Appendix A: Keyboard shortcuts for Magnifier

Every keyboard command for Windows 11 Magnifier, grouped by task. Keep this page open beside you while you learn the shortcuts.

Note

New to Magnifier? Start with the Complete guide to Magnifier. Want to make the rest of Windows easier to see? See Set up your device for screen comfort.

Reading these tables: "+" means press the keys together. Windows key is the key with the Windows symbol. The reading commands use a modifier key that is Ctrl+Alt by default.

Turn Magnifier on and off

To do this Press this key
Turn Magnifier on Windows key+Plus sign (+)
Turn Magnifier off (if any screens are locked, the first press releases the locks) Windows key+Esc

Zoom

To do this Press this key
Zoom in Windows key+Plus sign (+)
Zoom out Windows key+Minus sign (−)
Zoom in or out with the mouse Ctrl+Alt+mouse scroll wheel
Toggle between your set magnification and 1× (normal) Ctrl+Alt+Minus sign (−)

Switch views

To do this Press this key
Full screen view Ctrl+Alt+F
Lens view Ctrl+Alt+L
Docked view Ctrl+Alt+D
Cycle through the views Ctrl+Alt+M

Move around the screen

To do this Press this key
Pan up, down, left, or right Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys
Temporarily see the entire desktop (full screen view) Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar (hold)

Work with multiple monitors

With Zoom each display independently on (the default), the zoom shortcuts above change only the screen your pointer is on, and you can use viewport locking. With it off (span mode), one zoom level spans all your displays and viewport locking isn't available.

To do this Press this key
Lock or unlock the view on the screen your pointer is on (viewport locking) Ctrl+Windows key+K
Alternate lock shortcut (choose it under Lock view shortcut in Magnifier settings) Ctrl+Alt+P
Release all locked screens (press again with no locks to turn Magnifier off) Windows key+Esc

Colors

To do this Press this key
Invert colors (and switch back) Ctrl+Alt+I

Read text aloud

The reading modifier key is Ctrl+Alt by default. You can change it with the Reading shortcut setting in Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier.

To do this Press this key
Start, pause, or resume reading Modifier key+Enter
Start reading from a specific spot Modifier key+left‑click the text
Read the previous sentence Modifier key+H
Read the next sentence Modifier key+K
Stop reading Press any key

Open Magnifier settings

To do this Press this key
Open Magnifier settings (works well with Narrator) Windows key+Ctrl+M

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