How to move between buttons with the Tab key on a Mac

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-move-between-buttons-with-the-tab-key-on-a-mac/ · Checked October 2026 · MacBook Neo · macOS 27.0.1

If you do not see this option

• Keyboard is not in the sidebar Scroll down the sidebar, or type Keyboard in the Search field at the top of it. On our MacBook Neo it sits just above Trackpad.
• You cannot see Keyboard navigation It is in the first section of the Keyboard page, under Press 🌐 key to and above the Keyboard Shortcuts… button. Scroll to the top of the page.

5 of 5 steps with real screenshots · 1 official source below

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)

App

System Settings

Real screenshots

5 of 5 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open System Settings

   Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.

   Done

2. 

   Click Keyboard in the sidebar

   Scroll down the sidebar if you need to. On our MacBook Neo, Keyboard sits between Wallet & Apple Pay and Trackpad.

   Done

3. 

   Switch on Keyboard navigation

   Click the switch next to Keyboard navigation so that it turns on.

   On our MacBook Neo the note under it reads: "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls. Press the Tab key to move focus forward and Shift Tab to move focus backward."

   Done

4. 

   Press Tab to move the focus

   Press Tab to move to the next control and Shift Tab to go back. A ring shows which control has the focus.

   On our MacBook Neo, the first Tab put the focus ring on the Back (<) button in the top-left of the window.

   Done

5. 

   Switch it off again if you want

   Click the Keyboard navigation switch again to turn it off. Tab then goes back to its usual behaviour.

   Done

If this does not work

• Tab does not seem to do anything Check that the Keyboard navigation switch is on. Then look for a ring round a control; on our MacBook Neo the first press of Tab put it on the Back (<) button.
• You went past the control you wanted Press Shift Tab to move the focus backward, as the note under the switch says.

About this guide

Keyboard navigation lets you press the Tab key to move the focus between controls on the screen, so that you can use windows and dialogs without the mouse or trackpad.

Screenshots: MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1, dark mode.

Good to know

The Keyboard Shortcuts… button on the same page lists the shortcuts of macOS: how to create your own keyboard shortcuts on a Mac.

In short: System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard navigation on, then Tab or Shift Tab.