Use VoiceOver, Zoom or Sticky Keys at the Mac login screen

Why it happens

The login window appears before anyone has logged in, so the accessibility features you set up in your own account don't reach it. Lock Screen settings keeps a separate list just for the login window. When you turn a feature on there, your Mac uses your own settings for it, such as your Zoom level, for everyone at the login window.

How to fix it

1. Log in as you normally would, or ask someone you trust to help you this one time. Then open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.

2. Click Lock Screen in the sidebar, then click Accessibility Options….

   Lock Screen›Accessibility Options…

3. Turn on each feature you want at the login window, for example VoiceOver to hear the screen read aloud, Zoom to make it bigger, or Sticky Keys if pressing two keys at once is hard. If your Mac asks for an administrator name and password, enter them.

4. Set up the feature the way you like it in your own account too, because the login window copies those settings. For Zoom, that means turning on its keyboard shortcuts in Accessibility > Zoom.

   Accessibility›Zoom›Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom

5. Log out from the Apple menu to check. At the login window, the features you picked should be ready to use.

Still not fixed?

1. At the login window you can press Option-Command-F5 to open the accessibility shortcuts panel. It turns features on there even if they're switched off in Accessibility Options….

2. For VoiceOver on its own, press Command-F5. On a Mac with Touch ID, you can also hold Command and press Touch ID three times quickly. Inside your account, the same switch is in Accessibility > VoiceOver.

   Accessibility›VoiceOver›VoiceOver

3. If the login window shows a list of names that's hard to pick from, you can make it show empty name and password boxes instead with Login window shows in Lock Screen settings.

   Lock Screen›Login window shows

4. If the options are greyed out, your Mac may be managed by a school or company, so ask whoever set it up. If the keyboard or pointer doesn't respond at the login window at all, contact Apple Support.