Zoom on a MacBook 1

[icon name="fa-cloud-upload"] STANDARD 3: model digital age work and learning

Once you learn how to zoom on a MacBook, you can very quickly show your students a specific area of your screen. This is particularly useful to highlight small details while demonstrating something on your own computer or while projecting for the whole class (1).

After you enable this feature, you will be able to enlarge or reduce the area of your screen where you pointer is by holding the control key and scrolling up or down (2) (a two-finger gesture on your trackpad).

Ctrl + Scroll gesture = Zoom on the area by your pointer

To enable this shortcut, you need to follow these steps:

1. Go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Zoom
2. Check Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom

The finger gesture for scrolling is demonstrated in the animation below. By holding the control key while you use the two-finger gesture will enable the zoom.

Enabling the Zoom on your MacBook

You are now ready to zoom in and out on your screen at the touch of a key. If you know of other ways to zoom on a MacBook, share them with us in the comments section below.

Footnotes

(1) Unfortunately the zoom feature does not seem to work via AirPlay

(2) Scrolling up or down to enlarge depends on the whether you are using natural scroll direction or not. With natural scroll direction engaged (System Preferences > Trackpad > Scroll direction: natural) you would scroll up. Without natural scroll direction, you would scroll down.