Free assistive technology on a Mac
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
A Mac comes with a lot of free assistive technology, all of it already installed: Voice Control, Switch Control, the head pointer, the Accessibility Keyboard, Spoken Content and more. Before buying software, open System Settings, Accessibility and try what is there. The one gap is using a game controller, an adaptive controller, a switch or a MIDI pad as the mouse and keyboard, and I built InputConfig, also free, to fill it.
On this page
Try the built-in tools for movement
- Voice Control. Accessibility, Voice Control: the whole Mac by speech, with numbers or a grid over the screen for clicking.
- Switch Control. Accessibility, Switch Control: scans the screen so one or more switches can reach everything.
- Head pointer. Accessibility, Pointer Control: the pointer follows head movement seen by the camera.
- Mouse Keys. Accessibility, Pointer Control: the pointer moves from the keyboard.
- Accessibility Keyboard. Accessibility, Keyboard: an on-screen keyboard, with Dwell to click by resting the pointer.
- Sticky Keys and Slow Keys. Accessibility, Keyboard: shortcuts one key at a time, and keys that ignore brief accidental presses.
Try the built-in tools for reading, writing and seeing
- Dictation. Write by voice in any text field. I also make a free dictation app, YapToText, and its site puts the free dictation apps for Mac, side by side.
- Spoken Content. Accessibility, Spoken Content: Speak Selection reads highlighted text aloud.
- VoiceOver. The full screen reader.
- Zoom and Hover Text. Magnify the screen or the item under the pointer.
Use a controller or switch as the mouse
macOS pairs game controllers, including the Xbox Adaptive Controller and the PlayStation Access Controller, but on its own a controller only works in games that support it. It will not move the pointer or press keys in a browser or a writing app.
InputConfig fills that gap. It is a free, open source Mac App Store app, with no account and no network access.
- What it reads. Controllers, adaptive controllers, switches, joysticks, MIDI pads, the Mac's own keys, and a tap on some MacBooks. Tap the Mac was tested on M4 MacBooks and did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing; the calibrator's status chip tells you whether yours listens.
- What it sends. Clicks, pointer movement, key presses and system actions such as Start Dictation, Zoom and Speak Selection.
- How it bends to the body. Each control can have a press, a hold, a double press and a triple press, timing can be lengthened for slow or unsteady movement, and each action can speak a phrase.
- Ready layouts. Easy Browse is for using the whole Mac from a controller, and Easy Edit is for a controller in one hand and a mouse in the other. The built-in Access Controller preset follows Sony's base profile, so it works the moment that controller pairs.
- Access to the app itself. VoiceOver names every field in its editor, and at the lock screen it keeps the pointer and clicks working while blocking every key.
Guides: Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation Access Controller, one to four switches, tremor and limited range, one-handed use, and setting it up for students on school Macs.
Choose which to try first
Start from what the person can do reliably:
- Speech is reliable. Try Voice Control first.
- Only one or two movements are reliable. Try Switch Control.
- Buttons or a joystick work, but a mouse and keyboard are hard. A controller with InputConfig is often the fastest route, and it combines well with Dictation and the Accessibility Keyboard.
Nothing here costs money, so it is reasonable to try all of them in one session.
The short version
- Built in. macOS includes Voice Control, Switch Control, the head pointer, Mouse Keys, the Accessibility Keyboard, Dictation, Spoken Content, VoiceOver and Zoom.
- Added free. InputConfig adds controllers and switches as the mouse and keyboard, on macOS 14 or later.
Open System Settings, Accessibility before you buy anything.
Questions
Is there free assistive technology software for Mac?
Yes. macOS includes Voice Control, Switch Control, the head pointer, Mouse Keys, the Accessibility Keyboard with Dwell, Dictation, Speak Selection, VoiceOver and Zoom, all free in System Settings, Accessibility. InputConfig is a free app that adds controllers, adaptive controllers and switches as a mouse and keyboard.
Does a MacBook have an on-screen keyboard?
Yes, the Accessibility Keyboard in System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard. It can be used with any pointer, including a controller stick driven by InputConfig.
Can a joystick be a mouse on a Mac for free?
Yes. InputConfig reads the joystick or controller stick and moves the pointer, with deadzones for tremor and adjustable speed. Buttons click, right click and scroll.
Does this work on iPad or Chromebook?
The built-in features listed here are the Mac versions. iPad has its own. InputConfig runs on Macs only, with macOS 14 or later.
Related
Updated