When I first wrote about low vision accessibility settings for Mac computers in 2019, I was using a MacBook for one of my design classes at the university library and trying to figure out how to make MacBook easier to see or how to enable accessibility settings for Mac that are similar to what I would use on a Windows computer. I always knew there were more accessibility features for Mac than the ones I had used several years ago, so I borrowed another MacBook and got to work documenting low vision accessibility settings for Mac that can be useful for people with visual impairments. Updated in 2025, here is a comprehensive list and overview of low vision accessibility settings for Mac, tested with Sequoia 15.5 on a MacBook and compiled by an assistive technology specialist with low vision.
Where are accessibility settings for Mac?
Unless otherwise noted, all of the accessibility settings for Mac listed within this post are located in System Settings (System Preferences) in the Accessibility section. To open System Settings, select the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the window and then select Settings. The Accessibility section has a blue and white icon with a circle and stick figure illustration, and is located between General and Appearance.
Related links
- How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
- Enabling Temporary Accessibility Settings For iPad
- iPhone Accessibility Settings For Occipital Stroke
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is Apple’s screen reader, which is used by people with vision loss and reads information out loud on a webpage or in an application. Screen readers like VoiceOver allow users to navigate their device using a keyboard or a series of gestures, and are typically “always on”— if someone has a screen reader enabled, it is reasonable to assume that the user would be unable to use their device if the screen reader were turned off.
There are a few different options for turning VoiceOver on and off, including:
- In the Accessibility menu of the Settings app, navigate to the Vision section and turn on VoiceOver
- Use the keyboard shortcut Command+F5
- Press and hold the Command key while quickly pressing Touch ID three times
- Ask Siri to turn VoiceOver on/off
Within the VoiceOver Utility, users can customize VoiceOver settings such as the speaking voice, verbosity (level of detail), create custom labels for elements, and create activities that can be automatically enabled when browsing specific websites or applications.
Related links
Zoom
Zoom is a digital magnifier tool that enlarges all on-screen content up to 40 times its original size, with options for a full screen view, split screen view, and picture-in-picture view. Users can configure the following options for enabling Zoom magnification on Mac:
- Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom. This includes toggle zoom (Control + Option + 8), zoom in (Control + Option + +), and zoom out (Control + Option + –)
- Use trackpad gestures to zoom. Double-tap three fingers to toggle zoom, then double-tap three fingers and drag to change zoom.
- Use scroll gesture with modifier key to Zoom. Select modifier key from drop-down menu, and then press and hold the key while scrolling to activate Zoom.
- Turn on Touch Bar zoom, which will mirror a magnified view of the Touch Bar on the Mac screen.
As mentioned, Zoom can be used in a full screen view where the entire screen is magnified, in a split screen (docked) view where Zoom is shown on the edge of the screen, or in a picture-in-picture (lens) view where Zoom is shown in a box that follows the pointer. The window size of split screen and picture-in-picture can be adjusted by dragging an edge or corner.
Within Advanced Settings, users can configure options for how the zoomed image moves with the pointer, pinning the location of the picture-in-picture view so that it remains stationary instead of following the mouse, invert colors of picture-in-picture or split screen views, and set minimum and maximum zoom levels.
Related links
- Zoom Magnifier and Low Vision Accessibility
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
- iOS Magnifier and Low Vision Accessibility
Hover Text
In this context, Hover Text is an accessibility feature available for Mac that enlarges content positioned under the pointer in a separate window and applies a consistent font style, color, and size to selected text— in other words, users can view a larger version of text that they are reading or typing, without having to turn on Zoom. Hover Text essentially is a combination of a simplified reading display and screen magnification tool, and is used to customize the appearance of on-screen text positioned under a pointer. The original page/display is still visible when Hover Text is enabled, so the window does not take up the entire screen.
To use Hover Text once it is turned on, position the mouse cursor underneath an area of text and press/hold the Command key (or other modifier key). Users can also turn on an activation lock to have Hover Text turned on continuously by pressing the modifier key three times.
To further customize Hover Text, including turning on the activation lock and changing the font size/color, select the I icon next to Hover Text in the Accessibility menu.
Hover Typing
Hover Typing is another setting in the Hover Text accessibility menu that enlarges text that is being typed in a textbox using the same display settings as Hover Text. It does not require an external keyboard or cursor, and is automatically activated whenever a user is typing something on their device, like a text message, email, username on a login screen, or similar.
Hover Typing will be enabled automatically when typing when it is turned on, unless the user presses the Esc key to temporarily hide the window. The location of the Hover Typing window, font size, color, and other settings can be configured by selecting the I icon next to Hover Typing in the Accessibility menu.
Related links
- How To Use Hover Text For iPad With Low Vision
- Learning To Type With Low Vision
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
Display
Invert colors
Invert colors (also known as inverted display or invert) is a color mode/color filter that changes a light-colored display with dark text to a dark-colored display with light text. This can be helpful for users with low vision that are sensitive to bright lights or want to improve the contrast of a display without removing any background graphics.
Mac offers two modes for inverting colors, known as Smart Invert and Classic Invert. Smart Invert does not invert or change the colors of pictures, images, videos, icons, or existing interfaces already in dark mode. Classic Invert will use a full color inversion, changing all display colors for content and displaying “dark mode” content in a light color palette.
Reduce motion
Reduce motion will turn off non-essential animations such as the parallax effect when switching applications. Users can also enable the option to prefer a non-blinking cursor.
Increase contrast/Reduce transparency
Instead of having light gray colors on a white background or similar low-contrast combinations, users can enable increase contrast and reduce transparency to make colors easier to see and identify. This is a super helpful feature for making Mac easier to see.
Differentiate without color
Instead of only using color to communicate information (e.g. green means on), differentiating without color adds an icon or texture so that information is not conveyed through color alone.
Auto-play animated images
To avoid having GIFs or other animated images that could potentially contain flashing lights or spinning effects automatically play when a user encounters them, auto-play can be turned off as part of accessibility settings.
Show window title icons
Window title icons are used like the Finder icon, which can be useful for quickly getting information about a folder or using drag-and-drop.
Show toolbar button shapes
Button shapes adds a subtle, shaded effect so that they are easier to locate and have increased contrast. The buttons themselves are also slightly larger and can be easier to press.
Display contrast
High Contrast on a Mac computer is different than High Contrast for Windows, as increasing the contrast on Mac does not enable a simplified color palette or remove non-essential graphics— it is similar to adjusting the contrast of a photo. That said, there are seven options on the slider for increasing contrast for Mac, including Normal and Maximum.
Text size
Users can set their preferred text size and menu bar size to make Mac easier to see. While the menu bar options are limited to two options (Normal and Large), there are 14 font sizes available for Mac that include options for using Mac with large print. Here is a list of Mac font sizes that can be selected from the slider:
- 9 pt
- 10 pt
- 11 pt
- 12 pt
- Default (appears to be 12 pt)
- 13 pt
- 14 pt
- 15 pt
- 16 pt
- 17 pt
- 20 pt
- 24 pt
- 29 pt
- 35 pt
- 42 pt
Users can also set per-app font sizes for reading. If no font size is selected, the app will use the preferred reading size selected on the slider.
Change mouse pointer size
To make the mouse pointer larger for Mac, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display > Pointer, and select the Pointer Size slider to make the mouse pointer larger or smaller. There are eight options on the slider ranging from Normal to Large.
Change mouse pointer color
To make the mouse pointer easier to see, users can choose a custom mouse pointer color, including a custom outline color and a custom fill color. Examples of custom colors for Mac pointers include:
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
- Cyan
- Green
- Magenta
- Orange
- Purple
- Red
- Yellow
- White
There are even more colors listed in accessibility settings that include more shades of these colors and the option to select colors from a gradient.
Color filters
Color filters are tools that can help reduce eye strain from screens by reducing the negative effect of blue light and/or adjusting how colors are displayed on a screen for a more comfortable viewing experience. Color filters can change how specific colors are displayed on a screen (helpful for colorblindness or color deficiencies) or apply a subtle tint to a display, similar to computer glasses or a screen protector.
Similar to my iPad, I use the Color Tint setting to configure a red color at 7% intensity, which applies a subtle warm hue to my screen and acts similar to a blue light filter. This does not have any significant impact on color display for the screen, it just softens bright light.
Unfortunately, there is no option to reduce the white point for Mac like there is for iPhone/iPad.
Related links
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Smartphone Accessibility Settings For Photosensitivity
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Make Mouse Pointers Easier To See in Windows
- Ten Ways To Reduce Eye Strain From Screens With Technology
Spoken Content
For users that benefit from having text read loud but not necessarily all of the time, text-to-speech tools like Speak Selection/Spoken Content may be a better option. Speak Selection (sometimes referred to as Speak Text) will read all text that is selected or on the screen, as well as any alt text or other elements of a page that would be read by VoiceOver if it was turned on. Speak Selection offers the same voice customizations as VoiceOver, though users do not need to know any VoiceOver gestures to interact with content. Settings for Speak Selection can be customized independently from VoiceOver, though the settings for each feature are similar.
By default, Speak Selection can be activated by pressing the keyboard shortcut Option + Escape. Additional settings for Speak Selection such as changing the keyboard shortcut, highlight color, sentence style, and playback controls, select the I icon next to Speak Selection in Settings.
Related links
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
Accessibility Shortcut
Accessibility Shortcut provides additional accessibility settings that can be turned on/off by quickly pressing Touch ID three times or by using the keyboard shortcut Option + Command + F5. Accessibility Shortcuts can also be added as a module to the Menu Bar and/or Control Center.
These accessibility settings will remain on until the user turns them off, and they will not be turned on/off automatically when opening an application. Available accessibility settings for Accessibility Shortcut include:
- VoiceOver
- Zoom
- Hover Text
- Hover Typing
- Invert Display Color
- Color Filters
- Sticky Keys
- Slow Keys
- Mouse Keys
- Full Keyboard Access
- Accessibility Keyboard (on-screen keyboard)
- Increase Contrast
- Reduce Transparency
- Head Pointer
- Voice Control
- Live Speech
To further customize these settings and how they are configured, go to the Settings app.
Related links
- Customize Accessibility Settings For Specific Apps
- Enabling Temporary Accessibility Settings For iPad
Captions
Captions and subtitles offers a large print option for reading captions or subtitles, as well as the option to customize the appearance of subtitles. Available customization options include:
- Background color
- Background opacilty
- Text color
- Text size
- Font
- Text opacity
- Text edges
- Window color
- Window opacity
- Default fonts
Appearance
The following settings are located in the Appearance section of the Settings application.
Set dark mode for Mac
Dark mode (sometimes called dark theme or night mode) is a display setting for user interfaces that displays a light-colored text against a dark-colored background. This is different from the default “light mode”, which displays dark-colored text against a light-colored background. Users can select either light mode, dark mode, or automatically switch between the two depending on individual program settings.
Change text highlight color for Mac
Out of all of the accessibility features for Mac, this is the one I would use the most frequently with students that have low vision. When selecting text with the cursor, users can change the highlight color so that it is easier to see the selected text— by default, this is usually a blue color. This can be configured in Settings > Appearance > Text Highlight and includes the following options:
- Accent color
- Blue
- Purple
- Pink
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Graphite
- Other (custom)
The accent color can be configured within the “Accent Color” section above Highlight Color.
Show scroll bars
In addition to setting the sidebar icon size to a larger size, another helpful option when using Mac with low vision is to always show scroll bars, which will otherwise be hidden if the user is not scrolling. This is especially helpful when scrolling through Settings or the Accessibility section, because otherwise users may have trouble locating settings or other options if they don’t know there is a scroll bar.
Related links
- Choosing Between Light Mode and Dark Mode For Low Vision
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- How To Organize Apps On iPad With Low Vision
Displays: Resolution
In the Displays section of the Settings app, users can configure display resolutions to make text easier to read. This can make everything on the screen larger, while lowering the resolution of the display and decreasing the visual complexity.
Available options for adjusting the resolution for a MacBook include:
- Larger Text (1152 x 720)
- 1344 x 840
- 1536 x 960
- Default (1792 x 1120)
- More Space (2048 x 1280)
Other options for configuring Display settings include brightness, True Tone colors, and Night Shift (which can turn on a color filter at night or other pre-set times).
Other low vision accessibility settings for Mac
- Another option in the Vision accessibility setting is Audio Description, which can be used to enable audio description tracks when available for a video. Audio description is a secondary narration track that provides descriptions of visual elements during natural pauses in dialogue, and I share more about audio description in Fast Facts About Audio Description
- Another accessibility feature available for Mac and iOS devices is Background Sounds, which plays white noise or calming/relaxing sounds on a loop. This can be configured in Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Background Sounds, and I share more about this feature in iPhone Accessibility Settings For Occipital Stroke
- Want to learn more about low vision accessibility for iPad? Read How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
Published February 12, 2019. Updated June 2025