Screen magnifier testing
Screen magnifiers work by zooming in on the device or by showing selections in a larger font. They may also have features to increase cursor size or change colour contrasts. These additional features are sometimes known as “screen enhancements”.
They help people with visual impairments who still have some vision. People with degenerating vision may use both screen readers and screen magnifiers.
You must make sure your product or service works using at least one common screen reader.
How to test
You can use the test record templates in the Tools and Resources section for step by step guidance on how to test with common screen magnifier software.
Complete each test marking it as passed, failed, not checked or not present. Keep your results as evidence.
Types of screen reader software
ZoomText on Windows
ZoomText is licensed software which you will need to buy and install before you can use it.
ZoomText works well on Firefox, and Chromium based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. It also works well on Internet Explorer, but Internet Explorer may not support all the features of websites which have been coded to modern standards which could create false negatives in your tests.
Magnifier on Windows
Magnifier is built into Windows 10 and 11. To turn on Magnifier, press the Windows logo key + Plus sign(+). To turn off Magnifier, press the Windows logo key + Esc.
Magnifier works at operating system level so should work on all browsers and programmes.
For more information on how to use Magnifier, read Microsoft’s guide on Setting up and using Magnifier.
Zoom on macOS
Zoom is built into macOS. To turn it on, choose System Settings > Accessibility > Zoom.
Zoom works at operating system level so should work on all browsers and programmes.
For more information on how to use Zoom, read Apple’s guide on how to Zoom in on what’s onscreen on Mac