Mac accessibility shortcuts: every key combination in one place
By Ryleigh Newman · Published · Updated
Press Option-Command-F5 on a Mac to open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel, where you switch features such as VoiceOver, Zoom or Sticky Keys on and off. On a Mac or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, pressing Touch ID three times quickly does the same. You choose which features the panel lists in System Settings, Accessibility, Shortcut, and if you choose only one, the shortcut switches it directly with no panel.
I make YapToText, a free dictation app for the Mac, and InputConfig, a free app that turns any button, switch or controller into keys and clicks. I built both because my own hands do not work well. Apple's shortcuts below are from its Mac User Guide, read October 9, 2026.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
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The Accessibility Shortcuts panel
- Open it. Option-Command-F5, or Touch ID pressed three times quickly.
- Use it. Select the features to switch on or off, then click Done, or click outside the panel.
- Choose what it lists. System Settings, Accessibility, Shortcut, then tick the features you want.
- Skip the panel. Tick only one feature, and the shortcut turns that feature on or off at once.
- Put it in the menu bar. System Settings, Menu Bar, Add Controls, then add Accessibility Shortcuts to the menu bar or Control Center.
Siri can do it too: ask Turn on VoiceOver. More accessibility shortcuts can be changed in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Accessibility.
Shortcuts for the motor features
Apple's Mac User Guide, read October 9, 2026. The Zoom and Speak selection keys are as InputConfig's help page states them, with the setting each needs.
| Shortcut | What it does | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Option, five times | Turns Mouse Keys on or off | That option on, in Pointer Control, Mouse Keys |
| Shift, five times | Turns Sticky Keys on or off | That option on, in Keyboard, Sticky Keys |
| Tab-H | Opens Full Keyboard Access commands help | Full Keyboard Access on |
| Fn-Control-F2 | Jumps to the menu bar | Full Keyboard Access on |
| Control-Option-Command-P | Pauses Full Keyboard Access (Pass-Through Mode) | Full Keyboard Access on |
| Option-Command-8, equals, minus | Zoom on or off, in, out | Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom, in Accessibility, Zoom |
| Option-Esc | Speaks the selected text | Speak selection on, in Accessibility, Read & Speak (Spoken Content on older macOS) |
Shortcuts for writing
Apple's Dictation starts from the microphone key, F5 on recent MacBooks, or the shortcut set in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. YapToText adds its own, and every one is a single press or a simple chord:
From YapToText's own settings and help. Each key can be changed on the Dictation and Quick Edit pages.
| Key | What it does in YapToText |
|---|---|
| Right Command | Starts and stops a dictation, tapped. Or hold to talk. |
| Right Option | Quick Edit: select text, tap, say the change. |
| Control-Option-Space | The backup shortcut. Works even without the Accessibility permission. |
| Space, while dictating | Pauses and resumes. |
| 1 to 9, while dictating | Picks a mode. |
| Esc | Cancels the dictation. |
The dictation key can be any single key, so pick the one your hand reaches without moving. The keys and shortcuts page lists every choice, and the Mac dictation shortcut page covers Apple's.
When a chord is the hard part
Option-Command-F5 is three keys at once. Three ways around that:
- Sticky Keys. Press Option, then Command, then F5, one at a time.
- The menu bar. Add Accessibility Shortcuts to the menu bar and click it instead.
- One button. InputConfig sends a whole chord from a single press: give a row a Keyboard Key output of Option-Command-F5, and a controller button, a mouse side button, a MIDI pad or a knock on a MacBook opens the panel. Its outputs also include Zoom In, Zoom Out and Speak Selection directly.
InputConfig chords fire as real chords, and its dictation, Zoom and Speak Selection page has the settings each one needs. The same row can send Right Command instead, and then that button starts YapToText. That handoff follows from both apps' code, and I have not tested it end to end on every control.
The short version
- The panel. Option-Command-F5, or Touch ID three times.
- Choose its features. System Settings, Accessibility, Shortcut.
- Mouse Keys and Sticky Keys. Option five times, Shift five times.
- Writing. Right Command for YapToText, Right Option for Quick Edit.
- No chords. Sticky Keys, the menu bar, or one InputConfig button.
If a shortcut here has moved in your macOS version, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/quickly-turn-accessibility-features-on-or-off-mchlp2975/mac (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-keyboard-settings-for-accessibility-mchlae61a6de/mac (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-pointer-control-settings-accessibility-unac899/mac (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-full-keyboard-access-mchlc06d1059/mac (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://inputconfig.com/help/dictation-zoom-speak (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/inputconfig/id6777759147 (checked 2026-10-09)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-09)
Questions
What is the accessibility shortcut on a Mac?
Option-Command-F5 opens the Accessibility Shortcuts panel. On a Mac with Touch ID, pressing Touch ID three times quickly does the same.
How do I change what the accessibility shortcut turns on?
System Settings, Accessibility, Shortcut. Tick the features you want. With only one ticked, the shortcut switches that feature directly.
How do I turn on Mouse Keys with the keyboard?
Press Option five times, once the option to toggle Mouse Keys that way is on in Pointer Control, Mouse Keys.
What is the keyboard shortcut for Zoom on a Mac?
Option-Command-8 turns Zoom on or off, after Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom is on in Accessibility, Zoom. Option-Command-equals zooms in and minus zooms out.
Can I put an accessibility shortcut on a single button?
Yes, with InputConfig, which is free. A row sends Option-Command-F5, or any chord, from one press.