Windows Magnifier: Make Things Easier to See
One thing we all share besides this blue planet is getting old. And getting old comes with its frustrations, most of which I won’t get into here. However, one of the things most older people have is trouble seeing things on a computer screen. Sometimes, it gets frustrating. Windows Magnifier can help.
Until recently, I thought Magnifier was for the severely sight impaired, but I was wrong. It’s for anyone who has trouble seeing some things on the screen. It’s very customizable and you may want to play with the settings to get it to work exactly as you need it to work. This tutorial was written for Windows 11. If you’re using Windows 10 the instructions are the same except Accessibility is called “Ease of Access in Windows 10.
Using Magnifier in Windows 11
1. Turn on Magnifier
Keyboard Shortcut: Press the Windows logo key + Plus sign (+).
Or you can press Windows Key + U to go to Accessibility settings:
In Accessibility turn on the Magnifier switch.
2. Adjust Magnification
Zoom In: Press the Windows logo key + Plus sign (+).
Zoom Out: Press the Windows logo key + Minus sign (-).
3. Change Views:
Keyboard Shortcut: Press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + M to cycle through the views.
Settings: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier and select a view from the Change Magnifier view dropdown menu.
4. Turn Off Magnifier
Keyboard Shortcut: Press the Windows logo key + Esc.
If you want to use your mouse, open Accessibility (Windows Key + U click on Magnifier, and turn off the Magnifier switch.
We’ve covered the basics of Windows Magnifier and how to use it. To learn more see this Microsoft page.