Customize VoiceOver with the VoiceOver Utility on Mac
VoiceOver Utility is the app you use to customize your VoiceOver settings.
The VoiceOver Utility window, much like other MacOS apps, has a vertical sidebar on the left side which holds the main section titles, and a pane to the right that houses the settings for the section chosen in the sidebar.
To learn about the options available navigate to the pane you are interested in learning about and click the Help button in the lower right corner of the pane.
Note: VO represents the VoiceOver modifier.
Use the VoiceOver Utility
To open VoiceOver Utility on your Mac do one of the following:
- You can open the VoiceOver Utility by pressing VO + F8 when VoiceOver is on.
- Choose Apple menu, then System Settings, then Accessibility in the Sidebar, select VoiceOver, and then click Open VoiceOver Utility.
Search for an option in VoiceOver Utility:
- Interact with the toolbar in the VoiceOver Utility window.
- Type what you’re looking for in the search field.
- Navigate the list of search results by pressing Down Arrow or Up Arrow.
- For each result, VoiceOver Utility shows the pane where the option is located and highlights the option.
Change your VoiceOver Settings
You can customize VoiceOver to make it just the way you want. You can change things such as how fast it speaks, and how much it says, or to add a language.
Adjust the VoiceOver volume and other audio options
- To increase or decrease the volume, press the volume buttons on the row of f keys, F12 increases the volume. Remember that you may
- To set other audio options, go to Settings/Accessibility/VoiceOver/Audio, then set options such as the following:
- Sounds & Haptics: Adjust and preview sound effects and haptics.
- Audio Ducking: Temporarily reduce media playback volume when VoiceOver speaks.
Set the VoiceOver language
VoiceOver uses the same language you choose for your device. VoiceOver pronunciation of some languages is affected by the Region Format you choose.
- Go to System Settings/General/Language & Region.
- Tap Language, then choose a language.
Adjust the speaking voice
Go to VoiceOver Utility/Speech/Voices, then do any of the following:
- Mute Speech
- Change Language
- Change Voice
- Change Rate
Specify the pronunciation of certain words:
Tap Speech/Pronunciations, tap the Add button, enter a phrase, then dictate or spell out how you want the phrase to be pronounced.
Note: You can dictate only if you turned on Enable Dictation in Settings/General/Keyboards.
Set how much VoiceOver tells you
Go to VoiceOver Utility/Verbosity, then tap any of the following: Verbosity: Choose options to have VoiceOver speak hints, punctuation, uppercase letters, embedded links, and more. VoiceOver can even confirm rotor actions and tell you when the flashlight is turned on.
To change how VoiceOver speaks punctuation,
tap Punctuation, then choose a group. You can also create new groups, for example, a programming group in which “[” is spoken as “left brack.”
Always Speak Notifications:
VoiceOver reads notifications, including incoming text messages as they occur, even if iPhone is locked. Unacknowledged notifications are repeated when you unlock iPhone.
Customize VoiceOver settings for an activity
You can customize a group of VoiceOver settings for an activity such as programming. Apply the settings automatically when you open certain apps or by adjusting the rotor.
Go to Settings/Accessibility/VoiceOver/Activities.
Choose an existing activity or tap Add Activity. Adjust settings for speech, audio, verbosity, and braille. Choose Apps or Context to automatically apply the settings for this activity.