Tips and tricks for beginner Mac user

By Seamus, 15 April, 2025

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Hello,
I will be getting a MacBook Pro on Friday. I have some experience with voiceover on Apple Mac because my school has an iMac. If you have any tips or tricks, feel free to drop them in the comments.

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Comments

By SeasonKing on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - 12:47

Install VMware and use Windows on your shiny new Mac!

By Manuel on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - 13:47

What many people seem to do is to try to rely on concepts they know from screen readers on other platforms. However, VoiceOver works completely different. therefore, focus on VoiceOver and don't be frustrated if something does not work in the first place like you would expect it.
Personally, I find VoiceOver's approach much more intuitive than tabbing around under Windows. The navigation is much more clear and consistent imo.
Nevertheless, currently, there are so many bugs that destroy that experience quite noticeably, especially for Braille users. If Apple fixes all thhe annoyances, the Mac is the best platform in my opinion (I'm using one since early 2021 and never wanted to switch back to Windows).

By MelodicFate on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - 14:47

Luckily, you're coming in at a very good time. There is now a pretty good built-in tutorial in Sequoia.
Like the comment above said, definitely don't treat VoiceOver on the Mac like you would a Windows screenreader. The Mac groups things in sections, that's where interacting comes in. So you have toolbars for example. To see what's in the toolbar, either interact with it, or you could try and tab around.
Personally I find it to be way less cluttered than Windows, but that's just my 2 cents as a Mac user for nearly 14 years.
Look into the podcasts here on Applevis: I myself actually learned from podcasts, so if you're patient with yourself and re-listen to the parts that confuse you, you should be okay.