Browse mode and Focus mode

If you’ve used NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver, you already know this distinction. If you haven’t: read this page first. Almost every “the screen reader did the wrong thing” question is really a “you were in the wrong mode” question.

The problem these modes solve

Web pages contain two kinds of things:

Document content — paragraphs, headings, links, images. You read this. You don’t type into a heading.
Application content — text fields, comboboxes, sliders, code editors, chat boxes. You type into these. The page expects your keystrokes (arrow keys, Enter, even single letters) to mean “edit this thing”, not “navigate the document”.

A screen reader needs both behaviors. If you press H while your cursor is in a paragraph, you mean “jump to the next heading.” If you press H while your cursor is in a Gmail compose box, you mean “type the letter h.”

The two modes resolve this:

Browse mode — your keystrokes navigate the document. Wholisphere intercepts H, K, B, F, T, etc. and uses them as navigation commands.
Focus mode — your keystrokes pass through to the page. The page is in charge.

How to switch

Press \ (backslash) at any time to toggle modes. You’ll hear “Browse mode” or “Focus mode” announced.
Auto-switch on focus: when you Tab into a contenteditable element (rich text editor, Gmail compose, Slack message box, a code editor) Wholisphere automatically switches to Focus mode so your typing works. When you Tab out, it switches back to Browse mode.
Auto-switch on activation: pressing Enter on a text input switches to Focus mode the same way.

You can override the auto-switch any time with \. Manual takes priority for the rest of the focus.

When to use each

Use Browse mode when

You’re reading an article.
You’re scanning headings to find a section.
You’re walking through links to pick one to follow.
You’re hopping landmarks to skip past a long header to the main content.

In Browse mode you have access to the full library of quick-navigation keys. See Keyboard reference.

Use Focus mode when

You’re filling out a form.
You’re composing an email or chat message.
You’re editing code in a web IDE (VS Code online, Replit, GitHub.dev, etc.).
You’re using a complex web app where the app’s own keyboard shortcuts matter (Google Sheets, Figma, Linear).

In Focus mode, Wholisphere stays out of your way. It still speaks form-field state changes (required, invalid, error messages) and announces app-level alerts, but it does not intercept your keystrokes.

What stays the same in both modes

Tab and Shift+Tab always move focus the way the browser does. Wholisphere never blocks Tab.
Enter and Space always activate.
Escape always cancels modals, dropdowns, and dialogs.

So even if you forget which mode you’re in, the basic browser keys still work.

The cursor and the focus

Wholisphere has a cursor that’s separate from the browser’s focus. The cursor is what the screen reader is currently reading. When you press the next-element keys (Tab, H, K, etc.), the cursor advances and Wholisphere speaks. When you press Enter or Space, the cursor’s element is activated — that’s when focus moves to the new page or the form field.

This separation matches how NVDA and JAWS work. It lets you read ahead without losing your place in a form.

If you ever want to forcibly move your focus to where the cursor is (because you want to start typing in this field, for example), press Enter with the cursor on the field. Focus moves and Wholisphere auto-switches to Focus mode.

Indicators

A green ring overlays the page on the element the cursor is currently on. This is Wholisphere’s own overlay; it doesn’t modify the host page.
A spoken mode announcement plays whenever you toggle.
If you’ve turned on Focus highlighter (in Motor tools), a yellow ring also shows the browser’s actual focus, which is useful when the page provides a poor focus indicator.