then F8 or Function then Control then F8.
To activate the next open window in the front app, type Command then Grave accent (`).
To activate the previous open window in the front app, type Shift then Command then Grave accent (`).
To move the focus to the window drawer, type Option then Command then Grave accent (`).

VoiceOver Screen Reader on Mac:

VoiceOver Screen Reader is the built-in screen reader for Macs.

VoiceOver Screen Reader can be used with VoiceOver Screen Reader keyboard commands, VoiceOver Screen Reader trackpad gestures, Mac keyboard commands, and hearing what the mouse pointer is on. VoiceOver functions differently depending on the MacOS version being used such as Sequoia 15 and Tahoe 26.

VoiceOver Modifier and VoiceOver Cursor:

Commands are represented as VO-key, where VO represents the VoiceOver Modifier. By default, you can use either the Caps Lock key or Control then Option as the VoiceOver modifier. You use the VoiceOver cursor to move around the screen, hear a description of the item where the cursor is located, and interact with the item. The VoiceOver cursor appears onscreen as a rectangular outline around an item.

Turn VoiceOver for Mac On:

Type Command then F5.
If your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, quickly press it three times.
Use Siri by saying “Turn VoiceOver On”.
To start the interactive tutorial, type VO then Function then Command then F8.

To Enter Mac VoiceOver Commands:

A VoiceOver command is a combination of keys that you press to perform an action on your Mac with VoiceOver.

Type VoiceOver Modifier (VO) and then another key. For example, CapsLock key then letter K key.

Hear the Names of Keys you Press for Mac VoiceOver:

VO then letter K to start or stop Keyboard Help.
Type a key to hear its name, or type VO and one or more additional keys to hear the VoiceOver command for that combination of keys.

Navigate the Screen with VoiceOver on Mac:

To move the VoiceOver cursor, type VO and the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key.
To perform the default action for the item in the VoiceOver cursor, such as clicking a button or selecting a checkbox, type VO then Space bar.
As you navigate, you hear a hollow sound effect to indicate that there are no more items in a particular direction.

Interact with Grouped Items with VoiceOver on Mac:

Content in VoiceOver is organized hierarchically, which means some items may be grouped within others.
An item that contains additional nested items is called an area (such as a list of files) or a group (such as a toolbar of buttons).
By default, you must interact with an area or group before you can navigate to its items. This gives you the choice to bypass it or stop to explore its contents.
When the VoiceOver cursor moves to an area or group, VoiceOver indicates that you’re on an item that can be interacted with. After you interact with it, you can navigate only within that area or group until you exit it.
To interact with an area or group, type VO then Shift then Down Arrow.
To exit an area or group, type VO then Shift then Up Arrow.

Go Directly to a Specific Item with VoiceOver on Mac:

The VoiceOver rotor categorizes onscreen items, such as links on a webpage or app controls like buttons, and allows you to navigate directly to a specific item in the category.
Type VO then letter U to open the rotor, then use the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys until you hear the category you want.
Navigate the items in the category using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.
Press the Space key when you hear the item you want to move the VoiceOver cursor to, or press Escape to exit the VoiceOver rotor without selecting an item.

Mac Trackpad VoiceOver Gestures:

VoiceOver Screen Reader trackpad gestures use similar touch commands that are used with the VoiceOver Screen Reader on iPhones and iPads. VoiceOver gestures involve using one or more fingers to drag, tap, flick, or rotate on the trackpad. You can use different techniques to perform a gesture. For example, you can tap using two fingers on one hand, or you can use one finger on each hand. The trackpad represents the window or area on the screen where the VoiceOver cursor is located.

When you drag a finger on the trackpad, you move the VoiceOver cursor only in that window or area. VoiceOver speaks the items in the VoiceOver cursor as you move it, and plays a sound effect whenever it encounters a blank space on the screen. This information helps you gain a sense of the location of items on the screen as you navigate. For example, if the cursor is on an app toolbar of buttons, the trackpad represents the toolbar. When you drag your finger on the trackpad, you move the VoiceOver cursor within the toolbar. Because the trackpad represents only a specific area and not the entire screen, you can’t stray to other areas or apps by accident. When you drag a finger and hear something you want to select, keep your finger on the trackpad and use a second finger to tap. This gesture is called a split-tap.

If you use trackpad gestures to control VoiceOver, you can use the gestures rotor to navigate. The gestures rotor is like a virtual dial you turn to change how you navigate, based on the current context. When you browse webpages, the settings in the gestures rotor vary based on the items you selected in the Web Rotor pane of the Web category in VoiceOver Utility. By default, they include Links, Headings, Form Controls, Tables, Landmarks, and Frames. In other contexts, the gestures rotor can include settings such as Characters, Words, Window Spots, Content Chooser, and Navigation.

Turn VoiceOver Trackpad Gestures on or off. To turn on, type and hold the VoiceOver modifier (when VoiceOver is on) and rotate two fingers clockwise anywhere on the trackpad. To turn off, type and hold the VoiceOver modifier and rotate two fingers counterclockwise.
Hear your location on the screen. Tap three times. VoiceOver tells you what’s in the VoiceOver cursor.
Force the VoiceOver cursor into a horizontal or vertical line when you drag a finger across the trackpad. Hold down the Shift key and drag a finger horizontally or vertically.
Jump to another area of the current app. Press Control while touching a finger on the trackpad.
Increase or decrease the value of a slider, splitter, stepper, or other control. Flick up to increase or flick down to decrease.
Change the granularity with which VoiceOver reads text (by word, line, sentence, or paragraph). Press Command while dragging your finger around on the trackpad in a text field or while interacting with a text element, until VoiceOver reads with the expected granularity.
Change the rotor settings. Two-finger rotate.
Move to the previous item based on the rotor setting. Flick up.
Move to the next item based on the rotor setting. Flick down.
Rotate two fingers anywhere on the trackpad until you hear the setting you want to use, such as Words.
As you “turn” the rotor, VoiceOver speaks each setting and plays a clicking sound. If you miss a setting, keep turning the rotor until you hear the setting again.
Flick up or down to navigate to the previous or next instance of an item, based on the current setting.
For example, if the current setting is Words, flicking down moves the VoiceOver cursor to the next word. Keep flicking down to move forward word by word. If you repeatedly flick up, the VoiceOver cursor moves backward word by word.
The Navigation setting reads text line by line. In a text area, VoiceOver begins speaking the first line at the point where the cursor was located when you first flicked up or down; it speaks each subsequent line in its entirety. In a window or dialog, VoiceOver might not speak all of the items on a line, depending on how the items are arranged. You may need to flick left or right and then flick up or down again to hear other items.