VoiceOver Getting Started Guide
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- Automatically use VoiceOver in the login window
- Change the default behavior of function keys
- Find commands using the Commands menu
- Use the VoiceOver modifier
- Make VoiceOver ignore the next key press
- Learn or mute VoiceOver sound effects
- Hear hints and information about an item
- Use positional audio
- Interact with content areas and groups
- Hear changes in progress or status
- Select and deselect items
- Drag and drop items
- Set up or turn off cursor tracking
- Use VoiceOver Utility
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- Desktop
- Finder
- Dock
- Launchpad
- Notification Center
- Notifications
- Perform an item’s alternate action
- Click or double-click the mouse
- Buttons, checkboxes, and more
- Mission Control
- Use an app full screen
- Hear open apps and windows
- Switch between apps and windows
- Navigate app windows using window spots
- Move and resize windows and objects
- Log in to an encrypted account without VoiceOver
- Use VoiceOver with the Touch Bar
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- Change voice settings
- Customize the verbosity level for speech or braille
- Customize web items shown in the Rotor
- Customize how text and symbols are pronounced
- Create custom labels
- Assign commands to keyboard or keypad keys
- Export, import, and reset preferences
- Use portable preferences
- Use VoiceOver activities
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- General category
- Speech pane of the Verbosity category
- Braille pane of the Verbosity category
- Text pane of the Verbosity category
- Announcements pane of the Verbosity category
- Hints pane of the Verbosity category
- Voices pane of the Speech category
- Pronunciation pane of the Speech category
- Navigation category
- Navigation pane of the Web category
- Page Loading pane of the Web category
- Web Rotor pane of the Web category
- Sound category
- Cursor pane of the Visuals category
- Panels and Menus pane of the Visuals category
- Touch pane of the Visuals category
- Trackpad pane of the Commanders category
- Trackpad Commander assignments pane
- NumPad pane of the Commanders category
- Keyboard pane of the Commanders category
- Quick Nav pane of the Commanders category
- Quick Nav Commander assignments pane
- Layout pane of the Braille category
- Displays pane of the Braille category
- Activities category
New and changed VoiceOver commands
VoiceOver in macOS High Sierra includes new and changed commands. VO represents the VoiceOver modifier.
Note: When VoiceOver is on, you can enter VoiceOver commands by using the Fn and number keys with the VoiceOver modifier, as an alternative to using the function keys (F1 through F12). For example, to open VoiceOver Utility you can press Control-Option-Fn-8 (instead of Control-Option-F8).
If you use the function keys (F1 through F12), you may need to press and hold the Fn key, depending on how you set the behavior of function keys in Keyboard preferences.
New commands
VO-Shift-L | Describe text that appears in an image (even if the image hasn’t been annotated) |
VO-Shift-Left Arrow or Right Arrow If Quick Nav is enabled, press Shift-Right Arrow or Left Arrow. | Navigate without automatically interacting with a group on a webpage |
Changed commands
VO-Command-Left Arrow or Right Arrow | Cycle through navigation settings (such as words or characters) in the rotor |
VO-Command-Shift-Left Arrow or Right Arrow | Cycle through speech settings (such as voice, rate, or pitch) in the rotor |
VO-Command-Shift-Up Arrow or Down Arrow | Increase or decrease the current speech setting (such as voice, rate, or pitch) in the rotor |