Why are magnifying tools so useful

Be aware that your choice of magnification software will depend on:. Do you use it to read email or do you need it to stream content from the web? Some screen magnification software is very expensive. Could Access to Work support you in funding the equipment? View a copy of this license at creativecommons. My Computer My Way is an AbilityNet run website packed with articles explaining how to use the accessibility features built into your computer, tablet or smartphone.

The site is broken down into the following sections:. Use it for free at mcmw. Many of our volunteers are former IT professionals who give their time to help older people and people with disabilities to use technology to achieve their goals.

Our friendly volunteers can help with most major computer systems, laptops, tablet devices and smartphones. My Computer My Way Vision - seeing the screen Hearing - hearing sound Motor - using a keyboard and mouse Cognitive - reading and spelling. Print this page. Screen magnification is invaluable for people with visual impairments. Screen Magnification acts like an electronic magnifying glass for your computer, tablet, or smartphone. This factsheet gives an overview of the main screen magnifiers.

It includes summary information about the in-built screen magnification available on most devices and some free and commercial options that may include additional features. Contents include 1. What is screen magnification? What built-in screen magnification options are available?

Magnifier for Windows 2. Zoom for Apple 2. Magnification for Android devices 3. With both advanced technology and 38 years experience, E-Tay always make sure to meet each customer's demand. The magnifying tool is used to change the zoom level of your working image.

If you only click on the image, the zoom is applied to the whole image. But you can also click-and-drag the mouse pointer to create a zoom rectangle. Magnifying glasses make objects appear larger because their convex lenses convex means curved outward refract or bend light rays, so that they converge or come together. In essence, magnifying glasses trick your eyes into seeing something differently than it really is. A sheet magnifier consists of many very narrow concentric ring-shaped lenses, such that the combination acts as a single lens but is much thinner.

This arrangement is known as a Fresnel lens. It is considered the most comfortable magnification for reading small prints, ideal for Viewing and checking tiny hobby and crafting materials, small electronic gadget parts such as screws and pins.

What is a magnifier used for? If you have a touchscreen, Magnifier will display white borders around the edge of your screen. Drag your finger or mouse along the borders to move around the screen. In this view, when you move around the screen, it's like moving a magnifying glass around.

Docked view works on the Windows desktop. In this view, a magnifier is docked to a portion of your screen. As you move around the screen, parts of the screen appear magnified in the docking area, even though the main part of the screen is unchanged. You can change the way Magnifier works. For example, you can use the zoom buttons and to change how much Magnifier enlarges your screen.

You can also open the Magnifier options button to change Magnifier. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.

Enter Magnifier in the search box, and then tap or click Magnifier. Go to the Windows Desktop and click the Magnifying glass.

Click the Options button. Use the slider to choose a zoom increment. The percentage you choose here will be the increment by which Magnifier enlarges the screen when you press the zoom in button.

Select the Turn on color inversion checkbox to reverse colors on the screen. Sometimes reversing colors makes text easier to read.

Select a checkbox to choose how Magnifier focuses. Magnifier can follow your mouse, the insertion point, or the keyboard. Note: When you open Magnifier, the Magnifier toolbar appears briefly. It quickly gets out of your way, but you can display it again by clicking the magnifying glass icon on your screen or the Magnifier icon on the taskbar.

Magnifier enlarges different parts of the screen and is part of the Ease of Access Center. To open it quickly, click Start , and then type Magnifier. You can also change the screen resolution, which adjusts the clarity, size, and amount of things that fit on your computer monitor. To learn more about adjusting the screen resolution, see Getting the best display on your monitor. Full-screen mode. In full-screen mode, your entire screen is magnified.

Depending on the size of your screen and the zoom level you choose, you might not be able to see all of the screen at the same time. Lens mode. In lens mode, the area around the mouse pointer is magnified.

When you move the mouse pointer, the area of the screen that's magnified moves along with it. Docked mode. In docked mode, only a portion of the screen is magnified, leaving the rest of your desktop unchanged.

You can then control which area of the screen is magnified. Note: Full-screen mode and lens mode are only available as part of the Aero experience. If your computer doesn't support Aero, or if you're not using an Aero theme, Magnifier will only work in docked mode.

When you're using full-screen mode, you can quickly preview your entire desktop by clicking the Views menu, and then clicking Preview full screen. For a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use with Magnifier, see Keyboard shortcuts. Click the Options button , and then select the option that you want:. Displays the area around the mouse pointer in the Magnifier window.

When you select this option, you can choose to have the Magnifier window move when the mouse pointer approaches or when the mouse pointer hits the edge of the Magnifier window. Click the Options button , and then move the slider to adjust the zoom increment.