Appendix B: Magnifier settings and troubleshooting

Every Magnifier setting in one place, plus fixes for the most common problems.

All Magnifier settings, at a glance

Everything Magnifier offers lives in one place: Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier. The quickest way there is Windows key+Ctrl+M, which opens the Magnifier settings directly. Alternatively, press Windows key+U to open Settings > Accessibility, then select Magnifier.

Setting What it controls
Magnifier (on/off) Turns Magnifier on or off.
Zoom level The magnification used when Magnifier starts.
Zoom increments How much the zoom changes with each step.
Smooth edges of images and text Reduces pixelation on magnified content.
Start Magnifier after sign in Auto‑starts Magnifier after you sign in.
Start Magnifier before sign in Auto‑starts Magnifier at the lock screen for everyone.
View Switch between full screen, lens, and docked views.
Zoom each display independently (under Multiple display controls) On (default): each monitor keeps its own zoom level and view. Off (span mode): one zoom level spans all displays.
Lock view shortcut (under Multiple display controls) The shortcut for viewport locking (only when Zoom each display independently is on): Ctrl+Windows key+K (default) or Ctrl+Alt+P.
Have Magnifier follow my Mouse pointer, keyboard focus, text cursor, Narrator cursor.
Keep the mouse pointer Within the edges / centered.
Keep the text cursor Within the edges / centered.
Reading Reading voice, Add voices, and the Reading shortcut (modifier key). Speed and voice can also be changed from the toolbar's Settings button.
Add voices Download more reading voices, including Natural and Natural HD voices. Only available in Settings.
Show touch bars when using a touchscreen device (under Appearance) Shows the gray touch bars for controlling Magnifier by touch. Off by default.

Tips and troubleshooting

  • The view jumps around too much. Clear inputs you don't use under Have Magnifier follow my, and set Keep the mouse pointer / text cursor to Within the edges of the screen.
  • Text still looks blurry. Turn on Smooth edges of images and text, and check that your display is set to its recommended resolution (Settings > System > Display).
  • I want less glare. Try Ctrl+Alt+I to invert colors, turn on Screen Tint to soften the whole screen with a color tint, or set up a system‑wide dark or high‑contrast look, see the screen comfort guide.
  • Everything is a bit small even without Magnifier. Increasing text size, display scale, and pointer size can reduce how much you need to zoom, see the screen comfort guide.

Previous chapter: Appendix A: Keyboard shortcuts for Magnifier

Next chapter: Appendix C: Supported languages and voices

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