How to use Windows Magnifier to Enlarge Items on the Screen

Owned by Joseph Orellana
Last updated: Aug 11, 2021 by Jonathan WilsonVersion comment
3 min read

Anyone can use Magnifier to enlarge the appearance of items on a screen. This article offers instructions on how to use Windows Magnifier to enlarge items on screen.

Additional Support

For more information, refer to Windows support page: Microsoft Magnifier Documentation


Step-by-step guide

 1. Launch Magnifier
To begin using Magnifier, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Ease of Access > Magnifier. 

Or, type Magnifier in the Start menu search bar.

 2. Magnifier's Three Modes

Magnifier has three modes:

Full-screen mode
This mode enlarges your entire screen. Depending on the size of your screen and the zoom level you choose, you may not be able to see all of your screen at the same time.


Switching to Magnifier mode will make your screen appear more blurry as shown in the photo.

Lens mode
This mode magnifies the area around your mouse pointer. When you move the mouse, the magnifier moves as well.

Docked mode
This mode magnifies a fixed portion of your screen. Unlike Lens mode, the magnifier does not follow your mouse pointer. You may control which area of your screen is magnified. The docked Magnifier is shown at the top of the screen here.


Full-screen mode and lens mode are only available as a part of the Aero experience in Windows. If Aero is not enabled on your computer, or if you're not using an Aero theme, Magnifier will only work in Docked mode.

 3. Zoom in or Zoom out
To zoom in, click the (plus) icon or hit the (Win and +) keys on your keyboard. Similarly, to zoom out, click the (minus) icon or hit the (Win and -) keys on your keyboard.
 4. Adjust Settings

To change your Magnifier experience, click the gear icon in Magnifier and select Options.


  1. Adjust how much the view changes when you zoom in or out by dragging the slider.
  2. Change how tall or wide you want your magnifying lens to be using their respective sliders in this dialog box.
  3. Turn on color inversion which helps viewing for certain vision issues. 

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