Windows Magnification

Windows 11 has built-in magnification features that can be helpful for people with low vision. These features are getting good enough that screen magnifiers like ZoomText may not be needed. And because they are built-in, they are much less likely to cause crashes or compatibility problems.

1. Display Resolution - Set display resolution to get a "free" 1.4x to 2.6x increase.
   • Right-click desktop > Display Settings > Display Resolution > set > Keep Changes.
   • Set resolution to 1366 x 768 (for laptop screens) or 1440 x 900 (for desktop monitors).
     
   • If the display doesn’t fill the entire monitor, start the Intel Graphics Command Center (or similar graphics utility) and set the scale to "maintain aspect ratio" or "fill screen".
2. Zoom - Use Zoom as much as possible to magnify and reflow, reducing the need to pan.
   • Hold down the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel to increase or decrease zoom.
3. Magnifier - Use Magnifier for additional magnification.
   • Press Windows Key + Plus to increase magnification.
   • Press Windows Key + Minus to decrease magnification.
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + F to switch to Full Screen.
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + L to switch to Lens.
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + D to switch to Docked; drag the window to change its size and position.
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + I to turn color inversion on or off.
   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier for more options, including Magnification Increments and Smoothing.
   • To set Magnifier to start automatically, go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier, click the Magnifier section at the top to expand it, and check Start Magnifier before sign-in or after sign-in. (You may need to submit an IT request to turn these on.)
4. Mouse Pointer - Set the size and color of the mouse pointer.
   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse Pointer and touch.
   • Set the Style (white, black, inverted, colored) and Size.
   • Experiment with Mouse Indicator, Trails, and Shadow.
5. Text Cursor - Set the size and color of the text cursor.
   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Text Cursor.
   • Turn Text Cursor Indicator on and increase the Size.
   • Experiment with Colors, Thickness, and Blink Rate.
6. Contrast Themes - Set a system-wide high contrast color theme.
   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Contrast Themes.
   • Experiment with different Contrast Themes. Edit to make your own!
   • Turn Keyboard Shortcut for Contrast Themes on.
   • Press left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen to turn themes on and off.
7. Color Filters - Try advanced color options including filters and inversion.
   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters.
   • Experiment with Filters, Intensity, Color Boost, and Inverted.
   • Turn Keyboard Shortcut for Color Filters on.
   • Press Windows Key + Ctrl + C to turn color filters on and off.
8. Speech - Use Magnifier to read and highlight text. With Magnifier on:
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + Enter to begin reading from the cursor position.
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + left click to begin reading from the mouse position.
   • Press Ctrl or left click to stop reading.
   • Click the Settings (gear) icon in Magnifier to change the voice and speed.

• Microsoft: Use Magnifier to make things on the screen easier to see