Call our helpline
0300 180 0028To learn more about using Hover Text and Hover Typing, see our guides: How to display a larger version of text when you hover the pointer over it in macOS 26 Tahoe and How to display a larger version of the text you are typing in macOS 26 Tahoe.
Short guide:
- Click the Apple icon
in the top-left corner of the screen and select System Settings. - Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
- Select Hover Text from the list of Accessibility options.
- Click the toggle switch for Hover Colour.
- Now, you can display the colours of items on the screen by hovering over them while holding down the Ctrl (Control ⌃) key.
- To customise the settings for Hover Colour, click the settings button
next to the toggle switch.
Before and after
This section explains how to enable Hover Colour in macOS 26 Tahoe. This is a step-by-step guide with pictures of the screens to help.
Open System Settings
1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings from the menu.
Open the Accessibility settings
2. In the System Settings window, click Accessibility in the sidebar.
Open the Hover Text settings
3. Select Hover Text from the list of Accessibility options on the right.
Turn on Hover Colour
4. On the next page, click the toggle switch for Hover Colour to turn it on.
How to use Hover Colour
5. To use Hover Colour, hold down the Ctrl (Control ⌃) key and move the pointer over an item on the screen. Try it now — it works on items in System Settings!
Customise the settings for Hover Colour
6. To customise the settings for Hover Colour, click the settings button next to the toggle switch.
Change the modifier key
7. The modifier key is the key you hold down while moving the pointer over an item to display its colour. By default, this is the Control (⌃) key. To change it, click the Activation Modifier drop-down menu and choose Control (⌃), Option (Alt ⌥), or Command (⌘).
Change the text size
9. To change the text size in the Hover Colour window, select your preferred size using the Text Size selector.
Change the font
10. To change the font used in Hover Colour, select an option from the Text Font drop-down menu.
Customise the text, background, and border colours used in Hover Colour
11. Choose the colours for each element of Hover Text — Text Colour, Background Colour, and Border Colour — from the options in the Appearance section.
Save your Hover Colour settings
12. When you are happy with your settings, click Done.
Close System Settings
13. When you are happy with your settings, close System Settings by clicking the Close button (red circle) in the top-left corner of the window or using 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.
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