Windows

Customizing Windows for Low Vision Magnifying Using the Windows Magnifier, you can easily enlarge items on the screen.

Keyboard shortcuts let you choose the magnification level you want for every task. You can also customize your viewing window to use the full screen or a magnifying lens mode. Open the menu and check it out!

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows + U to open the Ease of Access menu.

2. The list on the left side shows a list of customizing tools. Part way down the list, you’ll find Magnifier.

Select this option to view the magnification options on the right.

3. Turn on Magnifier: A toggle switch turns on and off the Magnifier. You can use either the mouse pointer or the spacebar to activate the switch. 4. Collapse Magnifier window to a floating transparent magnifying glass: When you check this box, you see a small overlay in the shape of a rectangle, which is Magnifier’s floating toolbar.

You can move the toolbar out of the center of the screen by using your mouse to select the word “Magnifier” at the top of the toolbar and dragging it over to the side, top, or bottom of the screen.

5. Inside are several tools:

• At the top of the toolbar, you can see the minimize icon, followed by the close icon. • Along the bottom of the toolbar are minus and plus symbols.

Use the minus and plus symbols to adjust the level of magnification.

• Next, you see percentage. This number shows you the current level of magnification. • Next is the Views drop-down menu that lets you select your desired view mode.

Windows: Customizing Windows for Low Vision Magnifying 2 6. Views: Open the drop-down list to see the four View options.

• Full screen: This is the current viewing mode. This mode enlarges the entire screen, but you can see only a portion of the screen at any one time. The focus moves as you move your mouse.

• Lens: This makes the Magnifier act much like a handheld magnifier. It creates a magnified window that follows your mouse pointer.

• Docked: This view creates a window where you’ll see an enlarged view of part of the screen. You can change the size and location of the window by using the mouse to grab and drag the border to create a larger docked window.

• Preview Full Screen: This handy tool quickly zooms out of the magnified view and displays the entire screen. Preview highlights the magnified area and darkens the area outside the magnified view. After a few seconds, the full screen mode comes

Windows: Customizing Windows for Low Vision Magnifying 3 back. This can be really helpful when you’re not sure of your location on the screen.

7. Options tool: Selecting this directs you back to the Magnifier options page in the Ease of Access tab.

8. Shortcuts to turn on and off the Magnifier: Under the Magnifier toggle control are two keyboard shortcuts you can use while you’re working:

• and the plus sign (+) turn magnification on. • Windows Key and Escape turn it off.

9. Shortcuts to increase and decrease magnification:

• To zoom in and make things bigger, use the Windows Key and the Plus sign (+), just like you did to turn on Magnifier. • To zoom out and make things smaller, use the Windows Key and the Minus sign (-).

10. Keep the mouse cursor: This last item in the magnification settings has a drop-down box

Windows: Customizing Windows for Low Vision Magnifying 4 with two options for where to keep the pointer while you are using the magnifier:

• Within the edges of the screen: The pointer remains within the edges of the magnified view. • Centered on the screen: The mouse pointer stays in the central part of the magnified area.

Tip: Many users find that keeping their pointer centered on the screen makes it easier to track, especially at higher zoom levels.

There are a lot of options with ’s magnification tools. Did you find something new that you hadn’t tried before? You can explore more Ease of Access settings in the other workshops in this series. Try them out to see which ones work

best for you!

© 2020 Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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