Tour the Keyboard
The basic use of VoiceOver on the Mac requires the use of the keyboard to carry out many tasks. While there are other ways to control VoiceOver, see the Trackpad and NumPad Commander lessons in the Lesson List, the keyboard is the standard way to control the computer.
As we explore the keyboard, we will start at the Space bar, the wide center key in the middle of the bottom row of the keyboard. The spacebar is used to enter spaces as you type and with other keys to complete commands.
The first key to the left of the spacebar is very important, it is the MacOS Command (CMD) key. Among many other things, you will use it in commands to print with the CMD + P command, or to save documents with the CMD + S command.
The Option (OPT) key is the Second key to the Left of the Spacebar.
The Control (CTL) key is the third key to the left of the Spacebar. The CTL key pressed by itself will stop VoiceOver from talking.
The VO Keys are used with other keys to carry out commands, for example you can use the VO + Left or VO + Right Arrow keys to move the VO cursor Left or Right, try that now.
Did the cursor move so you could hear the next or previous item?
Try it using the other arrow key as well to move the cursor the other way.
Continue pressing VO + Right Arrow and we will continue our tour around the keyboard.
More Important Keys
You may also have the FN key all the way down in the bottom left corner of the keyboard as well. It is used with the Function keys (F Keys) on the top row of the keyboard to access their secondary functions.
Above the FN key is the Left Shift key used to access capital letters and as part of other commands.
One key above the Shift is the CAPS LOCK key which can be used to type in all caps, or as the VoiceOver key. When selected as the VoiceOver key, you must press it twice quickly to use it to write in all caps and twice again to turn the mode off.
The key above the CAPS LOCK is the Tab key, it can be used to enter tabs into documents or to navigate the screen using VoiceOver. You can automatically interact with items you Tab to without first having to use VO-Shift-Down Arrow.
Above the Tab is the tilde, it is sometimes known as the squiggly character because of its horizontal squiggly shape.
The ESC key is next in the top left corner of the keyboard. It will cancel out of most dialog boxes and end some actions, when in doubt try the Escape key first!
Across the top of the keyboard are the F Keys, they are numbered F1 through F12 and can be used with the FN key found in the bottom left corner of the keyboard. To access the secondary controls such as the screen brightness (F1 and F2), or the volume controls (F10, F11, and F12), you may need to press the FN key first.
In the top right of the keyboard is the Power button, with it you can turn the device on or press and release the Power button quickly to bring up the sleep, shut down, or restart menu. With Touch ID turned on you can log in to your computer, enter passwords into websites, authorize purchases, etc..
Just below the Power button is the very important Delete key which can help make your text editing dreams come true.
Below the Delete key is the back slash key, and then the Return key. The Return key creates a new line when you are in a text document, and presses a form control such as a Submit button when you are in a web document. In a dialog box, the Return acts the opposite of the ESC key, it presses the OK button to agree that you want to continue the task you have initiated.
Below the Return key is the Right Shift key, and then we find the Arrow Key grouping. It looks and feels like the capital letter T set upside down; it's an Upside Down T!
The Up Arrow is in the middle forming the leg of the T pointing up, while the Left, Down, and Right Arrows are on the row below ranging from left to right.
Moving to the left from the Arrow keys, we find a second Option key which can be used as the command key for the Keyboard Commander.
The Keyboard Commander allows you to create your own keyboard commands to trigger events and scripts so you can customize your user experience. Keyboard Commander Lesson
The next key we find a second Command key, and then we are back at the Spacebar where we began this tour.
At this time I want you to try out the Keyboard Help feature of VoiceOver.
Press VO + K to turn Keyboard Help on, then try pressing any key or key combination to hear what the command does! Press the ESC key to stop Keyboard Help
The Keyboard Commander allows you to create and store custom keyboard combinations such as Right OPT + T to hear the date and time. Try it out and see if the Keyboard Commander is turned on.
It can be turned on at: System Settings / Accessibility / VoiceOver / Open VoiceOver Utility / Commanders / Keyboard / Enable Keyboard Commander.
Explore the Keyboard Commander settings page to learn how to create or edit custom commands.
Use VoiceOver keyboard help on Mac
When you use keyboard help, you can quickly hear the VoiceOver command for a key. For example, press Control + Option + D to hear “Control, Option, D, Go to Dock, Moves VoiceOver cursor to the Dock.”
You can use keyboard help with the commanders, refreshable braille displays, and VoiceOver gestures. While using keyboard help, you can’t use your keyboard, braille display, or trackpad for other tasks.
Note: VO represents the VoiceOver modifier.
Start keyboard help by pressing VO + K, then do any of the following:
Hear the name of a keyboard or braille key: Press the key.
Hear the VoiceOver command for a key: Press VO + the key.
Hear the name and VoiceOver command for a gesture: Use the gesture.
Hear alternative functions for a key or gesture: Press Control + Option or Caps Lock with a modifier key (such as Shift), then press a key to hear alternative functions the key may have.
To quit keyboard help, press VO + K or the Escape key.
Desktop Lesson