You may have used or tried out using a screen reader on a mobile device, but what about on a desktop?

I’m going to be honest — the first time I used VoiceOver on macOS, I felt overwhelmed and felt like there was quite the learning curve. But a lot of that was due to me not having taken the time to think about screen readers in an environment away from touch screen, and I had many assumptions about that being “the way” to navigate using a screen reader.

Humble Beginnings

No touch screen it is. On desktop, the keyboard is going to be our main form of input.

To turn on VoiceOver, use ⌘ (command) + F5, or ⌘ + triple-click Touch ID. Do the same to turn it off again.

At the core of VoiceOver on macOS, you have what’s called the VoiceOver modifier. By default, it’s set to ⌃⌥ (control + option) or ⇪ (Caps Lock).

Like you’d use control, option, command etc. on their own or in combinations for keyboard shortcuts, you use the VoiceOver modifier together with other keys, like arrows, to navigate. Just like keyboard shortcuts!


You’ll often see “VoiceOver modifier” be referred to simply as “VO”. “VO right arrow”, then, may refer to using your VoiceOver modifier keys together with right arrow.


Where on touch screens, we use a single-finger right swipe to navigate to an item on the right, on macOS we’d do that with VO + right arrow.

To navigate to an item on the left, use VO + left arrow.

Hierarchy

On touch screen devices, you’re likely used to a flat navigation style. This is the default. There is also an option for grouped navigation, which navigates between groups (I think this translates to navigating by container), then requires a two-finger swipe right to “enter” the group.

A two-finger swipe left exits the group.

On macOS, the grouping behavior by default is similar to grouped. What that means in practice is you’ll have to enter and exit groups, like scroll views by default.


This is also why it is important to label your scoll views! The Messages app’s detail view is labeled “Conversations”, for example.


To enter a group, use VO + ⇧ (shift) + down arrow. Exiting a group? VO + ⇧ + up arrow. But you guessed that.

Activating elements like a button is done using VO + space.

What’s Next

This should allow you to get started using VoiceOver on macOS. But there’s more! Way more. Rotors and Commands are just two of them.

Furthermore, VoiceOver Utility is your one-shop-stop to set up VoiceOver to your liking, from the Voice used, to the Caption Panel showing, to the Braille Panel, to setting up VoiceOver to use with a trackpad.

Go and try it out — I’d love to hear how you get on!