Low Vision Accessibility Settings for MacBooks

For one of my college design classes, I had to rent a MacBook from the library and work with it for about a week. I had never used a Mac prior to this, so I messaged one of my friends and asked them to help me learn more about low vision accessibility settings for MacBooks and figure out how to make MacBook accessible for low vision. Luckily, this process was much easier than I expected, and I was using the MacBook in no time at all. Here’s a list of low vision accessibility settings for MacBooks and Mac computers that can be helpful for users with vision loss.

Invert colors

Why invert colors? Some people find it easier to read light text on a dark background, instead of dark text on a light background. In addition, having a darker background can help with eye fatigue and simplifies the display of the computer.

How to invert colors

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Accessibility
Click on Display
Check the box that says Invert Colors
Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut control+option+command+8

Gestures to zoom on trackpad

There are two different ways to use gestures on the trackpad/mouse for zooming in:

Double-tap with two fingers for smart zoom on webpages or documents
Use a pinch gesture to zoom in on the screen

How to Zoom in on trackpad

Double-tap with two fingers or use a pinch gesture to magnify the webpage. Note that your device must support multi-touch gestures.

Enable VoiceOver

VoiceOver is the built-in screen reader for Apple devices that reads all page elements and allows users to use their computer with their keyboard and other gestures instead of a mouse. For users who do not need to have everything on the screen read out loud but still benefit from text-to-speech, Speak Text is a great alternative- more on that in the next section.

How to enable VoiceOver

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Accessibility
Click on VoiceOver
Check the box that says Enable VoiceOver
Configure settings as needed
To activate VoiceOver, use the keyboard shortcut Command+F5

Speak Text

For users who need an on-demand screen reader that only reads selected text instead of an entire page, Speak Text is a great option for users. I love using this tool on my iPad as I do not always need to hear information about the UI of a given app, but definitely benefit from having onscreen text read out loud.

How to enable Speak Text

Open the System Preferences panel under the Apple icon
Click on Dictation and Speech.
Select the Text to Speech tab
Check the option “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”
Click the Set Key option
Choose one modifier key — Command, Control, Option, or Shift — plus one other key of your choice to set the key combination for activating Speak Text
Click OK

Dark Mode

Dark mode (sometimes called dark theme or night mode) is a light-on-dark color scheme that uses light-colored text, icons, and graphical user interface elements on a dark background. It has grown in popularity over the years as a way to help prevent screen fatigue for users and make text and other elements easier to read or interact with for longer periods of time. Many users with low vision prefer to use dark mode to help with combatting eyestrain and making text easier to read.

How to enable Dark Mode

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on General
Click on Appearance
Check the box that says Dark

Reduce motion

This is one of the lesser-known accessibility settings for MacBooks. I have this setting enabled on my iPad because I can get disoriented from fast-moving images, and the animations can be painful when I have a migraine. This can also help students with photosensitivity who are sensitive to quick-changing displays.

How to reduce motion

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Accessibility
Click on Display
Check the box that says Reduce Motion

Zoom

Zoom is the built-in screen magnification tool for Apple devices, which allows users to enlarge items onscreen using a digital magnifier. There are several options for customizing Zoom, including color filters, lens size, and magnification power- these are covered in the Zoom Magnifier post linked below.

How to enable Zoom

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Accessibility
Click on Zoom
Choose how you want to activate Zoom- many users prefer to use keyboard gestures, but users can also use the scroll wheel on their mouse.

Cursor size

Most people that I know with low vision prefer to use a large cursor size. It’s easier to track on the screen and it’s much less likely to go missing on the screen.

How to change the cursor size

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Universal Access
Click on the mouse and trackpad pane
Use the slider to adjust the size of the cursor

Enlarge dock

Users with low vision may find it hard to see items on the dock, which is a selection of apps and shortcuts on the bottom of their screen. Enlarge Dock can help tremendously with this issue.

How to enlarge dock

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Dock
Adjust the slider to change the dock size
In addition, you can magnify icons when you move your mouse over them

Make everything on the screen larger

If you need to make everything larger on your MacBook, there’s an option to make everything on the screen larger. I don’t recommend doing this if you are frequently working on items where image clarity and quality are critical, since the display will be at a lower resolution.

How to make everything on the screen larger

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Displays
Click on Display
Select your desired resolution. This will be different for everyone, so feel free to choose a couple of different settings

Keyboard brightness

For people who use a backlit keyboard, users can adjust the intensity of the backlight in system settings. My friend prefers to use the backlit keyboard because it helps them locate keys more easily. This isn’t technically part of accessibility settings for MacBooks, but it is helpful.

How to adjust keyboard brightness

Open the System Preferences panel
Click on Keyboard
Click on Keyboard again if needed
Check the box that says “adjust keyboard brightness in low light”
To make the keyboard brighter, press F6 on the keyboard. To make it less bright, press F5 on the keyboard.

Tech support options

For users who are looking for support on how to make MacBooks accessible, I recommend calling the Apple Accessibility Support phone number, as they are well versed in helping to troubleshoot and support issues related to accessibility settings. For students in college, the campus assistive technology specialist can also be a great resource.