The macOS accessibility tree, explained

Watch how a window becomes a tree of named controls and supported actions. A short visual explanation for aspiring Mac power users.

36-second silent visual explanation. The interfaces and values are illustrative. Download video · Captions (VTT) · Transcript (text)

Read the visual transcript

Opening: Lattices / Field Guide. THE ACCESSIBILITY TREE. Your apps have a second interface. AX is what an app tells tools about its buttons and windows.
0–8 seconds
You see a window and an Export button. Accessibility, often shortened to AX, describes those controls to other tools.
8–16 seconds
That description is a tree. An app contains a window. The window contains controls, such as buttons.
16–26 seconds
An element can expose its role: Button; its title: Export; and a supported action: Press. A tool can ask the app to press it.
26–36 seconds
The app decides what it exposes. Some controls may be missing or incomplete. Tools need Accessibility permission to access and control other apps.
On-screen diagram labels: Illustrated app; Export; What you see on screen; App; Window; Export button; The button tells a tool; What am I?; Role: Button; Title: Export; Action: Press; Only what this app exposes.
Footer: Lattices / Field Guide. Illustrative diagram · not a live desktop inspection. lattices.dev/learn.

A button has more than a position on your screen. An app can describe what it is, what it says, and what you can do with it.

Documentation reviewed 2026-10-02. Examples are illustrative; this is not a hands-on product benchmark.