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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