Apple’s accessibility suite has always been feature-rich. Whether it’s the ever-reliable VoiceOver or the very useful Switch Control or the neat color filters, it has a wide range of tools to enhance your Mac experience. If you love accessibility, you should be familiar with Accessibility Shortcuts which provide instant access to notable features. With macOS Big Sur, you can show Accessibility Shortcuts in your Mac’s menu bar and control center for quick access to your favorite features. Let me help you settle in!
Show Accessibility Shortcuts in Menu Bar and Control Center in macOS Big Sur
macOS Big Sur introduced an iOS-like Control Center that not only provides easy access to many commands like AirDrop, Dark Mode, and Do Not Disturb Mode, but also provides some cool customization. Additionally, Apple has also made the menu bar a bit more customizable.
Once you add the accessibility shortcuts to control center/menu bar, you will have hassle-free access to several features including zoom, color inversion, color filters, accessibility keyboard and Head Pointer. Obviously, this is way more convenient than going deep into settings and then enabling specific features each time you want to use them.
1. To get started, run System Preferences on your Mac. (You can also click the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences.)
2. Now click on Dock and menu bar preference.
3. Scroll down and click Accessibility shortcuts which can be found in the Other modules section.
4. Under Accessibility Shortcut, you have two options: Show in Menu Bar and Show in Control Center.
Now check the box for each option if you want the Shortcuts icon to appear in both the Control Center and the menu bar.
That’s all we can say about it! From now on, the Shortcuts icon will start appearing in the menu bar and control center.
As mentioned above, you will now be able to easily access your favorite accessibility shortcuts. By simply clicking on the shortcuts icon and then choosing the feature you want to use.
If you ever want to hide it, go back to Dock & Menu Bar preferences, then uncheck the box.
Access Accessibility Shortcuts from Control Center and Menu Bar on Mac
This is how you can make accessibility shortcuts more accessible on your Mac. As I’ve always liked accessibility, I like this clean change. And I’m sure it will win praise from other Mac users as well.
If you’re in the same boat, let me tell you that Apple introduced some exceptionally useful accessibility features like “Press Back” and “Headset Audio Customization” in iOS 14. Try them on your iPhone if you want to up your accessibility game.
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