Use a screen reader to chat in Skype for Mac

Screen Reader Content

You can also read this article :

Use a screen reader to chat in Skype for Windows

Use a screen reader to chat in Skype for mobile

A number of articles will be made available as part of the Skype Accessibility content set, which is intended as a resource for people who have hearing impairments and are using a screen reader program with Skype to communicate with their loved ones as well as friends. Please visit the Skype Support page if you would like more general information.

By using the keyboard and the voice recognition program developed by the MacOS X operating system, VoiceOver, it is possible to sign in and communicate with others using Skype with those who run the MacOS X operating system. If you wish to chat with another person, you can use either instant messaging (IM) or voice calling. It is intended for users of the most recent version of Skype to use the information provided in this article. Click here to find out more about how to update Skype in order to get more information.

Notes:

• You can learn more about how to use keyboard shortcuts for Skype here, including how to set them up, how to use them, and how to use them.
• For this article, I am going to assume that you are reading this on a macOS desktop and that you are using a screen reader such as VoiceOver on your computer as a means of following along with the instructions.
• Depending on your MacOS version and Skype version, and the type of hardware you use, you may experience some differences in navigation and gestures.
• Skype offers a variety of accessibility features that can be accessed through their website. For more information about the accessibility features that we have available, please visit our accessibility features page.

Create a chat conversation

1. By pressing Command+N, you will be able to open Skype’s main window.
2. Type the name of the person, their email address, or their phone number. During the typing process, a search is conducted.
3. Using the keyboard shortcut Control+Option+Right arrow repeatedly until you hear the first result in the list of results, you will be able to hear the first result from the list.
   
   • It is possible to scroll through the list of results by pressing the VoiceOver modifier combined with either the Right arrow key or the Left arrow key if you hear that “More” results are available. Whenever the screen reader detects that you are getting closer to a contact, it will notify you as you move toward them.
4. Select the contact you wish to open by pressing Return. After selecting the contact, the contact will be opened.
5. As soon as the contact is opened, the spotlight moves towards the text area in which you can type in your message. The message must be typed and then the return key must be pressed to send it.

Create a group chat

Two or more people can be engaged in a conversation at the same time.

1. You can zoom in and out of Skype’s main window by pressing Command+G within the Skype main window.
2. The first step of creating a new group involves typing a name for it, and then pressing Return to repeat the action.
3. You can choose to add a new group to your contacts by selecting “Add to Group Dialog” and typing the name of the contact you wish to add. You will be able to search for the words you type while they are being typed.
4. When you hear the sound of a contact that you wish to add, you need to press Control+Option+Rightarrow to move to the list of results. You will hear the screen reader announce the contact names as you move through the screen.
5. The selected contact will now be added to the group when you press the Return key.
   
   
   • When you press Control+Option+Right arrow on the keyboard, you will hear “Checkbox checked” messages for every contact you have chosen until you hear “Selected” for each contact you have chosen.
6. Press Shift+Tab until you hear “Close Search” and then press Shift+Tab again until you hear “Add More People to Group,” in order to add more people to the group. Repeat this step until all of the contacts that you would like to add to the group have been added after you have typed the name of a new contact that you would like to add to the group.
   
   • In order to confirm who is a member of your newly created group, you will need to press Shift+Taband twice together with pressing Return. You will hear the names of any new members announced along with the “Click to delete” command, and you will be able to confirm who is a member of the group by pressing Shift+Taband twice along with pressing Return.
7. Adding a large number of people to this screen requires you to hold Shift while you press Tab until you hear the verbiage “Done” as well as pressing Return to save the changes after you have added all of the people you wish to add.
8. You will now be able to chat with other members of the group if you wish, and the focus is now on the input field, where you are going to be able to type your message. When you have finished typing your message, press the Return key on your keyboard to send it to the group.

Create a private conversation

An invite can be sent to another person allowing them to join in on your private conversation. Users have the option of transmitting and receiving messages, sending media files and making phone calls in a secure manner when using private conversations.

Notes:

• A single device can only be used at a time to access private conversations.
• A private conversation is not displayed in the chat list notification if you want to keep the information that you share private.

1. You can open recent chats by pressing Option+1 in the Skype main window.
2. You will hear the notification saying “New Chat” as soon as you press Shift+Tab.
3. There is a menu that appears. You will hear the message “New private conversation” when you press the Down arrow key and you will need to press the Return key.
4. A dialog box will appear with the option to start a private conversation. Please note that the program may not start if you click the Tab key until the message reads “Search people” and then press the Return key to stop it.
5. In order to invite someone to a private conversation, you need to type their name in the box. You will be able to perform a search as you type.
6. The Control key, Option key, and right arrow key must be pressed together until the first result of the search is heard and then the page will move to the list of the results. Regardless of how many results are displayed, once you press the VoiceOver modifier (Control+Option) as well as the Right and Left arrow keys, you will be able to scroll backwards and forwards through the list to navigate from an item to another. It is possible to move from one contact to another by using the screen reader.
7. The person you wish to select can be selected by pressing the Return key. A private conversation invitation is sent to them in order to let them know how to join. Messages sent to them in private conversation can only be sent if they have accepted the invitation.

  Note: When you’re in the chat room and you want to talk to someone using Skype or Private, you can switch between your Skype conversations and private conversations by pressing Shift+Tab until you hear the phrase “Skype conversation” or “Private conversation,” then click on the right or left arrow keys until you hear the conversation you want. Once you have finished typing, press the Return key. The focus of the screen moves to the text input field where you are asked to type a message.

Find messages in a conversation

If you wish to search within a current conversation for a specific message, you can easily do so.

1. To open the search text input field in the chat, simply press the Command+F key combination at the same time. In the current conversation you hear the following message: “Find messages in this conversation.”
2. Enter the keywords you would like to search for. While you are typing, the search is being conducted while you are typing. In Voice Over, it is read out how many results there are for a search. The results of the search are listed in chronological order, starting with the most recent results.
3. Once you have heard the message containing the search result containing the tab key, hold it down until it stops.
4. In order to move forward to the next search result, you can repeatedly press the Shift + Tab key until you hear “Previous result” or “Next result”, then make use of the “Return” key to return to the previous search result. Repeat the process of pressing the Tab key until the search result is displayed in the message box.

React to a message

1. Holding down the Control+Option+Left arrow keys until you hear the last message in a chat will allow you to hear the last message that was sent in that chat.
2. When you hear the message you want to react to, press either the Up or Down arrow key as soon as you hear it.
   
   

   Note: In order to react to a message, you must first receive it from someone else. Private conversations do not have the option to use reactions.

3. Press the Tab key until the message comes up “React to this message.”. If the message does not come up, press the Return key until it does.
4. If you press the voice over key modifiers (Control + Option), after pressing the departure key, you will then be able to hear the desired reaction based on the combination of the Right and Left arrow keys, before you press the return key.

Delete a conversation

Deleted chats no longer show up in your recent chat list as they are deleted along with all the messages contained in that conversation.

  Note: If you delete a conversation from your chat list, you will also be able to view your copy of all messages that have been exchanged during that conversation. It will not be possible for you to see the history of any conversation you had with someone if you start a new conversation with them after you deleted the previous conversation.

1. Using the Option+1 key, you can open the recent chats section within the Skype main window.
2. In addition to the Control + Option modifier keys, you can also use the Right and Left arrow keys on your keyboard to move to the conversation you desire to delete, along with Control + Option to move to the respective conversation.
3. By clicking Control+Option+Shift+M on the context menu, you will see a dialog box that asks you to delete the conversation. As soon as the word “Delete conversation” appears, press the Down arrow key until the word appears at the bottom of the window.
4. In order to delete both the Skype chat and the private conversation with the same person, you can use the Tab key, or the Delete all key, depending on whether you are deleting the Skype chat, the private conversation, or deleting them all at the same time. Press the Return key to proceed.
5. It is important to click the Tab key until the dialogue box says ‘Delete’, then press the Return key to confirm you want to delete the conversation.

Add files to a conversation

During your chat, you will be able to add files as messages to your chat. The message list and the conversation gallery are both places where files can be accessed and stored, so in the message list, as well as the conversation gallery.

1. Once you have pressed the Tab key in the chat, you will hear “Add files” before you hear “Return.”. A dialog box will open up that allows you to select a file.
2. Find the file that you are looking for and select it. Using the Tab key and the Arrow key, you will be able to move around in the dialog box, and then by using the Return key, you will be able to select the folders or files that you wish to select.
3. As soon as the file has been selected, the conversation is automatically updated with the file.

  Note: The file can also be added to your gallery by clicking on the Add File button. By pressing the Tab key until you hear the “Gallery” in your file list, you will then be able to open the file dialog from the Gallery. In order to share, you will need to hold down the Tab key and listen for the words “Drop here to share,” followed by pressing the Return key as soon as you hear them.

Technical support for customers with disabilities

It is our goal at Microsoft to ensure that each and every one of our customers has the best possible experience. We would be happy to assist you with technical questions relating to accessibility if you have a disability or questions related to accessibility. With the assistance of our Disability Answer Desk support team, you will be able to access a variety of popular assistive technologies that are available to you immediately. They are able to assist you in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language, as well as a number of other languages. In order to find out the contact information for your region, please visit the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you type left to right on Skype?

All images and contents credit goes to support.skype.com