Article ID: 294847 - Last Review: June 8, 2011 - Revision: 2.1

ClearType Does Not Work When Magnifier Is Enabled

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This article was previously published under Q294847
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SYMPTOMS

ClearType does not work when the Magnifier Accessibility tool is enabled.
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CAUSE

This issue occurs because ClearType uses sub-pixel font rendering, which makes fonts appear clearer on liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. However, when the fonts are magnified, they may appear fuzzy or oddly colored. For this reason, ClearType is disabled temporarily when Magnifier is active.
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STATUS

This behavior is by design.
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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
294851  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294851/EN-US/ ) Description of ClearType font smoothing technology in Windows XP
231843  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/231843/EN-US/ ) Description of Windows 2000 Magnifier and Utility Manager Tools
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
  • Windows Vista Business
  • Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Windows Vista Starter
  • Windows Vista Ultimate
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Keywords: 
kbenv kbprb KB294847
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