Dev Note

Mac VoiceOver cheat sheet

Published by Joshua Briley on March 7, 2026

Option + Control is the VoiceOver modifier, abbreviated as VO in the commands below. You can also use Fn + Control as the modifier.

Turn VoiceOver on and off

Command + F5: Turn VoiceOver on or off VO + Fn + F8: Open VoiceOver Utility VO + H: Open VoiceOver Help VO + K: Start keyboard help (pressing keys tells you what they do)

Commands you will use the most

VO + Right Arrow: Move to next item VO + Left Arrow: Move to previous item VO + Space: Activate button, link, checkbox, or other control VO + Shift + Down Arrow: Interact with a group, region, or complex control VO + Shift + Up Arrow: Stop interacting VO + F3: Read current item VO + F2: Read current window VO + F1: Read item summary or current item context

Read the page or current content

VO + A: Read continuously from current position VO + B: Read from the beginning of the page to the current location

Trackpad gestures:

Two-finger flick up: Read all from the top
Two-finger flick down: Read from current position downward

VO + Right / Left Arrow: Move item by item through the page VO + Command + H: Next heading VO + Command + Shift + H: Previous heading VO + Command + L: Next link VO + Command + Shift + L: Previous link VO + Command + J: Next form control VO + Command + Shift + J: Previous form control VO + Command + R: Next landmark VO + Command + Shift + R: Previous landmark VO + Command + T: Next table VO + Command + Shift + T: Previous table VO + Command + F: Next frame VO + Command + Shift + F: Previous frame

Headings, links, and landmarks for accessibility testing

When you test a site, headings, landmarks, links, and form controls matter most. If those four are easy to navigate with VoiceOver, your page is usually in good shape. The heading, link, form control, and landmark jump commands in the previous section are Apple’s documented web commands.

Working with forms

VO + Right / Left Arrow: Move through form fields VO + Space: Activate controls VO + Shift + Down Arrow: Interact when needed

In text fields, VoiceOver also supports text reading commands: VO + C: Read current character VO + W: Read current word VO + P: Read current paragraph

Tables

VO + Command + T: Jump to next table VO + Shift + T: Read current row and column numbers VO + Shift + T, T: Read table dimensions VO + Command + Equals: Turn grouping on or off for a table on a webpage

Quick Nav

Left Arrow + Right Arrow together: Toggle Quick Nav on or off VO + Q: Toggle single-key Quick Nav on or off

Quick Nav can make browsing faster, but it also changes how arrow keys behave, which can confuse people who are first learning.

Fastest manual test flow for a webpage

Turn on VoiceOver with Command + F5
Open your page in Safari
Press VO + Command + H to move through headings
Press VO + Command + R to move through landmarks
Press VO + Command + J to move through form controls
Press VO + Command + L to move through links
Press VO + A to hear the page read continuously

That sequence is a strong smoke test for document structure, navigation regions, and interactive controls.

Two settings worth knowing

Apple documents VoiceOver web settings in VoiceOver Utility, including what happens when a webpage loads. If reading feels odd on certain sites, check VoiceOver Utility → Web. That is also where some navigation behavior can be tuned.

Best browser for testing

For Mac screen reader testing, Safari + VoiceOver is the cleanest pairing because both are Apple’s own stack. Safari is the best place to start for predictable VoiceOver behavior, though you should still verify in Chrome since your users will.