Mac Accessibility: Where to Start and the One Shortcut to Know
Every Mac includes a large set of accessibility features, and they're free. They're designed for disabled people, and plenty of them are useful to anyone: bigger text, a Mac that reads aloud, typing by voice.
This guide shows you where everything lives and how to switch features on and off quickly. It's the first post in our Mac accessibility series.
Where to find accessibility settings
1. Click the Apple menu > System Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
2. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
The features are grouped by need:
Group | What's in it
Vision | VoiceOver, Zoom, Display, Spoken Content, Descriptions
Hearing | Hearing Devices, Audio, Captions, Live Captions
Motor | Voice Control, Keyboard, Pointer Control, Switch Control
Speech | Live Speech, Personal Voice (on recent Macs)
General | Siri, Shortcut
Vision | VoiceOver, Zoom, Display, Spoken Content, Descriptions
Hearing | Hearing Devices, Audio, Captions, Live Captions
Motor | Voice Control, Keyboard, Pointer Control, Switch Control
Speech | Live Speech, Personal Voice (on recent Macs)
General | Siri, Shortcut
The exact names vary a little between versions of macOS.
The Accessibility Shortcut
Press Option + Command + F5.
A panel appears listing accessibility features with tick boxes. Tick one to turn it on, and untick it to turn it off. You don't need to open System Settings.
On a Mac with Touch ID, quickly press the Touch ID button three times to open the same panel.
Tip: On a MacBook, the F5 key may need the fn key held as well: fn + Option + Command + F5.
Choose what the shortcut shows
1. Go to System Settings > Accessibility.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click Shortcut.
3. Tick the features you use, such as Zoom, VoiceOver, Sticky Keys or Colour Filters.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click Shortcut.
3. Tick the features you use, such as Zoom, VoiceOver, Sticky Keys or Colour Filters.
If you tick only one feature, the shortcut switches that feature on and off directly, with no panel.
Add accessibility to the menu bar
For one-click access with the mouse:
1. Open System Settings > Control Centre.
2. Find Accessibility Shortcuts.
3. Turn on Show in Menu Bar or Show in Control Centre.
2. Find Accessibility Shortcuts.
3. Turn on Show in Menu Bar or Show in Control Centre.
An accessibility icon appears at the top of your screen with your most-used features.
Ask Siri
If Siri is on, you can say things like "Turn on VoiceOver" or "Turn on Do Not Disturb".
Setting up a Mac for someone else?
When you first set up a new Mac, an Accessibility screen appears early in the setup steps. You can turn on features such as VoiceOver or Zoom there, before the Mac is fully set up.
On the login screen, accessibility options are also available. Go to System Settings > Lock Screen > Accessibility Options to choose which ones appear there.
Where to go next
• Hard to see the screen? Start with bigger text and Zoom, then colour and contrast settings.
• Prefer listening? Try Spoken Content, which reads text aloud.
• Typing is difficult? Try Dictation or Voice Control.
• Keys or trackpad awkward? Look at Sticky Keys and Pointer Control.
• Hard of hearing? See Live Captions and the audio settings.
• Prefer listening? Try Spoken Content, which reads text aloud.
• Typing is difficult? Try Dictation or Voice Control.
• Keys or trackpad awkward? Look at Sticky Keys and Pointer Control.
• Hard of hearing? See Live Captions and the audio settings.
Wrapping up
Everything is under System Settings > Accessibility. Remember Option + Command + F5, and you can turn any feature on or off in a second.
