What is a good screen magnifier application?

windows zoom

10,259

Solution 1

SysInternals ZoomIt from Microsoft is nice and easy.

Try it out:
http://live.sysinternals.com/ZoomIt.exe

Solution 2

What operating system? Vista has one built in, it is called Magnifier and it is in Accessories, Ease of Access.

Solution 3

If you need a lot of magnification because your legally blind or close to it check these products out. There expensive but better then the free alternatives. http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext http://freedomscientific.com/downloads/magic/MAGic-whats-new.asp#Enhancements

Solution 4

Windows specifically, but I could use something anywhere.

On a Mac: Opt-Cmd-plus (well, actually: the equal sign, without any Shift) and Opt-Cmd-minus.

(Opt-Cmd-8 disables and re-enables this option. Mac developers who need to see the actual pixels rather than smooth zooming, can use Pixie as included with the Developer Tools.)

Solution 5

On Windows: Win+U, start "Magnifier"

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10,259

Richard Morgan

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

Richard Morgan almost 2 years

Instead of getting coke-bottle glasses, what software is out there to zoom in on a portion of the screen?

Edit:

The platform can be Windows, but something for anywhere is nice too...
- Admin almost 15 years
  
  What platform ?
- Admin almost 14 years
  
  In Windows 7 you can use WIN-PLUS and WIN-MIN to do this. :-)
Daniel Amarante almost 15 years

And not just in Vista: it was there way before that (can't remember, but maybe even pre XP?), but might take a bit more searching to open. It would be in the "tools for people with disabilities" section.
Arjan almost 15 years

Yup, Win98 or maybe even earlier. I recall being able to choose to install it or not -- in those days where disk space was limited.
Joey almost 15 years

That's available at least since Win2k. Although it got really cool with Windows 7 (Win++ and Win+-)
dbr almost 15 years

There's an option to disable the anti-aliasing in the "Universal Access" preference pane, under Zoom options, "Smooth images", or Alt+command+backslash
Synetech about 11 years

It has poor scaling for fractional magnification levels like 125%, 150%, 175%; the results look terrible and can even be unreadable. There are better tools that do a better job.
ElektroStudios almost 11 years

Incredible response... (...) ... next time I will recommend software which costs around 1.000$ too! (...)
Jared almost 11 years

I assume you’re being sarcastic. I’m totally blind and software that is $1000 has allowed me to get a good programming job that pays a lot more than $1000 a year. NO cheep or free alternatives would have worked. If someone needs this for their job and no free alternative will work for them then it’s worth every penny.
ElektroStudios almost 11 years

Jared maybe I was a little angry. the problem is not your answer, the real problem is developers who take advantage of a disability to sell their products at astronomical prices, an update of the program costs triple than a Windows Operating System!.
Jared almost 11 years

Two things to keep in mind. One the market for assistive technology software is much smaller than the market for Windows so you can’t make an apples to apples comparison. Second the major market for this software at least in the U.S is government agencies that are required by law to try and make software accessible. This enables developers to charge a higher rate because the government will pay more. I’m not saying it makes it right; it’s just the market the software is sold in.
Florian F about 8 years

I use it for development. Showing the actual pixels (and not blurring them) is exactly what I need.