Windows Magnifier

Windows 11 has built-in magnification features that can be helpful for people with low vision. These features are 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 - Customize 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 - Customize 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