Hi all,
Like many others on here, I've become increasingly frustrated by the VoiceOver experience on macOS and am wondering what the best and most accessible option is for running Windows and NVDA on my MacBook Air.
I know there are a few options like Parallels and VMWare, but I'm not sure which is optimal for accessibility and use with NVDA. Are there any major pitfalls or issues I should be aware of when running Windows on an Apple Silicon Mac, especially relating to using NVDA?
Any advice from NVDA users who have experience running Windows on an Apple Silicon MacBook would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
UTM is free and accessible
So, I don't have an m1 anymore. Had to sell it, and just now got my hands on an old 2012 macbook air, so happy to be back in the world of Mac OS. But, when I did have the 2020 mb air, I used UTM. It's free, and it is, or at least was, fully voiceover accessible.
Having said that, while it's a rather unpopular opinion, I was never a fan of running Windows in a VM. There's just to much to do to get it up and running the way I like it. First, you have the issue trying to map a key to work as insert, or getting caps lock to work. Then, there's also your windows and alt keys that aren't where you would expect to find them on a normal Windows keyboard. When on an old Intel mac, you can use bootcamp, dual boot, and then use a program like Sharpkeys to fix that little annoyance. While you could technically still do that inside a vm, it will have unintended consequences, as it will then turn around and mess up VO commands. So until they bring bootcamp to the new macs, even though Intel performance isn't anywhere as good, it still remains the better option, if like me, you don't like running in a vm. I found it to not be worth all the headaches I got while trying to figure stuff out. Granted, the days of Intel support in Mac OS are numbered, but I also can't afford any of the newer models, but a decent 2015 model can be had for an okay price these days.
Buy a Windows-based PC
Apple all but eliminated the ability to run 2 operating systems on their proprietary hardware. 🤷🏻♂️