Comprehensive guide for new VoiceOver users?

By Datawolf, 10 July, 2021

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Hey all,

so I have a MacBook Air M1 for a few weeks so I can test the ropes with it, if I like it enough, i guess I would go purchase the rumored MBP with the M1x or M2 chip, but that's another story.

While parts of the problem are that I gotta get used to the Mac Operating system on it's own, does anyone have a comprehensive guide on VoiceOver, the different options and how VO does things generally?
The one that I found seams to be outdated by abit and I do would like to have the latest info available. So, does someone have any hints? I'm currently still setting up my MBA.

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Comments

By Craig on Friday, August 6, 2021 - 01:26

Hi, I have recently bought a MacBook Air myself as I wanted a laptop that was as light as possible and with the M1 chip, I new the Air was exactly what I need, as I am also a first time Mac user and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a Pro, only to find I couldn't get on with using Mac OS. However, I have really taken to it. In order to get started, remember that the control and option keys are your VoiceOver modifier keys, similar to the insert or caps lock when using other screen readers. the two keystrokes that will help you the most at this early stage are VO K which will enable keyboard help and VO H which will bring up the VO help menu. there is a complete user guide for Voiceover in the Voiceover help menu as well as a command summary that is split up into various categories which makes finding the command you want to learn very easy. I would also recommend reading the recent getting started blog post that Tyler posted on here a few weeks ago. It was very well written and I found it extremely useful when I bought my Mac back in April. I would also strongly recommend taking the time to browse AppleVis as you will find blog posts and forums which talk about using a Mac with Voiceover. David Woodbridge has recorded some very useful demos of using the Mac with Big Sur.