What is Hover Text?
In macOS, “Hover Text” is an accessibility feature designed for users with partial visual impairments. When enabled, holding down a specific modifier key (usually the Command key) while moving your mouse cursor over any text, button, or menu item will instantly spawn a massive, high-contrast, zoomed-in text box containing the words you are hovering over.
While this is an incredibly powerful tool for accessibility, it can be triggered entirely by accident. If you rest your thumb on the Command key while browsing Safari and move your mouse, massive text boxes will suddenly start flashing across your screen, obscuring your view and disrupting your work. You can turn this specific accessibility feature off without affecting your standard screen resolution.
How to Disable Hover Text on a Mac
You can turn off the Hover Text zoom box in the Accessibility settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
- Select System Settings… (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Accessibility.
- In the main right-hand pane, look under the “Vision” section and click on Zoom.
- Look down the list of toggles for the option labelled Hover Text (or “Enable Hover Text” on older versions).
- Toggle the switch to the Off position.
Once disabled, you can freely hold down the Command key (or any other modifier key) and move your mouse anywhere on the screen without triggering any magnified popups.