Overview
Voiceover is a built-in screen reader that describes aloud what appears on your Mac screen. It speaks the text that’s in documents and windows, and it can also describe other elements on the screen, such as menus, buttons, and images.
Voiceover is designed to help people who are blind or have low vision use their Mac independently. It can be used with a keyboard, a braille display, or a trackpad.
To turn on Voiceover, press Command+F5. When Voiceover is on, you can use Voiceover commands to navigate and interact with items on the screen.
Voiceover also has a number of more advanced features, such as the ability to create custom labels for UI elements and to use braille displays. For more information on how to use Voiceover, please refer to the Voiceover User Guide.
Key Features of VoiceOver:
- Spoken Feedback: VoiceOver reads out loud the elements on the screen, including text, buttons, icons, and more, to help users understand what’s displayed.
- Gesture-based Navigation: VoiceOver relies on various touch gestures to navigate through the user interface, such as swiping, tapping, and rotating two fingers.
- Braille Support: VoiceOver offers Braille support, allowing users to connect Braille displays to their devices for tactile feedback.
- Customization: Users can customize VoiceOver settings, including speech rate, voice, pitch, and more, to suit their preferences.
- Focus Highlight: VoiceOver provides a visual highlight around the currently selected item on the screen, making it easier for users to keep track of their location.
- Speech Recognition: VoiceOver includes speech recognition features, enabling users to issue voice commands to control their device.
- Rotor Navigation: Users can access a virtual “rotor” that provides quick navigation options, such as headings, links, or elements by character or word.
- Text-to-Speech: VoiceOver can read aloud text from webpages, documents, messages, emails, and more.
- Screen Recognition: VoiceOver can describe images and photos using object recognition to provide context for users.
- Keyboard Navigation: Users can navigate the interface and interact with elements using keyboard shortcuts and commands.
- VoiceOver Practice Mode: VoiceOver offers a practice mode for users to become familiar with gestures and interactions without making actual changes to their device.
- Braille Tables: Users can choose from various Braille tables to configure the Braille display to their preferred language and Braille code.
- Accessibility Shortcut: macOS and iOS allow users to enable or disable VoiceOver quickly by assigning it to a triple-press of the Home or Side button.
- Accessibility Features Integration: VoiceOver works in conjunction with other accessibility features like Magnification, Invert Colors, and Speak Screen to provide a comprehensive accessibility experience.
- Web Browsing: VoiceOver includes support for browsing the web by reading webpage content, headings, links, and form elements.
- VoiceOver Recognition for Apps: Developers can implement VoiceOver support in their apps to ensure a better user experience for visually impaired users.
Benefits of using Voiceover:
- Independence: Voiceover allows people who are blind or have low vision to use their Mac independently, without the need for assistance from others.
- Accessibility: Voiceover makes it possible to use a wide range of Mac applications and websites, even if they are not specifically designed for accessibility.
- Productivity: Voiceover can help users to be more productive by allowing them to work more efficiently.
Basic Voiceover commands:
- To move around the screen, use the arrow keys. Voiceover will announce the items as you move over them.
- To select an item, press Spacebar.
- To activate a selected item, press Enter.
- To hear the name of the current item, press Control+Option+F1.
- To hear a description of the current item, press Control+Option+F2.
- To read the contents of a window, press Control+Option+F3.
- To stop Voiceover from speaking, press Command+F5 again.
- Control + Option: Voiceover modifier keys.
- Control + Option + A: Read the current item.
- Control + Option + Right Arrow: Navigate forward through elements.
- Control + Option + Left Arrow: Navigate backward through elements.
- Control + Option + Spacebar: Activate or open the selected item.
- Control + Option + U: Open the rotor for quick navigation options (e.g., headings, links, tables).
- Control + Option + H: Jump to the next heading.
- Control + Option + L: Jump to the next link.
- Control + Option + B: Jump to the next button.
- Control + Option + T: Jump to the next table.
- Control + Option + F1: Open Voiceover utility for settings and customization.
Advanced Voiceover Commands (macOS):
- Control + Option + Right/Left Arrow: Navigate by grouping elements, such as tables, lists, and buttons, within the current container.
- Control + Option + U, then Arrow Keys: Use the rotor to customize navigation options dynamically, e.g., headings, links, or tables.
- Control + Option + Command + F5: Open the Voiceover Verbosity dialog to fine-tune what Voiceover announces.
- Control + Option + A, then S: Activate the Speak Selected Text feature, allowing you to select and read specific portions of text.
- Control + Option + A, then R: Start and stop Voiceover’s built-in screen recording functionality.
- Control + Option + 1-9: Execute Voiceover custom commands or scripts (if configured).
Accessing Voiceover Settings:
Go to “System Preferences” > “Accessibility” > “Voiceover.”
Click the “Voiceover Utility” button to access settings.
Common Voiceover Settings:
- Speech: Adjust voice rate, pitch, volume, and pronunciation.
- Navigation: Customize navigation and rotor options.
- Verbosity: Control the level of detail for spoken feedback.
- Braille: Configure braille display settings if you are using one.
- Visuals: Customize visual enhancements for low-vision users.
- Activities: Define custom settings for specific applications or tasks.