What’s new in VoiceOver on Mac
VoiceOver in macOS Big Sur offers new features to give you greater control while using a Mac.
Note: VO represents the VoiceOver modifier. See Use the VoiceOver modifier.
You can open Notification Center by pressing VO-O. See Use VoiceOver to navigate Notification Center.
In the new VoiceOver Recognition category in VoiceOver Utility, you can enable VoiceOver to describe images in apps and on websites using on-device intelligence to improve accessibility. To hear the description, press VO-Shift-L when the VoiceOver cursor is on an image in an app or on a website.
In the Announcements pane of the Verbosity category in VoiceOver Utility, you can set an option to have VoiceOver announce when system dialogs are displayed on the screen. You can navigate to open system dialogs using the Window Chooser.
In the Translation pane of the Braille category in VoiceOver Utility, you can choose different modes for showing braille output and input mode. For example, you could show output using six dot and type input using eight dot.
If you use more than one language on your Mac, you can now use the rotor to quickly switch between braille tables as needed. Use the Translation pane of the Braille category in VoiceOver Utility to add tables to show in the rotor. To quickly switch tables, press VO-Command-Shift-Right Arrow or Left Arrow until you hear Braille Table.
When using a braille display, VoiceOver can now automatically advance to the next line when panning. You can assign the Toggle Auto Advance On or Off command to a key on your braille display. In the Layout pane of the Braille category in VoiceOver Utility, you can set an option to control how long VoiceOver waits before automatically advancing to the next line.
When you turn on Voice Control on your Mac, you can use your voice, instead of your keyboard, to perform some VoiceOver commands. See Use VoiceOver with Voice Control.