Use a screen reader to zoom in or out in Outlook

Use new Outlook with your keyboard and screen reader to zoom in, or enlarge, the text of an email and make it easier to read. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to zoom out and return to the original text size.

Need instructions on how to zoom in or out in Outlook, but not using a screen reader? See The text of my email messages is larger or smaller than usual or Make text and apps bigger.

Zoom in or out on an email

1. In the message list, navigate to the email you want, and then press Enter to open it.

2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Zoom options," and then press Enter.

3. Do one of the following:

   • To zoom in, press the Tab key until you hear "Zoom in," and then press Enter to zoom the view in by one increment. You can press Enter repeatedly to zoom multiple increments.
   • To zoom out, press the Tab key until you hear "Zoom out," and then press Enter to zoom the view out by one increment. You can press Enter repeatedly to zoom multiple increments.
   • To reset the zoom level to 100%, press the Tab key until you hear "Reset," and then press Enter.

   Note

   • The zoom increments are as follows: 50%, 75%, 100%, 125%, 150%, 200%.
   • When you reach the maximum or minimum zoom level, the Zoom out or Zoom in button, respectively, appears dimmed and is not selectable until the zoom level is changed or reset.

See also

Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in an email in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

What's new in Microsoft 365

Use Outlook with your keyboard and screen reader to zoom in, or enlarge, the text of an email and make it easier to read. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to zoom out and return to the original text size.

Need instructions on how to zoom in or out in Outlook, but not using a screen reader? See The text of my email messages is larger or smaller than usual or Make text and apps bigger.

In this topic

• Zoom in on an email in its own window
• Zoom out of an email in its own window
• Zoom in on an email in the Reading pane
• Zoom out of an email in the Reading pane
• Change the text size on the ribbon

Zoom in on an email in its own window

You can only zoom the email you’re currently reading or composing. When you move to another email, the body text returns to the default font size.

1. In the message list, navigate to and open the email you want. The email opens in its own window.

2. To zoom in on the email, press Alt+H, Q, 1. The Zoom while reading dialog box opens.

   Note

   If you're composing an email, press Alt+O, Q. The Zoom while composing dialog box opens.

3. Do one of the following:

   • To double the font size of the email, press the Up arrow key.
   • To enter your own zoom value, press the Tab key until you hear with Narrator "Percent, edit box," followed by the current percentage. With JAWS, you hear: “Percent, edit spin box.” With NVDA, you hear: "Percent, edit." Type the zoom value you want, for example, 250 or 400.

4. If you want Outlook to remember your zoom settings, press the Tab key until you hear "Unchecked, Remember my preference," and then press the Spacebar to select the option.

5. To close the Zoom dialog box and read the zoomed email, press Enter.

Zoom out of an email in its own window

You can only zoom out of the email you’re currently reading or composing. When you move to another email, the body text returns to the default font size.

1. In the zoomed email, press Alt+H, Q, 1. The Zoom while reading dialog box opens.

   Note

   If you're composing an email, press Alt+O, Q. The Zoom while composing dialog box opens.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To reduce the font size of the email to the original size, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Zoom, Selected, One hundred percent."
   • To enter your own zoom value, press the Tab key until you hear with Narrator "Percent, edit box," followed by the current percentage. With JAWS, you hear: “Percent, edit spin box.” With NVDA, you hear: "Percent, edit." Type the zoom value you want, for example, 75.

3. If you want Outlook to remember your zoom settings, press the Tab key until you hear "Unchecked, Remember my preference," and then press the Spacebar to select the option.

4. To close the Zoom dialog box, press Enter.

Zoom in on an email in the Reading pane

1. In the message list, navigate to the email you want.
2. To move the focus to the Status bar, press F6 until you hear “Status bar,” followed by the recently used option on the Status bar.
3. To go to the Zoom slider, press the Tab key until you hear “Zoom in, button,” and then repeatedly press Enter until you reach the text size you want.

Zoom out of an email in the Reading pane

1. In the zoomed email, press F6 until you hear “Status bar,” followed by the recently used option on the Status bar.
2. To go to the Zoom slider, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear “Zoom out, button,” and then repeatedly press Enter until you reach the text size you want.

Change the text size on the ribbon

You can change the text size on the ribbon or in the Outlook navigation panes by changing the display settings for your computer.

1. Press the Windows logo key+U. The Display settings window opens.
2. Press the Tab key until you hear "Make everything bigger, Change the size of text and apps on the main display," followed by the current value.
3. To open the options list, press Alt+Down arrow key.
4. To select the new size value, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the value you want, and then press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in an email in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Make text and apps bigger

What's new in Microsoft 365

Use Outlook on the web with your keyboard and a screen reader in your web browser to zoom in, or enlarge, the text of an email or calendar and make it easier to read. You'll also learn how to zoom out and return to the original text size. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

Zoom in or out

When reading email, you can use your browser's zoom function to make the text on your screen larger or smaller.

1. When using Outlook on the web in Microsoft Edge or Chrome, do one of the following:

   • To zoom in, press Ctrl+Plus sign (+) repeatedly until you hear the zoom in percentage you want.
   • To zoom out, press Ctrl+Minus sign (-) repeatedly until you hear the zoom out percentage you want.

See also

Use a screen reader to zoom in or out in Outlook for Mac

Use a screen reader to format text in your email in Outlook

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in an email in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

What's new in Microsoft 365