Screen Magnifier - why it is used, how to set it up and work. Screen magnifier is your faithful assistant when working on your computer Windows 7 screen magnifier in full screen

As you know, each version of the Windows operating system has a number of built-in tools designed to make the use of a computer more comfortable and convenient for people with disabilities. Among them, it is worth highlighting such a tool as a screen magnifier. By interacting with the graphical display of information on a PC/laptop, it enlarges the part of it that needs to be better viewed. Thus, it is a rehabilitation program for visually impaired people. Below we will consider the principle of its operation and the available control settings.

First of all, let's figure out how to call this tool. Magnifier can be opened in several ways:

Control panel: find the "Special Features" menu and turn on the magnifying glass through it.
Start: In the "All Programs" tab, find the "Special Features" folder and open the "Screen Magnifier" application.
This is done easier and faster using the “Win” and “+” hotkeys.

After activating this tool, a small control menu appears on the screen, which quickly disappears under the magnifying glass icon (in the upper left corner of the screen). Now we can make a number of necessary settings. For example, select the appropriate magnification level. "Screen Magnifier" has several operating modes:

The first view is “Full Screen” (enlarges the entire area). You can adjust the degree of magnification using hot and “+” or “-”, as well as through the program menu. This mode allows you to work most comfortably in any application.
Classic view - "Increase". In this case, only individual enlarged fragments will be shown, which will change following the movement of the mouse cursor. You can select this mode from the “View/Zoom” program or by calling it “Ctrl+Alt+L”.
If you have to work with small fonts and numbers, it will be convenient to use the “Fixed” view. In this case, a window appears at the top of the screen (above the active window), and all content appears at the bottom. While working, everything you do will be displayed in this window in an enlarged form. You can quickly call this mode with the command “Ctrl+Alt+D”.

However, in the last two options you can configure how the screen magnifier will change the image. In the menu options, set the magnifying glass to follow movement or control from the keyboard.

If the Windows 7/8/XP screen magnifier does not satisfy your needs, you can turn to one of the similar programs created to replace the standard system tools. As a rule, they have advanced functionality and provide users with more control options. We suggest using the computer utility of the same name, designed to enlarge part of the desktop or window and allow you to see even very small details and text. Among the available settings are determining the degree of transparency of the enlarged area, the magnification factor, and others. Once launched, the program does not interfere with your work at the computer at all. And if necessary, it can be easily called with hot keys.

Whether you choose to use standard Windows tools or use additional applications is up to you. The main thing is that there is a choice, and in any case it will be successful.

Windows has a very useful tool called Magnifier that allows you to magnify different areas of the screen. In this article, you will learn how to open this tool, how to work with it, how to configure it, and finally, how to make it run with the operating system.

Note: Magnifier is available in all editions of Windows 7 except Windows 7 Starter. In Windows 8 it is available in all editions.

How to Open Magnifier in Windows 8

In Windows 8, go to the Start screen and type the word "magnifying glass." Then click on the tool in the search results.

You can also open the magnifying glass through the “Control Panel”. To do this, go to “Control Panel” -> “Accessibility” and click “Turn on Magnifier”.

How to open Magnifier in Windows 7

One way: Open the Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Accessibility -> Magnifier menu.

Another way: Type the word “magnifying glass” into the search field in the Start menu and run the tool through the search results.

As with Windows 8, you can open Magnifier through Control Panel.

How to use Magnifier

When you run the tool, the screen image will be automatically enlarged by 200%.

In Windows 7, Magnifier looks like the screenshot below.

The functionality of the magnifying glass is identical in both operating systems.

After launching, if you do not use the tool for 5 seconds, its interface will change to a magnifying glass appearance, as in the image below. If you click on the center of this magnifying glass, the tool will return to its previous appearance.

To adjust the zoom level, only two buttons are available (“+” to zoom in and “-” to zoom out).

The tool also provides several types of scaling (“Full Screen”, “Zoom” and “Docked”). They are available in the Views menu.

Full screen mode enlarges the entire screen area. This mode is the default.

Zoom mode only enlarges the area around the mouse pointer, and as you move the pointer, the enlarged area of the screen moves with it. See the image below to get a clearer picture of this mode.

In Docked mode, the screen is divided into two parts. The top displays the scaled area of the screen, and the bottom displays the normal area.

Note: in Windows 7, the “Full Screen” and “Zoom” modes will only work if the Aero Glass effect is enabled and a theme that supports this effect is used. Otherwise, you will only have access to the Pinned mode.

How to set up Magnifier

To configure the magnifier, you first need to click on the “Options” button.

In the Magnifier Options dialog box, you will have the following options:

“Enable Color Inversion” – Activates a high-contrast theme when using a magnifying glass. By default, this option is disabled.
“Follow Mouse Pointer” – shows the area around the mouse cursor in the magnifying glass window.
Follow Keyboard Focus - Shows the area around the cursor when you press the arrow keys.
Magnifier Follows Text Insertion Point - Shows the area around the text you type.

The slider allows you to set how much the screen size will change as you zoom in or out. Maximum 400%, minimum 25%.

When using the Magnify mode, the options window allows you to move a slider to adjust the size of the magnifier lens, as shown below.

After completing the settings, don't forget to click the "OK" button to apply them.

How to set up Magnifier to run alongside Windows

If you use Magnifier on a regular basis, it would be best if you set it to automatically launch every time you turn on your computer. To do this, open Control Panel and go to Accessibility -> Optimize screen image.

Now, every time you start your computer, the magnifying glass will launch automatically. To turn off automatic launch, simply uncheck the Enable Screen Magnifier option.

Useful hotkeys

Win + plus sign (+) or minus sign (-) – zoom in or out;
Ctrl + Alt + space – show mouse pointer;
Ctrl + Alt + F – enable “Full screen” mode;
Ctrl + Alt + L – enable the “Zoom” mode;
Ctrl + Alt + D – enable the “Docked” mode;
Ctrl + Alt + I – invert colors;
Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys – move in the direction of the arrow keys;
Ctrl + Alt + R – change lens size;
Win + Esc – exit Magnifier.

Conclusion

Magnifier is a friendly and easy-to-use application that is very helpful for people with poor vision when using PCs or tablets. If you have any tips for using this app, please tell us in the comments below.

Have a great day!

Magnifier is a system utility built into the Windows 10 operating system for magnifying various objects on the monitor screen. When working on a computer, sometimes there is a need to enlarge certain objects: you need to enlarge text, images, other elements, or enlarge a certain part of the monitor screen.

The Magnifier application included with the Windows operating system is suitable for this purpose. This article discusses the use of Magnifier in Windows 10, similarly Magnifier works in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Using Screen Magnifier, you can enlarge all elements on your monitor screen at once, or enlarge only a certain part of the screen to view.

How to turn on Magnifier

There are three ways to enable Magnifier: through Settings, All Apps, or using hotkeys.

Go to the Start menu, then Settings, Accessibility. Here you can enable the Magnifier tool. In the “Magnify objects on the screen” section, under the “Screen Magnifier” item, move the switch button to the “On” position.

After this, the Magnifier utility will launch on the computer.

Two other ways to launch Magnifier on your computer: you need to simultaneously press the “Win” + “+” keyboard keys, or go to the “Start” menu, then “All applications”, “Accessibility”, and then click on the “Screen Magnifier” application .

Magnifier settings

After launching the utility, with default settings, you will see an image of a magnifying glass on the Desktop. The application icon will appear on the Taskbar, and after hovering the mouse cursor over it, the utility window will appear.

The “Magnifier” application window can be opened by left-clicking on the magnifying glass icon, which is displayed on the Desktop or in the open program window.

In the utility window, click on the “Options” button (gear). In Magnifier Options, you can change the app's default settings.

These application settings are available when the “Full Screen” view mode is enabled (enabled by default), or in the “Docked” view mode.

Select your preferred tracking mode (feel free to experiment).

When the “Zoom” view mode is turned on, other parameter settings are available. Here you can change the size of the window in which enlarged screen objects will be displayed. To do this, move the height and width cursors to the appropriate place to select the required size.

Magnifier operating modes

Click on the “Views” menu item in the utility window to select one of three options for the magnifying glass:

“Full Screen” view - the entire screen is enlarged, the screen magnification scale is changed from the application window or using hotkeys.
“Zoom in” view - enlarges a certain area of the screen that moves behind the mouse cursor (default)
"Docked" view - a window opens at the top of the screen (by default) with a larger display, the rest of the screen content is below this area

This image is in Full Screen mode.

The “Zoom” mode is enabled here.

This is what the “Docked” mode looks like.

To switch display modes in Magnifier, use keyboard shortcuts:

“Full Screen” mode - “Ctrl” + “Alt” + “F”
“Zoom” mode - “Ctrl” + “Alt” + “L”
"Docked" mode - "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "D"

Viewing with Magnifier

After launching the application, select viewing mode. The easiest way to do this is using hotkeys.

“Win” + “+” - zoom in
“Win” + “+” - zoom out

You can increase or decrease the size of the screen image directly in the utility window using the “+” and “-” buttons.

Move the magnifying glass around the screen using the mouse cursor. With default settings, the magnifying glass follows the mouse pointer.

How to disable Magnifier

If Screen Magnifier is no longer needed, you can turn it off in three ways. It’s easier to turn off Magnifier using the keyboard shortcuts: “Win” + “Esc”. Another way: in the Magnifier utility window, close the application in the standard way. Third method: go to “Settings”, “Accessibility”, in the “Magnifying objects on the screen” section, under the “Screen Magnifier” item, move the switch button to the “Off” position.

Conclusions of the article

Using the Magnifier system utility, the user can enlarge elements on the monitor screen to the desired scale for easy viewing. The screen magnifier has three display modes; the utility is easy to control using hot keys.

If you need to increase the size of the image on the monitor for a long time, then change the screen resolution to do this. And in order to get the same effect for a short time and not for the entire screen, the “Screen Magnifier” is designed in Windows OS. Its control is designed in such a way that the mechanism for turning off the magnifying glass is not as obvious as the mechanism for turning it on.

Instructions

If you need to turn off the screen magnifier while working, that is, remove the enlarged image of a section of the screen, then the easiest way to do this is to use hot keys. This operation is assigned the combination WIN + ESC.

If you want to completely disable the launch of Magnifier, which occurs when the operating system loads, then this must be done through the Windows Control Panel. To access the panel functions, expand the main menu of the system by clicking the “Start” button or pressing the WIN key, and then select the appropriate item (“Control Panel”).

Click the Optimize Screen Image link in the Accessibility section of Control Panel. As a result, a window with image optimization settings will open, in the “Magnifying the image on the screen” section there is an option to turn the magnifying glass on and off.

Note that if you click the Ease of Access Center link in Control Panel rather than the Optimize screen image link, you'll also find a section for Magnifier. But it only has the option to turn on the magnifying glass; there is no option to turn it off in this panel window.

If you are using Windows 7, then the path to this section can be shortened - by opening the main menu on the “Start” button, enter the word “magnifying glass” in the search query field. A link to the desired section of the image optimization settings window will appear in the search results - click on it.

Find the words “Turn on Magnifier” and the checkbox next to it. The presence or absence of a checkbox, as you might guess, determines whether this component of the operating system will start every time the computer boots. Uncheck and click OK to change and commit the appropriate Windows settings.

Tip added on August 30, 2011 Tip 2: How to enable Magnifier Screen Magnifier is a Windows operating system utility that is used to enlarge part of the workspace. The magnifying glass is perfect for product demonstrations, training sessions and presentations when there is a need to focus attention on any element.

You will need

Computer, Windows OS

Instructions

To launch the Magnifier utility, open the Start menu and go to the All Programs tab. Open the "Standard" item. In it you will see the “Accessibility” submenu, with which, in addition to the screen magnifier, you can launch the on-screen keyboard or open the “Utility Manager”. To launch Magnifier, click on the application shortcut.

It's inconvenient to go through this path every time, so if you use the Magnifier tool quite often, create a shortcut for the application on the desktop or in the Quick Launch panel. This will make it easier to access the application and save your time.

If the first method of launching the application does not suit you, you can call the utility using a special command. To do this, go to the Start menu and click on the Run button. In the window that appears, enter the magnify command and click Ok.

In the default settings, the Magnifier window, which shows a magnified image, opens at the top of the screen. To change the location of a window, click and hold the left mouse button inside it, then drag it to the desired area. To resize a window, place the mouse arrow on the edge of the window and drag it towards increase or decrease. Also in the program settings you can specify the zoom scale, its mode and area.

Helpful Hint After launching the Magnifier tool, an information window will open; if you don't need it, check the box next to "Don't show this message again" at the bottom of the page and click Ok. Sources

how to bring up screen magnifier

How to turn on Magnifier - printable version