How to control your computer with head movement in macOS 13 Ventura

8. There are two ways to control the pointer - When Facing Screen Edges and Relative to Head. 

In the Pointer moves section, choose from:

9. Adjust the Pointer Speed setting to specify how fast the pointer moves when you turn your face or move your head. The lower the number, the slower the pointer moves.

Note: This option only applies if Head pointer is set to When Facing Screen Edges. 

10. Adjust the Distance to Edge setting to specify how far your face must be turned away from the centre of the screen before the pointer starts moving. A higher number helps Head pointer differentiate between intentional and unintentional movements.  

11. You can pause and resume Head Pointer using a physical switch or a facial expression. Click the toggle switch for Use a switch or facial expression to pause or resume to turn it on.

12. To set up the switch or facial expression to use for pausing/resuming Head pointer, click the i button (more) next to the toggle switch.

13. In the Switch type section, choose between Physical switch or Facial expression.

14.a. If you chose Physical switch, click the Next button, then press the switch you would like to use. The physical switch can be an adaptive switch, a mouse button, a key on the keyboard, or another input device.

14.b. If you chose Facial expression, click the drop-down menu for Select facial expression and choose from the options. Click OK to save your switch setting.

15. You can now use this switch or facial expression to pause / resume Head pointer.

16. You can reset Head pointer to reposition the pointer in the middle of the screen and reset your face or head position. Click the toggle switch for Use a switch or facial expression to recalibrate to turn it on.

17. To set up the switch or facial expression to use for recalibrating Head pointer, click the i button (more) next to the toggle switch.

18. In the Switch type section, choose between Physical switch or Facial expression.

19.a. If you chose Physical switch, click the Next button, then press the switch you would like to use. The physical switch can be an adaptive switch, a mouse button, a key on the keyboard, or another input device.

19.b. If you chose Facial expression, click the drop-down menu for Select facial expression and choose from the options. Click OK to save your switch setting.

20. To recalibrate Head pointer, adjust the position of your face or head, then use this switch or facial expression to start recalibration.

An on-screen countdown is displayed and counts down from 3. When the countdown is at 1, try not to move so you’re still during recalibration.

When the countdown disappears, Head pointer is recalibrated.

21. When using Head pointer, you may also want to use a different way of performing pointer actions, such as left-click, right-click, double click, and drag-and-drop, rather than using a mouse or trackpad. You can perform these actions using a 'switch' – either a physical switch or a facial expression. The physical switch can be an adaptive switch, a key on the keyboard, or another input device.

To enable alternative pointer actions, go back to the main Pointer Control screen.

Click the toggle switch for Alternative pointer actions to turn it on.

22. To set up new switches for performing alternative pointer actions, click the i button (more) next to the toggle switch.

23. To add a new switch, click the + (add) button.

24. Choose Physical Switch or Facial Expression, then click Next.

25.a. If you chose Physical Switch, press your switch when instructed. Next, chose the action you want the switch to perform from the drop-down menu for Action. Click Done to save your new switch.

25.b. If you chose Facial Expression, choose an expression from the drop-down menu for Facial expression. Next, choose the action you want the facial expression to perform from the drop-down menu for Action. Click Done to save your new switch.

26. To hear a sound comfirming a switch was recognised, tick the checkbox for Play sounds.

27. If you’d like to see an onscreen notification confirming a switch was recognised, tick the checkbox for Show actions visually. Once enabled, you will see a circular outline around the pointer whenever you activate a switch.

28. If you have used a facial expression as a switch, you can set how expressive the gesture needs to be in order to perform the corresponding action. To do so, select the switch in the list of switches, then click the Camera Options button.

29. On the Camera Options screen, select the Expressions tab.

30. Select the drop-down menu for the expression you want to edit and choose a level of expressiveness from Slight, Default, and Exaggerated.

31. Click OK to save you changes.

Note: You can also set the expressiveness of facial expressions in the Camera Options section within Head pointer settings (see step 6, above).

32. When you are happy with your alternative pointer actions switches, click the OK button to save your changes.

33. To close the System Settings window, click the Close button (red circle) in the top-left corner of the window or use the Cmd + W keyboard shortcut.

Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If so, you will need to contact them to access these settings or for help.