Essential Navigation Commands#
Now that you understand the basics, let’s expand your navigation vocabulary with commands for moving around the screen efficiently.
Directional Navigation#
Beyond the basic left/right movement, VoiceOver provides comprehensive directional control:
Primary Movement#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Move to next item | VO + Right Arrow |
| Move to previous item | VO + Left Arrow |
| Move up | VO + Up Arrow |
| Move down | VO + Down Arrow |
The up and down arrows’ behavior depends on context:
- In lists and tables, they move between rows
- In text, they move between lines
- In some views, they navigate vertically through items
Jumping to Boundaries#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Move to first item in area | VO + Home |
| Move to last item in area | VO + End |
| Move to top of window | VO + Shift + Home |
| Move to bottom of window | VO + Shift + End |
On laptops without Home/End keys, use:
- VO + Fn + Left Arrow for Home
- VO + Fn + Right Arrow for End
Moving to Visible Boundaries#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Move to visible top | VO + Shift + Left Arrow |
| Move to visible bottom | VO + Shift + Right Arrow |
These commands move to the first or last visible item without scrolling, useful for quickly scanning what’s currently on screen.
Reading Commands#
VoiceOver offers multiple ways to have content read to you:
Continuous Reading#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Read all from cursor | VO + A |
| Stop reading | Control |
VO + A starts reading continuously from the current position to the end of the content. VoiceOver moves the cursor as it reads.
Reading Specific Items#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Read current item | VO + F3 |
| Read item in keyboard focus | VO + F4 |
| Read item under mouse | VO + F5 |
| Read selected item | VO + F6 |
| Read window contents | VO + Shift + W |
Repeating and Saving Speech#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Repeat last phrase | VO + Z |
| Copy last phrase to clipboard | VO + Shift + C |
| Save last phrase to file | VO + Shift + Z |
The ability to copy the last spoken phrase is incredibly useful—you can paste it into documents, search fields, or messages.
Information Commands#
Get detailed information about items without activating them:
Descriptions#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Describe current item | VO + F3 |
| Item dimensions | VO + Command + F3 |
| Window dimensions | VO + Command + F2 |
| Window position | VO + F2 + F2 (press twice) |
Help and Hints#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Read item help tag | VO + Shift + H |
| Read item hint | VO + Shift + N |
Help tags provide tooltip-style information. Hints suggest how to interact with an item.
System Information#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Speak time and date | VO + F7 |
| Speak battery level | VO + F7 + F7 |
| Speak Wi-Fi status | VO + F7 + F7 + F7 |
Press F7 multiple times in succession for additional system information.
System Navigation#
Quickly jump to key areas of your Mac:
Main Areas#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Go to Menu Bar | VO + M |
| Go to Status Menus | VO + M + M |
| Go to Dock | VO + D |
| Go to Desktop | VO + Shift + D |
| Go to Notification Center | VO + O |
| Go to Control Center | VO + Shift + O |
Application and Window Navigation#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Application summary | VO + F1 |
| Open Application Chooser | VO + F1 + F1 |
| Window summary | VO + F2 |
| Open Window Chooser | VO + F2 + F2 |
The Application Chooser and Window Chooser provide lists of all open apps and windows, making it easy to switch between them.
Navigating the Menu Bar#
The menu bar is your gateway to application commands:
- Press VO + M to go to the Menu Bar
- Use VO + Right/Left Arrow to move between menus
- Press VO + Space or Down Arrow to open a menu
- Use Up/Down Arrow to navigate menu items
- Press Return or VO + Space to activate
- Press Escape to close menus
Jumping Between Menu Areas#
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Jump to next menu area | VO + M (while in menu bar) |
This cycles between:
- Apple and Application menus (left side)
- Status menus (right side)
- Spotlight (magnifying glass icon)
Navigating the Dock#
The Dock contains your favorite apps, recent files, and the Trash:
- Press VO + D to go to the Dock
- Use Left/Right Arrow to move between items
- Press VO + Space or Return to open an item
- Press VO + Shift + M for item options
Dock Sections#
The Dock has three sections:
- Applications (left/top)
- Files and Folders (middle)
- Trash (right/bottom)
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Jump to first item | Fn + Left Arrow |
| Jump to last item (Trash) | Fn + Right Arrow |
| Jump between sections | Fn + Up/Down Arrow |
Spotlight Search#
Spotlight is the fastest way to find and open anything on your Mac:
- Press Command + Space to open Spotlight
- Type your search query
- Use Up/Down Arrow to navigate results
- Press Return to open the selected item
VoiceOver works seamlessly with Spotlight, announcing search results as you navigate them.
Application Switching#
Switch between running applications:
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Switch to next app | Command + Tab |
| Switch to previous app | Command + Shift + Tab |
| Switch windows in app | Command + ` (grave accent) |
When the application switcher appears:
- Keep holding Command
- Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through apps
- Release Command to switch to the selected app
Summary#
You now have a comprehensive set of navigation commands:
- Directional movement with VO + Arrow keys
- Boundary jumping with VO + Home/End
- Continuous reading with VO + A
- Information commands with VO + F3 through F7
- System navigation to Menu Bar (VO + M), Dock (VO + D), and Desktop (VO + Shift + D)
- App/Window switching with Command + Tab and the Choosers
Practice these commands in different applications to build muscle memory. The more automatic these become, the faster and more efficiently you’ll be able to work.