Use VoiceOver to create a Numbers spreadsheet on Mac
You can create and edit Numbers spreadsheets on your Mac using VoiceOver, an advanced screen reader that lets you use your device without seeing the screen. Start with a pre-designed template that includes placeholder data, charts and images, then add your own content. Each template uses coordinated fonts, text styles and colours for a unified look.
Note: VO represents the VoiceOver modifier.
Choose a template
You can choose a template from several categories, such as personal finance, business and education. For example, to create a budget based on income and expenses, you might choose Simple Budget in the Personal Finance category. You choose a template in the template chooser.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Press VO-M to jump to the menu bar, navigate to File > New, then press Return.
The template chooser opens.
Do one of the following:
Choose from all templates: Press VO-Left Arrow to navigate to the template chooser collection, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Choose a template by category, such as Personal Finance and Business: Press VO-Left Arrow to navigate to the table of template categories, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it. Press VO-Down Arrow to scroll through the list of categories until you hear the category you want, then press VO-J to jump to the templates in that category.
To navigate through the template options, press any of the arrow keys, then press Return to choose one.
Add or remove table rows and columns
All Numbers templates include at least one table. You can change the number of rows and columns in each table to better suit your data. You do this in the Table tab of the Format sidebar.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Open a spreadsheet, then press VO-U to open the rotor.
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key until you hear “Window Spots”, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “content - Sheet layout area”.
To select the sheet layout area, press Return, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow until you hear the name of the table you want to edit.
Note: VoiceOver speaks the number of rows and columns in the table.
Press VO-J to jump to the Table tab of the Format sidebar, then press VO-Space to select it.
Note: If you jump to the Organise sidebar instead, you can navigate to the Format sidebar using the toolbar. From your current location, press VO-Shift-Up Arrow, then press VO-Left Arrow to navigate to the toolbar. To enter the toolbar, press VO-Shift Down Arrow, then press VO-Right Arrow to navigate to the Format button. Press VO-Space to select it, then press VO-J twice to jump to the Table tab.
To navigate to the Table Formatter scroll area, press VO-Down Arrow, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
To change the number of rows, press VO-Right Arrow until you hear “Rows”, press VO-Right Arrow again to select the current number of rows, enter the number you want, then press Return.
To change the number of columns, press VO-Right Arrow until you hear “Columns”, press VO-Right Arrow again to select the current number of columns, enter the number you want, then press Return.
Change the chart type
Many Numbers templates include at least one chart. If you want to change the chart type to better suit your data — for example, from a column chart to a pie chart — you can do this in the Format menu.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Open a spreadsheet with a chart, then press VO-U to open the rotor.
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key until you hear “Window Spots”, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “content - Sheet layout area”.
To select the sheet layout area, press Return, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow until you hear the name of the chart you want to edit.
Press VO-M to jump to the menu bar, then navigate to Format > Chart > Chart Type.
In the Chart Type menu, press the Down Arrow key until you hear the type of chart you want to use, then press Return.
The chart automatically updates in the sheet layout area and VoiceOver speaks the selected chart type to confirm your change.
Add your own data to tables and charts
You can replace the template placeholder data for tables and charts with your own data in the sheet layout area.
Chart data and axis labels automatically update when you change the data in a corresponding table. Chart titles don’t update automatically, but you can change them manually.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Open a spreadsheet, then press VO-U to open the rotor.
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key until you hear “Window Spots”, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “content - Sheet layout area”.
To select the sheet layout area, press Return, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow until you hear the name of the table you want to edit, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
To navigate through the cells in the table, press VO and any of the arrow keys.
To add or replace cell data, navigate to the cell, then type.
To change the name of a table, navigate to the table in the sheet layout area, then press VO-Space. Press Command-A to select the current name, then type to enter a new one. To change the name of a chart, navigate to the chart in the sheet layout area, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it. VoiceOver should speak the title of the chart. Press VO-Space twice, then type the new title.
Add your own media
To add your own images and videos, you can replace the media placeholders in the template. You do this in the sheet layout area.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Open a spreadsheet with media placeholders, then press VO-U to open the rotor.
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key until you hear “Window Spots”, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “content - Sheet layout area”.
To select the sheet layout area, press Return, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow until you hear the name of the image you want to replace.
Press VO-Shift-M to open a shortcut menu, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “Replace Image”. Press Return.
In the Photos menu, navigate to the image or video that you want to add, then press VO-Space.
The image appears on the sheet where the previous image used to be.
You can also insert your own shapes and other objects by selecting the menus in the toolbar: Insert, Table, Chart, Text, Shape, Media and Comment.
To add accessibility descriptions to your images, drawings and videos (which are read by VoiceOver and other assistive technology), see Add an image description, Add a drawing description or Add a video description.
Add your own text to text boxes
Spreadsheet templates sometimes include placeholder text boxes outside of tables that describe how to use a spreadsheet containing formulas and functions, such as the Personal Budget template or the Shared Expenses template. You can replace this text with your own in the sheet layout area.
Go to the Numbers app
on your Mac.Open a spreadsheet with placeholder text, then press VO-U to open the rotor.
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key until you hear “Window Spots”, then press the Down Arrow key until you hear “content - Sheet layout area”.
To select the sheet layout area, press Return, then press VO-Shift-Down Arrow to enter it.
Press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow until you hear the text box you want to edit.
Type to add your own text.
If you want to edit another text box, press VO-Shift-Up Arrow, then press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow to navigate to it.
To learn more about keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts.