A Demonstration and Walkthrough of Be My Eyes for Mac

July 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Tyler from AppleVis walks through the Be My Eyes app for Mac, demonstrating how it uses AI to describe visual content on the computer. The episode is a practical, step-by-step guide to the app’s features, keyboard shortcuts, and current quirks, based on a recording from July 2026. The focus is on how a blind or low-vision user can leverage the tool for screenshots, image files, clipboard content, and webcam pictures, with candid notes on what works well and what still needs refinement.

The Core Workflow: Quick Actions and Global Shortcuts

The app’s main interface lands on the "Quick Actions" tab, which houses four key functions: Screenshot, Image, Clipboard, and Take Picture. Each is tied to a global keyboard shortcut that works from anywhere in macOS as long as the Be My Eyes app is open. For example, pressing Command+Option+S captures the entire screen (excluding the Be My Eyes window itself), while Command+Option+I opens a file picker to select an image from the Finder. Command+Option+C describes whatever is currently on the clipboard, and Command+Option+W activates the Mac’s camera.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of AppleVis Podcast

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:09) **Introduction and First Launch** - Tyler sets up the episode and opens Be My Eyes for Mac for the first time.
2 (01:53) **Global Keyboard Shortcuts for Quick Actions** - A walkthrough of the four global shortcuts that work from any app when Be My Eyes is open.
3 (02:29) **Demonstration: Taking and Describing a Screenshot** - Tyler takes a screenshot of a blank Pages document and reviews the AI's response.
4 (05:19) **Interacting with AI Responses** - How to navigate, copy, and manage the chat history after a description is generated.
5 (09:10) **Demonstration: Describing an Image from the Finder** - Tyler uses the "Image" shortcut to select and describe a photo from his Downloads folder.
6 (10:43) **Demonstration: Using the Camera (Take Picture)** - Tyler uses his Mac's webcam to take a selfie and gets feedback on his framing and lighting.
7 (13:29) **Navigating the Interface: Quick Actions & History** - Keyboard shortcuts for switching tabs and reviewing past chats.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates the Be My Eyes app for Mac. (Editor's Note: Be My Eyes is the parent company of AppleVis.)

With Be My Eyes for Mac, you can use Be My AI to generate high-quality descriptions of visual content, such as screenshots, images stored on your Mac or its clipboard, and pictures taken using your Mac's camera. Topics covered in this demonstration include:

Getting started
App layout
App keyboard shortcuts
Describing visual content and chatting with Be My AI
Chat history
Enabling and using the Be My Eyes Sharing extension
App settings

Be My Eyes for Mac is free for personal use and can be downloaded from https://www.bemyeyes.com/be-my-eyes-for-desktop/.

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by ‎Whisper Notes - Speech to Text, an AI-powered transcription app. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Tyler: Hey AppleVissors, Tyler here, with a demonstration and walkthrough of BMIEyes4Mac. With BeMyEyes for Mac, you can use BMAI to receive high-quality descriptions of visual content right on your Mac. Like other BeMyEyes products, it’s free to the consumer and can be downloaded from BMIES.com, link in the description. When you open it for the first time, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your account e,ither with your email address or an SSO option like Apple, Facebook, or Google. After which you’ll be asked to grant a few permissions needed for the app to function, and then you’ll be presented with the interface, which in my opinion is slick and easy to use. And I’m demonstrate that now by opening BMIs on my Mac.

VoiceOver: Applications window. BMI’s application. Open. BMII quick actions selected tab.

Tyler: Okay, so here we are in the Be My Eyes app. It landed on the Quick Actions tab, which appears to be selected. Five or left to orient to the window here.

VoiceOver: Be my eyes.

Tyler: Be my eyes and then full

VoiceOver: screen button.. Actions available And full screen,

Tyler: minimize, close for just the windows control window controls and then just VO right.

VoiceOver: Quick actions, selected tab.

Tyler: Quick actions.

VoiceOver: History tab.

Tyler: History.

VoiceOver: Tip. Get started with the my eyes button.

Tyler: We have a tip and then if I want to dismiss that because I already know what I’m doing here, I’m gonna be right.

VoiceOver: Dismiss tip button.

Tyler: Dismiss screenshot command option s button. And here I am and a it has apparently interacted me with the describe with be my AI group. So if I press VOShift up arrow, VL left, we have the history tab, VO right, describe with my yacht group. Describe with