Screen Zoom

Screen Zoom magnifies the entire display so your audience can see fine details without leaning in. Unlike the Magnifier (which opens a floating lens window), Screen Zoom zooms the whole screen and lets you pan around freely while keeping your full desktop visible in the zoomed view.

How It Differs from the Magnifier

Feature	Screen Zoom	Magnifier
Coverage	Full screen	Floating lens window
Pan	Edge zone or follow-cursor panning	Drag or follow-cursor
Drawing tools	Yes, annotate while zoomed	No
Best for	Presentations, walkthroughs	Detailed inspection, precision work

Zoom Modes

Screen Zoom has two activation modes, each with its own hotkey:

Static Zoom

Activates a fixed zoom level. The view stays zoomed until you press the hotkey again or press Escape. Use this for holding a zoomed view while you talk through a slide or code section.

Action	Default Shortcut
Toggle Static Zoom	`Ctrl + Shift + Z`

Live Zoom

Activates zoom that follows the cursor continuously. The zoomed view tracks your mouse movement in real time. Use this for walkthroughs where you want to guide the audience’s attention as you move.

Action	Default Shortcut
Toggle Live Zoom	`Ctrl + Shift + L`

Both hotkeys are fully customizable in the Hotkeys section of settings.

Annotation Tools

While zoomed, you can draw directly on screen using the built-in annotation tools. Highlight a button, draw an arrow to a menu item, or sketch a diagram in real time without switching to another application.

See Drawing Tools for the full list of available tools and settings.

Quick Start

Navigate to Display → Screen Zoom in the settings window.
Toggle the feature On.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Z (Static) or Ctrl + Shift + L (Live) to activate zoom.
Pan around using the mouse (edge zone panning) or move the cursor (follow-cursor mode).
Press Escape to return to normal view.

Magnification Level

How much the screen is enlarged when zoom is active.

Range: 1.5× – 8.0×
Default: 2.0×
Lower values (1.5×–2×) are good for presentations; higher values (4×–8×) are suited for showing fine UI details or small text

Zoom Animation

When enabled, activating zoom plays a smooth telescoping animation as the screen transitions from normal to zoomed view. Disabling this makes zoom activate instantly.

Default: Enabled

Pan Mode

Controls how you navigate around the zoomed screen.

Mode	Description
Edge Zone	Move the cursor to the edge of the screen to pan in that direction (default)
Follow Cursor	The zoomed view centers on the cursor position at all times

Edge Zone is generally more comfortable for presentations. You can move the cursor to interact with the UI and only pan when you push to the screen edge.

Follow Cursor is better for live tracking and pointing at moving content since the view always shows what the cursor is over.

Pan Speed

Controls how fast the view pans when using Edge Zone mode.

Default: 8
Lower values: slow, deliberate panning
Higher values: fast panning that covers the screen quickly

Blur Radius

Controls the intensity of the Blur annotation tool. Larger values produce a stronger blur, useful for obscuring more sensitive areas.

Default: 20 px
Lower values (5–15): light blur, content still partially recognizable
Higher values (25–50): heavy blur, fully obscures underlying content

Reduce Mouse Speed

When enabled, the mouse cursor moves more slowly while zoom is active. This makes it easier to navigate precisely in a zoomed view without overshooting targets.

Default: Disabled

Activation Mode (Live Zoom only)

The Live Zoom activation shortcut can run in Toggle mode (press to flip on/off, default) or Hold mode (active only while held). Switch via the ComboBox next to the Live Zoom shortcut.

Static Zoom does not support Hold mode. It captures a snapshot for annotation, and releasing the key would discard your drawings.

See Activation Mode for details.

Learn More

Drawing Tools: annotation tools available while zoomed