Xfce entered zoom mode. How do I exit?

Question

I pressed something around my mouse pad (keys in the altgr region+mousepad - quite possibly multitouch) and suddenly the whole X11 display zoomed around 10%. That means I can see 90% of the 1920x1080 screen in a somewhat blurry version. When I move the cursor, the 90% follows the cursor, so by panning around I can see everything on the screen. Since it applies to everything my guess is that it is caused by xfwm or Xorg.

If I suspend the machine, it seems to go away in the lock screen, but when the lock screen is unlocked, the blurriness and zoom re-appears. Taking a screenshot grabs what is displayed on my screen (i.e. the 90% but scaled to 1920x1080).

I can see the usefulness of this in certain situations, but I would really like to exit it (other than rebooting).

I use xfce on Linux Mint.

Solution 1

Alt + scrollwheel.

So in my case, I had pressed Alt + two fingers on the mouse pad.

Solution 2

To Turn on or Turn off Zoom within login screen,
you may use: Alt+Windows+8.

Solution 3

This zoom mode is traditionally bound to Ctrl+Alt+Keypad + to zoom in and Ctrl+Alt+Keypad - to zoom out. These keys are not available if the DontZoom option is set in the ServerFlags section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

This feature is operated by the server, I don't know how to set it from a client. The xrandr command may influence it with its --scale option, or some other option may be able to reset the zoom setting; I'm unfamiliar with the interactions between the old-time server zoom and the modern RandR support.

Solution 4

I had the same problem. As mentioned above alt + scroll button or alt + two-finger tap has worked for most but didn't work for me. I had to go to System Settings > Desktop Effects - workspace behavior. In there the Accessibility section has a Zoom option. I had to disable that option

Edit: I am using KDE and not Xfce but was facing the exact same problem

Solution 5

Try using xrandr.
My problem (with Linux Mint and losing the margins to overscan on a TV) was corrected that way.

View more solutions

Comments

[jarno]

You could even disable the zoom feature, see this question.

[Willem Hengeveld]

Not sure if this is related, but I somehow ended up with an extremely large InitialZoom=6.327399706912535e+119 in my .config/kwinrc file, changing that to 1 solved my 'stuck in zoom' problem

[Ole Tange]

I thought it might be that, but ctrl-alt-+ and - do nothing and also was clearly not the keys I pressed. It would also require several mode lines (or equivalent), and there is only one resolution. But I found the solution: Alt+scrollwheel (which on my mouse pad is two fingers). ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2208553

[Ole Tange]

Also the Xorg-zoom mode would not explain why the zoom is disabled at the screen lock.

[Time4Tea]

Not every keyboard that is being used with Linux has a 'Windows' key ;-)

[Mumbleskates]

@Time4Tea That's all very nice and elite and superior for you to say, but alt+super+8 does indeed toggle a global screen magnifier in ubuntu 18.10.

[mitchus]

This saved me thanks -- zoom is a really poorly implemented feature in Ubuntu 18.04, acessibility my a$$. :'D

[jarno]

That is because you use KDE, not Xfce, right?

[jarno]

As for disabling the feature in Xfce, see here.

[CodeNinja]

@jarno, Yes you are correct : )

[mcduffee]

I'm using only the mousepad on my laptop, and the "accepted answer" of Alt+scrollwheel didn't work for me. This suggestion worked, on Ubuntu 20.04.

[A. B.]

PHEW! That's a relief.

[alok chauve]

This works in PopOS as well, but take not they it's 8 not F8. I initially misread that.

[simhumileco]

It works, but in my case, only after logging in. on the logging screen works Only the Alt+Windows+8keyboard shortcut (@Lin's answer).