VoiceOver Keyboard Shortcuts for MacOS

VO+keystroke = Control+Option+keystroke

Getting Started

Basics

• Turn VoiceOver on or off: Command+F5
• Stop speech: Ctrl
• Repeat the last spoken phrase: VO+Z

Help

• VoiceOver Quick Start tutorial: VO+Command+F8
• Open the VoiceOver Help menu: VO+H
• VoiceOver Commands Help menu: VO+HH
• Start keyboard help: VO+K (Esc to exit keyboard help)

Configuration

• Typing Echo (verbosity): VO+V
• Open VoiceOver Utility: VO+F8
• Cycle through speech attributes: VO+Command+Shift+LeftArrow (or RightArrow)
• Change current speech attribute: VO+Command+Shift+UpArrow (or DownArrow)
• Close a menu or rotor, stop an action, or exit a mode: Escape
• Lock and unlock the VO (Control and Option) keys: VO+semicolon

Orientation Commands

• Hear the application summary: VO+F1
• Hear the window summary: VO+F2
• Describe the item in the VoiceOver cursor: VO+F3
• Describe the item that has the keyboard focus: VO+F4
• Describe the item in the mouse pointer: VO+F5
• Describe the selected item: VO+F6

Navigation Commands

General

• Move VO cursor left, right, up or down: VO+Arrow keys
• Move to start of list or document: VO+Shift+Home
• Move to end of list or document: VO+Shift+End
• Move to top/start of window, Dock, etc: VO+Command+Home
• Move to bottom/end of window, Dock, etc: VO+Command+End

Directly Accessing Items

• Move to the menu bar: VO+M (or Control-F2), VO+Shift+M opens context menu)
• Move to the Dock: VO+D (or Control-F3)
• Move to the desktop: VO+Shift+D
• Open the Item Chooser (to go to item on the screen or in a window): VO+I
• Jump to a linked item (for example, from a Mail message in the Inbox to its message text): VO+J
• Open the Notification Center: VO+O, VO+Shift+O opens the Control Center

Hot Spots

• Set or remove a hot spot: VO+Shift+[number key]
• Open the Hot Spot Chooser (to browse and jump to hot spots): VO+[number key]+[number key] (i.e. VO same number key twice)
• Jump to a hot spot: VO+[number key]
• Hear a description of a hot spot: VO+Command+[number key]

Quick Nav

• Toggle QuickNav on/off: LeftArrow+RightArrow
• Move VoiceOver cursor: Cursor keys (equals VO+Arrow keys)
• Perform action: Up+Down (equals VO+Spacebar)
• Interact with item: Right/Down (equals VO+Shift+DownArrow)
• Stop interacting with item: Left/Down (equals VO+Shift+UpArrow)

VoiceOver Cursor Visual Commands

• Magnify item in VoiceOver cursor: VO+Shift+right bracket
• Shrink item in cursor: VO+Shift+left bracket
• Toggle VoiceOver focus rectangle (and other visuals): VO+Command+F11
• Display Caption panel (of where VO cursor is): VO+Command+F10

Finding

• Find text: VO+F
• Find next (after using VO+F): VO+G
• Find previous: VO+Shift+G
• Find the next misspelled word: VO+Command+E

Reading commands (TextEdit, Safari, etc)

Before you can use most of these commands, you must interact with text in a text area.

General

• Read from VoiceOver cursor to end: VO+A
• Read from beginning to cursor: VO+B
• Speak text attributes: VO+T
• Speak line number, word and character in VoiceOver cursor: VO+F3

Characters

• Read character in VoiceOver cursor: VO+C
• Read next character: VO+Shift+Right Arrow
• Read previous character: VO+Shift+Left Arrow

Words

• Read word in VoiceOver cursor: VO+W
• Spell word: VO+WW
• Spell word phonetically: VO+WWW
• Read next word: VO+Right Arrow
• Read previous word: VO+Left Arrow

Lines

• Read line in VoiceOver cursor: VO+L
• Read next line: VO+Down Arrow
• Read previous line: VO+Up Arrow

Sentences

• Read sentence in VoiceOver cursor: VO+S
• Read next sentence: VO+Command+Page Down
• Read previous sentence: VO+Command+Page Up

Paragraphs

• Read paragraph in VoiceOver cursor: VO+P
• Read next paragraph: VO+Shift+Page Down
• Read previous paragraph: VO+Shift+Page Up

Tables

• Read a row in a table: VO+R
• Read a column in a table: VO+C+C
• Read the column header in a table: VO+C
• Toggle table interaction: VO+Command+equals

Interaction commands

General

• Interact with an item: VO+Shift+Down Arrow
• Stop interacting with an item: VO+Shift+Up Arrow
• Perform the default action for the item in the VoiceOver cursor (e.g. open active item): VO+Spacebar
• Open Actions Menu for the item in the VoiceOver cursor: VO+Command+Spacebar

Quick Nav

• Perform action: Up+Down (equals VO+Spacebar)
• Interact with item: Right/Down (equals VO+Shift+Down Arrow)
• Stop interacting with item: Left/Down (equals VO+Shift+Up Arrow)

Web commands

Navigation - General

• Move to next heading: VO+Command+H
• Move to next heading of the same level: VO+Command+M
• Move to next plain text: VO+Command+P
• Move to next link: VO+Command+L
• Move to next visited link: VO+Command+V
• Move to next control: VO+Command+J
• Move to next table: VO+Command+T
• Move to the next column: VO+Command+Y
• Move to the next frame: VO+Command+F
• Move to the next auto web spot: VO+Command+N

To move to a previous item, use Shift with above commands. e.g. VO+Command+Shift+H to move to previous heading

Navigation - Web Spots

• Set a web spot: VO+Command+Shift+right bracket
• Remove a web spot: VO+Command+Shift+left bracket
• Set the sweet spot: VO+Command+Shift+right bracket+ right bracket
• Move to the next web spot: VO+Command+right bracket
• Move to the previous web spot: VO+Command+left bracket

Navigation - Web Item Rotor

• Open the Web Item rotor: VO+U
• Navigate lists: Left and right arrow keys
• Navigate items in selected list: Up and down arrow keys
• In Headers List, list only headings of a particular level: type level number

Miscellaneous

• Read a link address (URL): VO+Shift+U
• Read webpage statistics: VO+Shift+I