How to Turn Off VoiceOver on a Mac With a Keyboard Shortcut
VoiceOver is a handy screen reader built into macOS for Apple desktop and laptop computers. It reads aloud the text of web pages and documents, which helps those with visual impairments navigate the internet and use their computers. If you turn it on by mistake or want to turn it off at the end of a session, you can turn it off with keyboard shortcuts or from System Preferences. The simplest way to turn off VoiceOver involves a two-button keyboard shortcut. Hold down the Command+F5 keys. The Command+F5 shortcut also switches VoiceOver back on. So, if you press it again by mistake, you reactivate the feature. Usually, this isn’t a problem since a window appears and gives you the option of turning it back off immediately. However, this window also gives you the option of checking a box that says, “Do not show this message again.” If you pressed that option in the past, you could end up turning on VoiceOver without receiving any immediately apparent notification other than hearing the speaker.
How to Turn Off VoiceOver on a Mac in System Preferences
A slightly more involved way of turning off VoiceOver involves going to System Preferences. It may take longer, but it’s necessary if you ever turned off the Command+F5 shortcut. Here’s what you do.
How to Reenable the Keyboard Shortcut
If you switched off the Command+F5 keyboard shortcut for enabling and disabling VoiceOver, you can switch it back on by doing the following.
Ask Siri to Help
If you already have VoiceOver enabled and use Siri on your Mac, asking Siri to disable it is another quick approach. Make a request such as, “Turn VoiceOver off.”
