Windows 10 – Magnifier

Magnifying the Screen

The Windows 10 Magnifier is an additional tool that allows you to enlarge text and images on the screen making the display easier to see.

Getting Started

  • A quick way to get started is to press the Windows Logo Key + Plus (+). The Magnifier toolbar will display.
A screenshot of the magnifier toolbar on a Windows device
Fig.1 Magnifier  toolbar.

 

 

 

  • To Zoom into the screen press the Windows Logo Key + Plus (+). By default, the Zoom level increments by 100%.
  • To Zoom out of the screen press the Windows Logo Key + Minus (-).
  • To exit the Magnifier press the Windows Logo Key + Esc

     Viewing Magnifier settings

  • To view more Magnifier settings either press ‘Ctrl’ + Windows Logo Key + ‘M’ or click the Settings icon on the magnifier toolbar
A screenshot showing the settings option on the Magnifier on a Windows device
Fig.2 Viewing Magnifier settings using the gear icon.

 

 

 

  • Many Magnifier settings are displayed.
  •   Settings > Ease of Access > Magnifier
A screenshot showing the Magnifier settings screen on a Windows device
Fig.3 Magnifier settings screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Use the Zoom level increments drop down box in the Magnifier Options section to change the amount by which Magnifier zooms in and out.
  • 25% will offer the smallest increases of text enlargement.
  • Settings > Ease of Access > Magnifier > Magnifier options
A screenshot showing the zoom level increments for Magnifier on a Windows device
Fig.4 The Zoom Level Increments located in the Magnifier settings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Other settings include starting Magnifier automatically before or after login, reversing the screen colours to make the screen easier to see and determining the magnifier mode.
  • Settings > Ease of Access > Magnifier > Magnifier options/Magnifier mode
A screenshot showing the magnifier start, colour and magnifying options on a Windows device
Fig.5  Configuring magnifier start options, screen colours and magnifier mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • A full listing of Magnifier keyboard shortcuts are displayed at the bottom of the Magnifier Settings
A screenshot showing a list of the Magnifier keyboard shortcuts on a Windows device
Fig.6 Table listing of Magnifier shortcuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnifier Mode

  • To see the Magnifier view options, press ‘Ctrl’ + Windows Logo Key + ‘M’ to bring up the Magnifier settings. The Magnifier Mode section displays the views. [Screen Shot]
  • Another way is to use a mouse to click the Views menu drop down on the magnifier toolbar
A screenshot showing the Magnifier view options on a Windows device
Fig.7 Magnifier view options.

 

 

 

  • Another way is to use the mouse to open the Ease of Access Centre through the Settings app.
  • Settings > Ease of Access
A screenshot showing the Ease of Access Centre through the settings app on a Windows device
Fig.8  Ease of Access Centre in the Settings app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • There are 3 magnifier modes to choose from:
  1. Full Screen mode. This allows you to zoom in and out of the entire screen. This is the default setting.
  2. Lens Mode. This allows you to magnify a certain portion of the screen – rather like a magnifying lens. As you move the mouse pointer, the region of the screen that is magnified moves along with it. The Lens can be resized by the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
  3. Docked Mode. The docked magnifier is anchored to a part of the screen and displays a magnified version of the unchanged screen display in the main part of the screen.

Lens and Docked mode can be useful when performing detailed screen actions like entering information onto online forms such as names and passwords.

  • Refer to the table in Fig. 6 for a full listing of Magnifier keyboard shortcuts to help with managing the magnifying views.

 

Please click here to read about the Narrator in Windows 10.

Please click here to read about Vision options with Windows 10.