Magnifier enlarges different parts of the screen. This is especially useful for viewing objects that are difficult to see, but also for seeing the whole screen more easily.
There are three modes:
Full-screen mode. In full-screen mode, your entire screen is magnified. You can then have Magnifier follow the mouse pointer.
Lens mode. In lens mode, the area around the mouse pointer is magnified. When you move the mouse pointer, the area of the screen that's magnified moves along with it.
Docked mode. In docked mode, only a portion of the screen is magnified, leaving the rest of your desktop in a normal state. You can then control which area of the screen is magnified.
Full-screen mode and lens mode are only available as part of the Aero experience. If your computer doesn't support Aero, or if you're using a theme other than an Aero theme, Magnifier will only work in docked mode.
Open Magnifier by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Magnifier.
On the Views menu, click the mode that you want to use.
Move the pointer to the part of the screen that you want to magnify.
To exit Magnifier, press the Windows logo key +Esc.
When you're using full-screen mode, you can quickly preview your entire desktop by clicking the Views menu, and then clicking Preview full screen.
For a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use with Magnifier, see Keyboard shortcuts.
Click the Options button , and then select the option that you want:
Option
Description
Follow the mouse pointer
Displays the area around the mouse pointer in the Magnifier window. When you select this option, you can choose to have the Magnifier window move when the mouse pointer approaches or when the mouse pointer hits the edge of the Magnifier window.
Follow the keyboard focus
Displays the area around the pointer when you press the Tab or arrow keys.
Have Magnifier follow the text insertion point
Displays the area around the text that you're typing.
Do one of the following:
To
Do this
Zoom in
Click Zoom in or press the Windows logo key +Plus sign
Zoom out
Click Zoom out or press the Windows logo key +Minus sign
The zoom increment determines how quickly Magnifier zooms in and out.
Click the Options button , and then move the slider to adjust the zoom increment. Moving the slider to the left causes Magnifier to zoom slower, with smaller changes between zoom levels. Moving the slider to the right causes Magnifier to zoom faster, with larger changes between zoom levels.
When you're using lens mode, you can adjust the size of the Magnifier lens.
Click the Options button , and then, under Magnifier Lens Size, move the sliders to adjust the size of the Magnifier lens. The lens size changes right away. Adjust the level until it's right for you.
You must be using lens mode for the lens size options to appear.
You can quickly change the lens size by pressing Ctrl+Alt+R, and then moving the pointer up and down to change the height, and left and right to change the width.
Turning on color inversion increases the contrast between items on your screen, which can help make your screen easier to see.
Click the Options button , and then select the Turn on color inversion check box.
Click the magnifying glass icon or click Magnifier on the taskbar.
