Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on Mac

You can quickly turn many accessibility features on or off using a keyboard shortcut, the menu bar, Control Center, or Siri.

Use a keyboard shortcut

You can use a keyboard shortcut to open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel, where you can turn accessibility features on or off.

The Accessibility Shortcuts panel listing Vision features (such as Color Filters), Physical Motor features (such as Full Keyboard Access), and Hearing features (such as Live Captions).
  1. Press Option-Command-F5.

    Or, if your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, quickly press Touch ID three times.

  2. In the panel, select the features you want to turn on or off, then click Done. Or, click anywhere outside the panel to close it.

Additional accessibility shortcuts you can use and customize can be found in Keyboard settings. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Click Keyboard Shortcuts, then in the dialog that appears, click Accessibility in the sidebar. See Use macOS keyboard shortcuts.

Use the menu bar or Control Center

To turn accessibility features on or off right from the desktop, add Accessibility Shortcuts to the menu bar or Control Center.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Menu Bar in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open Control Center settings for me

  2. Click Add Controls, click the Accessibility Shortcuts icon on the right, then choose Add to Control Center or Add to Menu Bar. Then click Done.

  3. Click the Accessibility Shortcuts icon in the menu bar or in Control Center, then click a feature to turn it on or off.

You can also add the Hearing option to the menu bar or Control Center, and use it to quickly adjust settings for background sounds and Made for iPhone (MFi) hearing devices paired with your Mac.

Add or remove features from Accessibility Shortcuts

You can change which features appear when you use the Accessibility Shortcuts panel or the Accessibility Shortcuts module in the menu bar or Control Center.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Shortcut. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open Shortcut settings for accessibility for me

  2. Select or deselect the checkbox next to a feature to show or hide it when you use Accessibility Shortcuts.

    If you select only one feature, the Accessibility Shortcuts panel isn’t displayed when you press the keyboard shortcut; instead, the feature is immediately turned on or off.

Use Siri

Siri: Ask Siri something like “Turn on VoiceOver.Learn how to use Siri.

Use the Shortcuts app

You can create a shortcut to get one or more tasks done with your apps using just a tap or by asking Siri. For example, if you have short-term memory loss, you can use Remember This to log what happens throughout the day. You can also run the In Case of Emergency shortcut to send your location to your chosen emergency contacts, share a message with custom instructions, and display a message of your choice onscreen for first responders to see. To learn more, see Run a shortcut from the Shortcuts app in the Shortcuts User Guide.

Use a Vocal Shortcut

You can teach your Mac to turn on an accessibility feature when you speak a word or another sound of your choosing. See Use a Vocal Shortcut.

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