How to Enable or Disable Magnifier in Ubuntu Linux

The screen magnifier (called Zoom in the settings) in Ubuntu enlarges text and images across your desktop so you can read small details. Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop, and the magnifier is part of its accessibility features. You can switch it on from Settings, from a keyboard shortcut, or from the top bar.

One correction to the original article: Super + M does not toggle the magnifier on a standard Ubuntu install. That shortcut opens the notification and calendar list. The default zoom shortcuts are listed below.

To turn the magnifier on or off from Settings:

1. Open Settings from the application menu or the system menu in the top-right corner.
2. Click Accessibility in the left sidebar. On Ubuntu 20.04 and earlier, this entry is called Universal Access.
3. Under Seeing, click Zoom. A Zoom Options window opens.
4. Switch the Zoom toggle at the top to on. The screen should magnify right away.
5. Switch the same toggle to off when you want to go back to normal size.

To turn the magnifier on or off with the keyboard, use these shortcuts. They work without opening Settings:

• Alt + Super + 8 toggles the magnifier on or off. Super is the Win on most keyboards.
• Alt + Super + = zooms in.
• Alt + Super + – zooms out.

If a shortcut does nothing, check Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts. Look under the Accessibility group, where you can see the current keys or change them.

Once the magnifier is on, you can adjust how it behaves in the Zoom Options window:

1. Open Settings › Accessibility › Zoom
2. Change Magnification factor to set the zoom level. Start low, around 2×, and raise it only if you need to. High values make it hard to keep your place on the screen.
3. Under Magnifier Position, pick the screen position of the magnified area: full screen, or the top, bottom, left or right half. Half-screen modes leave the rest of the desktop at normal size.
4. Under Mouse Tracking, choose how the view follows your pointer. Proportional moves the view in step with the pointer's position on the screen. Centered keeps the pointer in the middle of the magnified area. Push moves the view only when the pointer reaches the edge.
5. Optionally, turn on Crosshairs to make the pointer easier to find, or use the color effect and contrast settings if you find the zoomed text hard to read.

Changes apply immediately. You do not need to log out or restart. To undo them, set the magnification factor and the other options back to their earlier values, or turn Zoom off.

If you want a quick toggle without opening Settings, turn on the accessibility menu in the top bar. Open Settings › Accessibility and switch on Accessibility Menu (labeled Always Show Accessibility Menu on older releases). You can then switch Zoom on or off from the person-shaped icon in the top bar.