Zooming in and out in Windows is very helpful when on-screen text and other content are hard to read, especially for the elderly and people with vision problems. Thankfully, being an accessibility feature, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer multiple methods to zoom in and out the entire screen.
In addition to changing the resolution, DPI scaling, or font size, temporarily zooming in and out can be a quick and effective solution. For example, if you want to show something on the screen to someone standing far away or to your parents or grandparents with poor eyesight, zooming in makes the content easier to see and read. Once done, you can zoom out to return to the normal state.
In this tutorial, I will show you three methods for zooming in and out in Windows 10 & 11. Let’s get started.
Use the Keyboard Shortcut to Zoom In and Out
As an accessibility feature, you can zoom in and out in Windows 10 and Windows 11 using dedicated keyboard shortcuts.
Press the “Windows key + Plus” (+) key to zoom in. This action launches the Magnifier tool and zooms in on the screen. You can move the screen by moving your mouse to the sides of your monitor. Pressing the shortcut again zooms in further. Alternatively, you can also click the “+” icon in the Magnifier tool to zoom in.
Press the “Windows key + Minus” (-) key to zoom out. Each time you press the shortcut, the screen will zoom out more. For example, if you are zoomed in at 200%, pressing the shortcut once will reduce the zoom to 100%. However, it will not zoom out beyond 100%.
Pinch to Zoom (For Touchscreen Devices)
If your Windows device has a touchscreen, you can simply pinch to zoom in and out, just like you do on your phone.
To zoom in on a touchscreen laptop, place two fingers close together on the touch screen and slowly spread them apart. This gesture will enlarge the content on the screen, making it easier to see.
To zoom out, place two fingers spread apart on the screen and bring them together. This will reduce the size of the content, allowing you to see more.
Zoom In and Out in Any Browser
Sometimes, you might just want to zoom in or out on a web page. In that case, you can limit the zooming to just your browser. The benefit of using this method over system-wide zoom is that web pages can adapt to the zoom level, making the content more readable. This method works in all major browsers, including Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Ark, Opera, and others.
Press the “Ctrl key + Plus” (+) shortcut to zoom in on a web page in a browser.
Press the “Ctrl key + Minus” (-) shortcut to zoom out on a web page in a browser.
While zooming in and out, you will see a small magnifier icon along with the current zoom level in the browser’s address bar.
Related: How to zoom in and out in Command Prompt & PowerShell
Wrapping Up — Zooming In and Out in Windows 10 & 11
If you’re trying to zoom in or out on the entire screen, use the “Windows key + Plus/Minus” shortcuts. If you just want to zoom in or out within a web browser, use the “Ctrl key + Plus/Minus” shortcuts instead. This will adjust the web page’s content to fit the screen size, making everything more readable.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below and I’ll be happy to assist.
My screen randomly resizes as I move the cursor across the screen. I DO NOT want the screen to zoom in or zoom out when I am simply trying to move the cursor to click in a different location. How do I disable this?!?!?
If you simply want to disable Zoom, press the “Windows key + -” (minus) shortcut. Alternatively, you can change the zoom type by going to Settings > Accessibility > Magnifier and using the “View” dropdown. Ideally, you can set it to Full screen or Docked.