What is the VoiceOver modifier key on a Mac?

The VoiceOver modifier is the key you press with other keys to enter a VoiceOver command. By default it is Control and Option pressed together, or Caps Lock on its own ¹. Apple writes each command as VO plus a key, so VO-Space bar means the modifier and the Space bar pressed together.

You can lock the modifier so you do not have to hold it, and you can change it in VoiceOver Utility. Both are covered below. The modifier only matters while VoiceOver is on.

Why Apple calls it VO

Apple's VoiceOver guide uses VO as a short name for the modifier. Apple writes each command as VO plus another key, where VO is the VoiceOver modifier ¹. For example, VO-Right Arrow moves the cursor ², and VO-Space bar performs the default action for the item, such as clicking a button ³. You can read the full list in Apple's VoiceOver navigation commands. When you read a command, replace VO with the modifier you have set.

The default is Control-Option or Caps Lock

By default, you have two ways to press the modifier. You can press Control and Option together, or you can press Caps Lock alone. Apple states both options in its VoiceOver guide, so either one can serve as the modifier ¹. Try both on your own keyboard and keep the one that is easier for you to press.

Lock the modifier so you do not hold it

Some commands use several keys, such as VO-Shift-M. Apple explains that when the modifier is locked, you press just the other keys: for example, VO-Shift-M is entered by pressing Shift and M together. You lock or unlock the modifier with VO-Semicolon ⁴.

Change the modifier in VoiceOver Utility

If Control and Option or Caps Lock does not suit you, change the modifier. Apple's VoiceOver User Guide says you can use the Commands category of VoiceOver Utility to change the VoiceOver modifier ⁵. To open that utility, turn VoiceOver on with Command-F5, then press VO-Fn-F8 ⁶.

Apple's pages describe the current macOS release. If a label in VoiceOver Utility does not match these steps, look for the word "modifier" in the Commands category.

Function-key commands also need Fn

When you use a function key from F1 through F12 in a VoiceOver command, you must also press the Fn key by default ⁷. That is why the utility shortcut is written VO-Fn-F8, with the Fn key in the middle. Some Macs let you change this behavior, so check the setting if a function-key command does nothing.

It depends: Voice Control and Dictation are separate features

The VoiceOver modifier is not a Voice Control or Dictation key. VoiceOver is a screen reader, and Voice Control runs the Mac by voice. Dictation types what you say. Each has its own switch and its own commands, and the comparison of Dictation, Voice Control and Siri on a Mac shows which feature to use for which job.

If you use Voice Control and VoiceOver together, Apple suggests headphones so that Voice Control hears only you ⁸.

What to do

1. Keep the default, Control and Option together or Caps Lock, unless a command does not work.
2. For a command with several keys, such as VO-Shift-M, press VO-Semicolon to lock the modifier, then press the other keys.
3. For a function-key command, press Fn as well, or check the Fn setting on your Mac.
4. If the keys have stopped working, check the modifier in VoiceOver Utility by pressing VO-Fn-F8.

For the first steps with the modifier, read how to use VoiceOver on a Mac. For what VoiceOver does, see what VoiceOver is, and for the terms used here, the VoiceOver glossary entry. For the wider picture on Mac speech, see our overview of dictation on Mac.