Navigating Webpages Using Voiceover Screen Reader
- Linda Ludlum
- Craig Moscicki
- Chris Sandefer
- Rose Mournighan
Below you can find keyboard commands for navigating and testing web page accessibility using the VoiceOver screen reader, a built-in assistive technology in Apple products.
Recommended Combinations of Browsers & Screen Readers
Mac | Safari + VoiceOver |
|---|---|
Windows |
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Mobile |
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Activating VoiceOver
Press Command + F5 keys to toggle VoiceOver on and off.
VoiceOver can be toggled on and off from the Systems Preferences panel in the Accessibility settings.
Stop Voiceover Talk Back by pressing Ctrl + Opt + Spacebar.
Basic Commands
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
Navigate Headings | Ctrl + Opt + Cmd+ H |
Click Link | Ctrl + Opt + Spacebar |
Read Sentence | Ctrl + Opt + Cmd |
Enter Page | Ctrl +Opt + Down Arrow |
Exit Page | Ctrl +Opt + Up Arrow |
Navigate Backwards | Ctrl + Opt + Shift + Up Arrow |
Jump to Top Of Page | Caps + U |
Read Word | Ctrl+ Opt + W |
Navigate by Rotor
The "rotor" is a menu window in VoiceOver which presents lists of Web elements such as headings, links, images, and other Web elements.
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
Rotor | Ctrl + Alt + U |
Close Rotor | Escape |
Next Window | Right Arrow |
Previous Window | Left Arrow |
One List Item Down | Down Arrow |
Go to Item | Enter or Return |
Read After Item | Control + Option + A |
Navigating Page Elements
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
Next Links | Control + Option + Command + L |
Next Image | Control + Option +Command + I |
Next Form Control | Control + Option +Command + J |
Next Frame | Control + Option +Command + M |
Next List | Control + Option +Command + X |
Read Character | Control + Option + C |
Previous Character | Control + Option + Shift + Left Arrow |
Next Character | Control + Option + Shift + Right Arrow |
Read Visible Window | Control + Option + Shift + W |
Navigating Tables
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
One Cell Forward (Begin Table) | Control + Option + Right Arrow |
One Cell Backwards | Control + Option + Left Arrow |
One Cell Down | Control + Option + Down Arrow |
One Cell Up | Control + Option + Up Arrow |
Read Row in Table | Control + Option + R |
Read Column Header | Control + Option + C |
Navigate Aria Landmarks
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
Start the web rotor | Control + Alt + U |
Navigate to list of landmarks | Left/Right Arrow |
Navigate through the list of landmarks | Up/Down Arrow |
Tables
Function | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
One Cell Forward (Begin Table) | Control + Option + Right Arrow |
One Cell Backwards | Control + Option + Left Arrow |
One Cell Down | Control + Option + Down Arrow |
One Cell Up | Control + Option + Up Arrow |
Read Row in Table | Control + Option + R |
Read Column Header | Control + Option + C |
Read Column in Table | Control + Option + Shift + C |