Teaching · Special Education

Set up the screen magnifier
for the work they do

Choose the platform to see where the magnifier lives and how to turn it on and off. Record the view and zoom level chosen, mark each setup step, then try it with real tasks and note how each one went. A large-print setup card prints for the device.

Start a setupWhat you get

Setups

The worked example is made up: a student’s school laptop with a docked magnifier at 200%, an iPad with the zoom lens and inverted colors, and a Chromebook not yet set up. Use initials or a code, not names.

Loading the setup form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Teaching · Special EducationFree

What you finish with
A setup record per person and device: the platform, the view, zoom level, what it follows and colors; eight setup steps marked done, to try or not needed; real tasks tried with how each went; and what to try next. The flags show where the magnifier lives on that platform, the on and off shortcut, its other keys and how much of the screen shows at the chosen zoom. A large-print setup card prints for the device.
Who it is for
Teachers of students with visual impairments, special education teachers, assistive technology staff, families and students setting up magnification on their own devices.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per person and device. Prints a large-print setup card, the full record, every setup in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Special Education space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Choose the platform and note the device.
  2. Set the view and raise the zoom one step at a time.
  3. Mark each setup step done, to try or not needed.
  4. Try real tasks and note how each went.
  5. Print the setup card and keep it with the device.

Start a setup

Where the magnifier lives

The built-in magnifier on five platformsWindows 11Settings > Accessibility > MagnifierWindows logo key + Plus (+) to startand zoom in; Windows logo key + Esc tostopMacSystem Settings > Accessibility > ZoomTurn on "Use keyboard shortcuts tozoom", then Option + Command + 8toggles zoomiPhone or iPadSettings > Accessibility > ZoomDouble-tap the screen with threefingersAndroidSettings > Accessibility >MagnificationSet a magnification shortcut: theaccessibility button, holding bothvolume keys or triple-tapping thescreenChromebookSettings > Accessibility > Display andmagnificationFull-screen magnifier: Ctrl + Search +M; docked magnifier: Ctrl + Search + DThe built-in magnifier on five platformsWindows 11Settings > Accessibility > MagnifierWindows logo key + Plus (+) to start andzoom in; Windows logo key + Esc to stopMacSystem Settings > Accessibility > ZoomTurn on "Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom",then Option + Command + 8 toggles zoomiPhone or iPadSettings > Accessibility > ZoomDouble-tap the screen with three fingersAndroidSettings > Accessibility > MagnificationSet a magnification shortcut: theaccessibility button, holding both volumekeys or triple-tapping the screenChromebookSettings > Accessibility > Display andmagnificationFull-screen magnifier: Ctrl + Search + M;docked magnifier: Ctrl + Search + D
Menu names are from current versions and can shift after an update; the shortcut is what the person needs to know by heart.

Zoom is a trade

Magnifying by a factor shrinks what is in view by the square of that factor: at 200% a full-screen magnifier shows about a quarter of the screen at once, at 400% about a sixteenth. That is why a docked or lens view, larger text in settings, or a screen reader for long passages can work better than more zoom.

Choose with the person

Try the settings on the person’s own tasks: reading, typing, following a slideshow, using a spreadsheet. A teacher of students with visual impairments or the school’s assistive technology team can add a functional vision or learning media assessment when the choice is not clear.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support. Use Magnifier to make things on the screen easier to see (support.microsoft.com).
  2. Apple Support. Change Zoom settings for accessibility on Mac (support.apple.com/guide/mac-help).
  3. Apple Support. Zoom in on the iPhone screen (support.apple.com/guide/iphone).
  4. Android Accessibility Help. Magnification on Android (support.google.com/accessibility/android).
  5. Chromebook Help. Use the screen magnifier (support.google.com/chromebook).

The worked example is made up. Menu paths and shortcuts are from current versions of each platform in general terms and can change after an update or vary by device maker. This page is a setup record, not a vision assessment. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.