Switch Access is an alternate input method for your Chromebook. When you use Switch Access, it scans the items on your screen until you use a switch to make a selection. Switches can be used with the built-in keyboard, or an external device that you connect through Bluetooth or USB.
Set up Switch Access
Important: If you want to use an external device for your switches, make sure it’s connected to your Chromebook before you set up Switch Access.
Turn on Switch Access
- On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time. Or press Alt + Shift + s.
- Select Settings
Accessibility.
- Under "Keyboard and text input," select Switch Access
- When you turn Switch Access on, a setup guide appears to help you set up your switches.
- Assign a switch to the "Select" action. You use this switch to select items on the screen.
- If you want to use multiple switches to move the selector between items on the screen, you can assign switches for the "Next" or "Previous" actions.
- If you only have one switch, you can move between different items on the screen when you turn on Auto-scan.
Accessibility.Tip: You can rerun the setup guide to set up different switches.
Use auto or manual scan
Use Auto-scan
Auto-scan automatically moves the selector between different items on the screen until you make a selection. If you only have one switch, use Auto-scan.
To start scanning:
- Press the switch assigned to the “Select†action, which makes the selector automatically move between different selectable items.
- To select the highlighted item, press the switch again.
Use manual scanning
Important: Manual scanning requires more than one switch. If you only have one switch, use Auto-scan.
- To move the selector between different items on the screen, press the switch assigned to the “Next†button until the item you want is highlighted.
- If you have 3 switches, you can also use the “Previous†switch to cycle backwards through the items.
- To select the highlighted item, press your Select switch.
Use point scanning
Point scan lets you locate specific areas on your screen that may not have a clear button to select or have too many options. You can turn point scan on at any time.
Turn on point scanning
Select an item
Change point scan speed
Important: If you have Auto-scan turned on, the selector will automatically move between different selectable items in the action menu.
- Press the switch assigned to the “Select†action.
- When the action menu appears, press your Next switch to go to Point scanning.
- Press your Select switch to select Point scanning.
When you select Point scanning, the scan begins.
- When horizontal range scan begins, press your Select switch when the range lands on the area you want to select.
- Press your Select switch again to lock the horizontal position.
- When vertical range scan begins, press your Select switch when the range lands on the area you want to select.
- Press your Select switch again to lock the vertical position.
- When the location is confirmed, in the action menu, focus on the “Left click†action and then press your Select switch to select the item.
Tip: After the click action is completed, scan resumes.
- On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time. Or press Alt + Shift + s.
- Select Settings
- Under "Keyboard and text input," select Switch Access
- Under “Point scanning speed,†move the slider between “Slow†and “Fast†to adjust.
Complete other common tasks
Select an item from a group
Use the action menu
Edit text
To improve efficiency, different menu options or items within a window are sometimes grouped together. If you can’t select an item, you may not be in the correct item group.
If the item you want to select is inside a group of items:
- Select the item group.
- Navigate to the item you want to select.
If the item you want to select is outside the currently selected group of items:
- To exit the item group, select Back
.
- Select the correct item group.
- Navigate to the item you want to select.
.If you select an item that has multiple actions associated with it, Switch Access opens a context menu. This menu allows you to choose between actions.
To select an action from the menu:
- Cycle through the menu options.
- Press the switch.
To close the action menu:
- Cycle through the available options until you highlight Back
- Select the button.
- Select a text field.
- From the context menu:
- Select Dictation to speak the text you want to enter.
- To edit your text, use voice commands.
- Select On-screen keyboard to open the on-screen keyboard.
- The selector scans keyboard rows. Once you select a row, the selector scans the individual letters in that row.
- Select Dictation to speak the text you want to enter.