The Magnifier is a major accessibility feature in Windows. In Windows XP and Vista, Magnifier puts a bar at the top of the screen which shows a magnified view of an area near the mouse pointer. In Windows 7, Magnifier has become a more powerful full-screen magnification tool.
Windows 7
- Hold down the ‘Windows’ key on the keyboard and press the ‘+’ key. This will zoom in on the Windows desktop.
- Repeat the above step until the zoom is large enough for your needs.
- To reduce the magnification, hold down the ‘Windows’ key on the keyboard and press the ‘-‘ key.
- To scroll around the magnified desktop, move the mouse to the area you wish to view.
NOTE: The full-screen magnifier switches back to the traditional Magnifier interface when a high contrast colour scheme is used. To switch back to the full-screen magnifier, select a default theme or colour scheme.
Windows Vista
- Hold down the ‘Windows’ key and press the letter ‘U’.
- Select the ‘Start Magnifier’ option. This can be done by either directly selecting the words ‘Start Magnifier’ or by using the ‘Tab’ key to have the menu options read out, and pressing the ‘Enter’ key once the words ‘Start Magnifier’ are heard.
- A magnified bar should now appear at the top of the screen along with a settings panel. The magnified area will follow the mouse when you move it, or jump to an area where something important is happening on the screen. To move the focus of the window, move the mouse arrow.
- The magnification level can be adjusted in the ‘Magnifier’ window. About a third of the way down the window select the ‘Scale factor’ pull-down bar to increase or decrease the magnification.
- The magnification window itself can also be adjusted and moved around. If you wish to move the window, move your mouse arrow into the magnified area, select it and drag it to another part of the screen. The size of the window can also be adjusted by moving the mouse arrow to the edge of the magnified window, selecting the edge and dragging it to another part of the screen.
Windows XP
- Hold down the ‘Windows’ key and press the letter ‘R’. This will display the ‘Run’ command line.
- Type in the word ‘magnify’ and press the ‘Enter’ key. Alternatively Magnifier can also be opened by selecting the ‘All Programs’ section, followed by the ‘Accessories’ section, followed by the ‘Accessibility’ section and selecting ‘Magnifier’.
- A message will appear on its first use. Select the ‘OK’ button.
- A magnified bar should now appear at the top of the screen along with a settings panel. The magnified area will follow the mouse when you move it, or jump to an area where something important is happening on the screen. To move the focus of the window, move the mouse arrow.
- The magnification level can be adjusted in the ‘Magnifier Settings’ window. At the top of the window is a ‘Magnification level’ option. Select the pull-down bar to increase or decrease the magnification.
- The magnification window itself can also be adjusted and moved around. If you wish to move the window, move your mouse arrow into the magnified area, select it and drag it to another part of the screen. The size of the window can also be adjusted by moving the mouse arrow to the edge of the magnified window, selecting the edge and dragging it to another part of the screen.
Top of page