What you'll learn:
- VoiceOver rotor navigation
- Quick Nav keyboard shortcuts
- Touch gestures for iOS
- Customizing VoiceOver settings
Quick Start
Understanding the VO keys: Throughout this guide, you'll see references to "VO" which means the VoiceOver modifier keys: Control+Option pressed together (you can also use Caps Lock as an alternative). When you see "VO+A", hold down Control and Option together, then press A.
Enable VoiceOver on Mac with Command+F5 or from System Preferences > Accessibility > VoiceOver. On iOS, go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver, or quickly toggle it by triple-tapping the Home button (older iPhones) or Side/Power button (newer iPhones). Once active, use VO+A (Control+Option+A or Caps Lock+A) to read all content on Mac. Use the rotor with VO+U to quickly navigate headings, links, and landmarks. On iOS, rotate two fingers on the screen to access the rotor, then set it to "Headings" and flick up/down to navigate by heading, or flick left/right to navigate line by line.
Essential Commands Reference
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
Command + F5 | Toggle VoiceOver on/off (Mac) |
VO + A | Read all (Mac) |
VO + U | Open rotor (Mac) |
VO + Right/Left Arrow | Navigate items (Mac) |
VO + Space | Activate item (Mac) |
VO + Command + H | Next heading (Mac) |
Triple-tap Home or Side button | Toggle VoiceOver (iOS - set up in Accessibility Shortcut) |
Flick Right/Left | Navigate items (iOS) |
Double-tap | Activate item (iOS) |
Two-finger rotation | Open rotor (iOS) |
Step-by-Step Tutorial Guide
Getting Started on Mac
- Press Command+F5 to enable VoiceOver
- Listen for the "VoiceOver on" announcement
- VoiceOver will start reading the current screen
- The VO keys are Control+Option (held together), or you can use Caps Lock instead
- Press VO+F8 for the VoiceOver Utility settings
Getting Started on iOS
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver
- Toggle VoiceOver on, or set up Accessibility Shortcut to triple-tap Home button (older iPhones) or Side/Power button (newer iPhones)
- Practice with VoiceOver Practice in the settings
- All gestures now require different techniques
- Explore with one finger to hear items
Basic Navigation on Mac
- Use VO+Right Arrow to move to the next item
- Use VO+Left Arrow to move to the previous item
- Press VO+Space to activate buttons, links, or controls
- Use VO+A to read all content from the current position
- Press VO+F3 to open the Application Chooser
Touch Navigation on iOS
- Explore by touch: drag one finger to hear items
- Flick right with one finger to move to next item
- Flick left with one finger to move to previous item
- Double-tap anywhere to activate the focused item
- Use three-finger flick up/down to scroll pages
- Two-finger double-tap to answer/end calls
Using the Rotor
- Mac: Press VO+U to open the rotor menu
- iOS: Rotate two fingers on the screen like turning a dial
- Choose navigation type: Headings, Links, Form Controls, etc.
- Mac: Use arrow keys to select, then press Enter
- iOS: Flick up/down with one finger to navigate by selected type
- The rotor remembers your last selection for efficient navigation
Web Navigation
Understanding web navigation: Single-letter commands (H, L, T, etc.) let you jump directly to specific elements on web pages - headings, links, tables. This is far more efficient than reading every element sequentially.
- Enable Quick Nav on Mac with Left+Right Arrow keys
- Use H to jump between headings quickly
- Press L to navigate links
- Use T to jump between tables
- Press F to navigate form fields
- Use the rotor to access Lists, Images, and Landmarks
- On iOS, set rotor to "Headings" (rotate two fingers) then flick up/down to navigate by heading, or flick left/right to navigate line by line
Customizing Settings
- Mac: Press VO+F8 to open VoiceOver Utility
- iOS: Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver
- Adjust speech rate, voice, and verbosity settings
- Customize which elements VoiceOver announces
- Set up typing feedback preferences
- Configure rotor options for web browsing
Quick Tips
- Mac: Hold Control to silence VoiceOver temporarily
- iOS: Two-finger tap to pause/resume VoiceOver speech
- Use VoiceOver Practice mode to learn gestures safely
- The rotor is your best friend for efficient navigation
- Quick Nav on Mac makes web browsing much faster
Pro tip:
Master the rotor early - it's the key to efficient VoiceOver navigation on both Mac and iOS. Customize it to include only the elements you use most.
Practice & Learning Resources
Free Online Resources:
- NVDA User Guide: Press Insert+F1
- JAWS Training: Freedom Scientific Training
- WebAIM Articles: webaim.org
- RNIB Tech Support: rnib.org.uk
Practice Websites:
- BBC: bbc.co.uk
- GOV.UK: gov.uk
- Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
- WebAIM Practice Page: WebAIM Practice Page
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