VO + D to move the VoiceOver Cursor to the Dock For example, Control + Option + M opens the Menu Bar, but as a shorthand method of writing this key command, you might see VO + M. Other examples are: The VoiceOver keys are Control + Option held down together in combination with whatever other key is indicated. You will see several references to using the “VoiceOver Keys” in this series as well as in some of the general help articles online. The VoiceOver keys are used much like the JAWS Modifier Key (which is usually the Insert Key unless the user preferences are set otherwise). Or you can go through it…it’s up to you If you decide to open the tutorial later, the command Control + VO + F8 will launch it. You can dismiss the tutorial by pressing Escape (in the upper left hand corner of the keyboard). We will be talking more about basic VoiceOver commands and settings in the next article, so don’t worry too much. The first time you turn on VoiceOver, a tutorial runs that you may have the option of going through. To turn VoiceOver on or off, press Command + F5. The command keys are located on either side of the spacebar where the Alt keys are on a Windows machine.

(FYI: The most current version is 10.15 OS Catalina but for the purposes of this series, it really doesn’t matter which version of the software is running.) It is a fully integrated screen reader designed to work seamlessly with whatever version of the Mac software you are running. If you need a screen reader, the Mac comes equipped with VoiceOver. Do you want to be able to write assignments for school? Do you want to be able to search the web? Do you want to be able to play games or use social media? It’s all relative.īut for the purposes of this series, let’s start with some basic introductory information. So what’s the first step? I guess it depends on what your goals are. In other words, you have to take small bits of a very large apple (pun intended). You’ve got to tackle the one large problem, but in smaller steps. It’s two pieces of the same puzzle, and as much as you want to do the two things individually, it just does not work that way. Transitioning between operating systems is never easy, but transitioning between operating systems and accessibility software brings another layer of difficulty.

Mac menu bar settings