Before I lost my sight, the usable low vision I had allowed me to fall in love with typography, design and the Apple aesthetic which I'd describe as clean and simple. I’ve kept this design philosophy throughout my life and have continued to edit and design my documents so they match this aesthetic.
macOS
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for macOS Sequoia
Intro
Have you ever thought, "I wish there was a keyboard shortcut for that"? This guide will teach you how to create a keyboard shortcut for any option in the menu bar, under any menu, including the Apple menu.
What can be turned into a keyboard shortcut?
You can create a keyboard shortcut for all options in the menu bar, as long as you have the exact title of the option. You can interact with a menu option to see how it is spelled.
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For macOS Sequoia
Intro
If you use a Mac, at some point or another, you will need to drag an item from one place to another. You could be, among other things, trying to move a file, reorder a list, or attach photos and other files to a document.
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Ever since I changed to using Windows 10 in my VMware Fusion virtual machine, I've struggled with a fair bit of latency and audio problems when using the standard HDAudio device. Changing the buffer time didn't make a huge difference, but now I've found a way to install the VMaudio driver and revert to the old es1371 audio device so I can lower the latency. This makes my Windows 10 run like my Windows 7 VM latency-wise, and I figured everyone else could use this info, so here goes (note: This worked for me, but I'm not responsible if your audio breaks):
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Finder Navigation
General
- New Finder window: Command-N
- Up one folder level: Command-Up-Arrow
- Open selected folder: Command-Down-Arrow
- Back: Command-left bracket
- Forward: Command-right bracket
Direct Folder Access
- Open the Applications folder: Command-Shift-A
- Open the Computer folder: Command-Shift-C
- Open desktop folder: Command-Shift-D
- Go to Folder: Command-Shift-G
- Open the Home folder of the currently logged-in user account: Command-Shift-H
Editin
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Intro
Safari is the Mac's default web browser, and it does all the usual web browser things - opens webpages, downloads files, plays audio, all that. It has some neat tricks, too, like the Reader that can show you only the meat of an article.
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The Finder
Finder is the Mac's file browser. With it, you can look at files and folders on internal, external, and network drives; copy, cut, and paste items; tag files for easier locating later; search for files; and more. The problem is that, particularly for those transitioning to the Mac from Windows, Finder is a confusing mess that makes you scared to even go looking for a file. I understand that, because I was there too. Hopefully, in writing down what I've learned over the years, I can save you a lot of time and frustration, and let you get on with your Mac much better.
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Intro
When you first get a Mac, and are learning VoiceOver, it can be hard to remember the myriad commands available. Some are pretty easy, like control-option-w to read the current word. Some are quite complex or seldom used, such as control-option-command-f5 to move the mouse pointer to where VoiceOver is focused. Then there are the core concepts, like interacting, moving around dialogs, getting to menus, and plenty more. So, I wanted to offer a guide that does not explain most of the commands and concepts, but rather tells you where to go if you need help.
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For iOS 18, macOS Sequoia
Intro
As is widely known, a major selling point of Apple devices is the interconnected ecosystem they collectively foster, allowing users to work seamlessly between iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices. Some of these features, like iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime, are facilitated by central servers, whereas others, like the Continuity features discussed in this guide, are largely facilitated by Apple’s proprietary peer-to-peer networking protocols that allow devices to directly communicate with each other.
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Partitioning a Drive
When you partition a drive, you essentially make your computer see two different drives where there used to be one. This is useful for a variety of reasons and is something you may find yourself needing to do, but the process on a Mac is a bit complicated. It may be easy to do visually, but using Voiceover, there are some tricks you should know. So, let's get started.
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This guide will teach you the extreme basics of using the Mac including
turning it on.
Locating keys on the built in keyboard including a description of what's Touch ID.
turning on the screen reader (VoiceOver)
Understanding the function of the fn, control, option and command keys
Using voiceover to show the dock, open context menu, focusing voiceover to the menubar and the status bar.
The guide will also teach you basic macOS keyboard shortcuts such as closing programs and opened windows
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This tip is intended for those who either have, or are considering buying a Mac Mini since it does not take up much space and don't wish to use a screen because you're a Voiceover user who don't need a screen. I have created this tip because Apple's support article does not (yet) explain a solution that works. However, I know that they are going to investigate this issue.
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The other day, a few folks and I were comparing stories about switching to a Mac, and trying to build a case for some others to switch as well. The greatest complaint that evening was how Voiceover is less responsive than a screen reader in Windows. This got me to thinking of what the differences were, and through experimentation, have figured out a few tips to make Voiceover as responsive as you want it to be.
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For macOS Sonoma
Intro
If you’re coming to macOS from Windows, you’re probably used to either downloading apps from the Microsoft Store, or downloading an app package from a website and running its included installer. On macOS, there are several ways apps can be installed and uninstalled, which I will give an overview of in this guide. The good news is that whatever methods the developer has employed, the installation and uninstallation processes should seem very straightforward to you, the user.
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I needed to have Windows 7 with JAWS on MacBook Airs. However, Windows 7 is nor supported on newer Macs via Bootcamp. When running VMware Fusion, the Caps Lock key was not passing through as the assigned JAWS key and there were issues with VMware Fusion's built in key mapping feature. Here is a workaround that I developed.
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Introduction
This guide will focus on completing the task of transferring a file via Wi-Fi from your Mac or PC to your iOS device, from one iOS device to another, and vice versa. The actions which can be carried out with the transferred file will also be discussed.
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Dear All,
I have attempted to cover all the mac voiceover keystrokes in combination with the alphabet keys, function keys and along with the modifier keys in the form of a table for ready reference.
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Intro
Each year in June, Apple previews the next major version of macOS, along with updates to its other software platforms, at its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC.) At this event, Apple announces and demonstrates a select number of headlining new features, and makes a prerelease version available to developers so they can test the new software and provide feedback before the public release in October.
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This is an updated and refined version of this guide, now that I've learned a little more, and stopped being so confused.
So we all know about the keyboard commander, and how you can make it read the time when you press option + t, but I personally find that method really really slow. In addition, for me at least, the date doesn't even read some times. So I set to making my own solution.
So, if you've got VoiceOver controllable by Applescript (in the General tab), you can make it say stuff etc.