Navigation, Web category, VoiceOver Utility on Mac

Use the Navigation pane of the Web category in VoiceOver Utility to set options related to navigating and browsing webpages.

To open VoiceOver Utility, press Command-F5 to turn VoiceOver on, then press VO-F8.

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Note: VO represents the VoiceOver modifier. See Use the VoiceOver modifier.

Option	Description
Navigate webpages by	Select a method for navigating webpages: DOM order: Move the VoiceOver cursor through a webpage based on the page’s Document Object Model (DOM). Navigating by DOM moves left and right, in the order the webpage’s author intended. (Moving up and down in DOM mode is based on items included in the VoiceOver rotor when viewing webpages.) Grouping items: Move the VoiceOver cursor from one group of information to the next, such as from one paragraph to the next paragraph. Navigating by group moves in any direction, to help give you a sense of context. See Use VoiceOver to navigate webpages by DOM or group mode.
When navigating web tables	Select a method for navigating webpages: Group items within: Hear a summary of a table and a summary of each cell as you navigate the table using the arrow keys. This option is useful if you’re familiar with a table and don’t need to read its contents. If you do want to read the contents of a cell, you must interact with it using VoiceOver commands. When the checkbox isn’t selected, you automatically interact with a table and read its contents, cell by cell, as you navigate the table using the arrow keys. Speak column and row numbers: Have VoiceOver speak the column and row numbers in tables to help you navigate complex tables more easily. This option is on by default.
Navigate Images	Choose how you want VoiceOver to navigate images: Never, With Descriptions, or Always. By default, VoiceOver navigates only to images that contain a description, called “alt text.” This option is useful because many websites use images for links. See Use VoiceOver to navigate webpages by images or frames.
Enable Live Regions	Have VoiceOver speak all live regions it encounters on webpages. If you prefer to hear only specific live regions, deselect the checkbox, then use the VoiceOver rotor to find and enable specific live regions on a webpage. See Use VoiceOver to navigate webpages using live regions.
Always allow keyboard commands to navigate websites	Use keyboard commands to navigate text, even on websites that use the commands for other purposes. When this option is selected, websites that use keyboard commands may not function as expected. For example, if a website uses an arrow key to jump to another item, the arrow key won’t perform that action; the arrow key can only be used to navigate text.

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Navigation, Web category, VoiceOver Utility on Mac