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OS X VoiceOver Commands / Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Last updated: January 21, 2014

This page shows the OS X VoiceOver commands in HTML, which were previously only available as a PDF file (around the time that Snow Leopard was released).

Please note: Apple now maintain VoiceOver commands charts in HTML, which are available from the VoiceOver Downloads page:

Note: PDF cheat sheet coming soon.

If you find any of the information useful, or if you find anything to be incomplete or inaccurate, please let me know.

Updates

October 27, 2012: The latest VoiceOver commands charts are available in HTML from Apple's VoiceOver Downloads.
January 25, 2010: Apple now have their own HTML reference, VoiceOver Commands and Gestures on apple.com.

These commands are also available from Apple as a downloadable PDF: VoiceOver commands chart for Snow Leopard (PDF)

First-Level VoiceOver Commands

First-Level VoiceOver activation keys: Press Control-Option with the designated key

Settings and Visuals
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `V`	Verbosity mode footnote 1
`Control`-`Option` + `F8`	VoiceOver Utility
`Control`-`Option` + `F10`	Tile visuals
`Control`-`Option` + `F11`	Hide/Show visuals
Orientation and Help
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `F1`	Application summary footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `F2`	Window summary footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `F3`	VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option` + `F4`	Keyboard focus
`Control`-`Option` + `F5`	Mouse focus footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `F6`	Selection description
`Control`-`Option` + `F7`	VoiceOver menu
`Control`-`Option` + `H`	Item help footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `K`	Keyboard help
`Control`-`Option` + `Z`	Repeat last output
Navigation
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `1`	Go to Bookmark
`Control`-`Option` + `2`	Jump to hot spot 2
`Control`-`Option` + `3`	Jump to hot spot 3
`Control`-`Option` + `4`	Jump to hot spot 4
`Control`-`Option` + `5`	Jump to hot spot 5
`Control`-`Option` + `6`	Jump to hot spot 6
`Control`-`Option` + `7`	Jump to hot spot 7
`Control`-`Option` + `8`	Jump to hot spot 8
`Control`-`Option` + `9`	Jump to hot spot 9
`Control`-`Option` + `0`	Jump to hot spot 0
`Control`-`Option` + `U`	List links on page
`Control`-`Option` + `I`	Item list
`Control`-`Option` + `[` (left bracket)	Back in VoiceOver history
`Control`-`Option` + `]` (right bracket)	Forward in VoiceOver history
`Control`-`Option` + `D`	Dock
`Control`-`Option` + `J`	Jump to linked item
`Control`-`Option` + `M`	Menu bar footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `Up Arrow`	Previous line footnote 3
`Control`-`Option` + `Down Arrow`	Next line footnote 3
`Control`-`Option` + `Left Arrow`	Previous word footnote 3
`Control`-`Option` + `Right Arrow`	Next word footnote 3
Operation keys
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `Esc`	Cancel mode
`Control`-`Option` + `Tab`	Ignore next command
`Control`-`Option` + `;`	`Control`-`Option` lock
`Control`-`Option` + `Return`	Select a menu item or list item
`Control`-`Option` + `Space`	Perform the default action for the selected item
Interaction
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `	Move window
`Control`-`Option` + `\`	Open/close disclosure triangle
Text and Reading
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option` + `W`	Read word footnote 2
`Control`-`Option` + `R`	Read row in table
`Control`-`Option` + `T`	Text attributes
`Control`-`Option` + `P`	Read paragraph
`Control`-`Option` + `A`	Read contents of VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option` + `S`	Read sentence
`Control`-`Option` + `F`	Find text
`Control`-`Option` + `L`	Read line
`Control`-`Option` + `C`	Read character footnote 2

Second-Level VoiceOver Commands

Second-Level VoiceOver activation keys: Press Control-Option-Shift with the designated key

Settings and Visuals
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F11`	Screen curtain
Orientation and Help
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Z`	Save to file
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `?`	VoiceOver Help
Navigation
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F3`	Cursor tracking on/off
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F4`	Move VoiceOver to keyboard
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F5`	Move VoiceOver to mouse
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `1`	Set Bookmark
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `2`	Set hot spot 2
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `3`	Set hot spot 3
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `4`	Set hot spot 4
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `5`	Set hot spot 5
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `6`	Set hot spot 6
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `7`	Set hot spot 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `8`	Set hot spot 8
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `9`	Set hot spot 9
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `0`	Set hot spot 0
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `U`	Hear a link’s URL
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `D`	Desktop
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `G`	Find previous searched text footnote 4
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `J`	Jump in tables and text footnote 5
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `M`	Shortcut menu
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Up Arrow`	Stop interacting footnote 6
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Down Arrow`	Start interacting footnote 6
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Left Arrow`	Previous character footnote 6
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Right Arrow`	Next character footnote 6
Operation keys
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `Space`	Mouse click (press twice for double-click)
Interaction
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F2`	Move window to front
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F9`	Resize or move Braille panel footnote 4
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `F10`	Resize or move caption panel footnote 4
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `~`	Resize window
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `{`	Shrink VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `}`	Magnify VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `\|`	Sort column
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `S`	Scrolling
Text and Reading
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `W`	Read visible window
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `H`	Read column header
`Control`-`Option`-`Shift` + `C`	Copy last phrase to clipboard

Third-Level VoiceOver Commands

Third-Level VoiceOver activation keys: Press Control-Option-Command with the designated key

Settings and Visuals
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F9`	Hide/show Braille panel
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F10`	Hide/show caption panel
Orientation and Help
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F8`	VoiceOver Quick Start
Navigation
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F4`	Move keyboard to VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F5`	Move mouse to VoiceOver cursor
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `2`	Describe hot spot 2
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `3`	Describe hot spot 3
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `4`	Describe hot spot 4
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `5`	Describe hot spot 5
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `6`	Describe hot spot 6
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `7`	Describe hot spot 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `8`	Describe hot spot 8
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `9`	Describe hot spot 9
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `0`	Describe hot spot 0
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Q`	Find next blockquote
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `T`	Find next table footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `U`	Find next underlined text footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `I`	Find next italic text footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `O`	Find next font change footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `P`	Find next plain text footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `\`	Jump back to parent folder
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `S`	Find next item of same type footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F`	Find next frame in HTML footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `G`	Find next graphic footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `H`	Find next heading
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `J`	Find next control footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `K`	Find next color footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `L`	Find next hyperlink footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `C`	Find next text style footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `V`	Find next visited link
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `B`	Find next bold text footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `N`	Find next different element footnote 7
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `M`	Find next heading of same level footnote 7
Operation keys
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Space`	Multiple selection
Interaction
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `F2`	Close window
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `[`	Decrease Braille/caption panel font size
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `]`	Increase Braille/caption panel font size
Text and Reading
Command	Description
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Up Arrow`	Increase speech rate/pitch/volume/intonation footnote 8, footnote 9
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Down Arrow`	Decrease speech rate/pitch/volume/intonation footnote 8, footnote 9
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Left Arrow`	Previous (select: speech rate, pitch, volume, or intonation) footnote 8, footnote 9
`Control`-`Option`-`Command` + `Right Arrow`	Next (select: speech rate, pitch, volume, or intonation) footnote 8, footnote 9

Footnotes

Press Control-Option-V, then the Left Arrow or Right Arrow to choose a setting: typing echo, punctuation, text attributes, capitals, deleted characters, numbers, links, and table headers. Then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow to change the setting. Press Escape to leave Verbosity mode.
You can press some keys two or three times to hear more information. Press F1, F2, and H twice to hear the Application, Window, and Commands menus. Press F5 two or three times to hear the mouse location in different ways. Press C twice to hear the phonetic character. Press W twice to spell a word and three times to spell it phonetically. Press M twice to go to status menus in the menu bar and three times to go to the Spotlight menu.
Home and End move the VoiceOver cursor to the top or bottom of what's visible in the VoiceOver cursor, or to the first or last visible word in text. Page Up and Page Down read the previous and next sentence. On portable computers, press Fn with the arrow keys for Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down.
Use this command in tables, text, Mail, iChat, and iTunes. Press this command again to choose move or resize, then press arrow keys to change the location or size of the Braille panel. Press Shift with the arrow keys for smaller increments.
In tables and text, iChat, Mail, and iTunes, press this command, then press arrow keys to move to the visible edge of the area. Press Shift with the arrow keys to move to the extreme edge of the area.
Home and End move the VoiceOver cursor to the top or bottom of the item in the VoiceOver cursor, scrolling if necessary. Page Up and Page Down read the next and previous paragraph. On portable computers, press Fn with the arrow keys for Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down.
Press Shift with this command to move to the previous occurrence.
Press Control-Option-Command-Right Arrow or Control-Option-Command-Left Arrow to select speech rate, pitch, volume, or intonation. Then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow to increase or decrease the setting.
Home moves the VoiceOver cursor to the top-left corner of the window. End moves it to the bottom-right corner of the window. On portable computers, press Fn with the arrow keys for Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down.