How to Zoom in on Chromebook: Step-by-Step with Photos

Chromebooks are life savers for people who prefer lightweight, compact, and inexpensive laptops. But while their small size makes them easy to carry, it also puts strain on the users’ eyes. That’s when you should zoom in on one window, specific portions, or the entire screen to see the interface clearly. 

Many people find it hard to understand Chromebook’s interface, especially those who shift from a Windows device or a Macbook. You can zoom in on Chromebook in many ways, including moving your index finger and thumb on the laptop’s screen or trackpad, using the built-in magnification tool, or increasing the text and image size. 

If you wish to zoom in or out of your Chromebook, this guide will tell you how you can do it without hassle. So, let’s dive in!

Step 1: Zoom In on a Single Page on Chromebook 

The first step is the easiest. You can do it by following a key combination and making sure to press all the keys at the same time. 

Your page will be zoomed in by 10% the first time you press the key combination, becoming 110%. The second time, it will increase further by 15%, reaching 125%. The third time, 25% will add to the percentage, and the screen will be 150% zoomed in. So, the more you press the key combination, the more the page zooms in.

Follow the below key combination to zoom in on the single page of a Chromebook:

1. Find Ctrl and (+) buttons on your Chromebook’s keyboard.
2. Once you find them, press both of them simultaneously.
3. Keep pressing (+) while holding the Ctrl button until you reach your desired zoom percentage. 

If you want to zoom in on your Chromebook desktop without using the keys, try the next step to do it quickly.

Step 2: Zoom in With the Built-in Feature on Chromebook

You can also zoom in on a single page on Chromebook through the built-in feature. That’s also easy like the key combination step, but it involves a few steps. Using the built-in feature in Chromebook, you can adjust the size of your entire page without pressing the keys repeatedly. 

Here is how you can use built-in zoom options on Chromebook:

1. First, open the Chrome browser.
2. Then, look for the ⋮ or three vertical dots icon. Click on it to open the menu.
3. Find Zoom and click on it.
4. The zoom level will be 100% by default. Select the (+) or (-) options present next to Zoom to adjust the optimal size of your Chromebook screen.

Step 3: Zoom in With Your Fingers

If you have a touchscreen Chromebook, your life has become the easiest. You can make a pinching motion with your index finger and thumb to zoom in and out of the Chromebook screen. Yes, the process is the same as you do on your smartphone. 

To zoom in, spread your fingers apart. Similarly, bring your thumb and index finger close to zoom out.

Alternatively, you can also use your fingers the same way on Chromebook’s trackpad to zoom in. That’s helpful when you don’t have a touchscreen.

Remember, this step will zoom in on a single page on your Chromebook, not the entire desktop. So, if you want to magnify your device’s full screen, you should move on to the next step.

Step 4: Zoom in on the Entire Chromebook Screen

This step will help you zoom in on the entire Chromebook screen instead of just a single window. It is helpful if you don’t want to zoom in on every page. Doing this is pretty time-consuming. 

So, adjust the resolution of your Chromebook’s screen by pressing a key combination on its keyboard. Here are all the steps involved in the process:

1. Find the Ctrl and Shift buttons on your Chromebook and press them simultaneously. You’ll have to hold both keys while adjusting the magnification of your Chromebook’s screen.
2. Then, press (+).
3. If you want to zoom in further, press the (+) again.
4. To zoom out, press (-) instead of (+) to adjust the zoom level. You can also press 0 to reset the zoom percentage.
5. Release the Ctrl + Shift buttons once you’re satisfied with how your screen looks. 

Step 5: Zoom in With the Screen Magnification Tool

The built-in magnification tool on your Chromebook will magnify specific portions of your screen. With this tool, you can easily see small pictures or text on your Chromebook screen at a significant magnification level. 

Here is what you need to do to find the magnification tool on your Chromebook:

1. Start by pressing the Alt, Shift, and S buttons on your Chromebook’s keyboard.
2. Click on Settings or the gear icon. 
3. From the next screen, choose Advanced > Accessibility > Manage accessibility features.
4. Turn on the toggle present next to the Docked magnifier and adjust the zoom level as you desire.

And you’re done! You can turn off the toggle next to the dock magnifier to disable this option and return to your original screen resolution. These are all the ways you can zoom in on your Chromebook and perform your work more efficiently.

How to Manage the Zoom Level for Specific Web Pages on Chromebook

You can also zoom in and out of specific websites on your Chromebook to make them all look similar. This option is available on Chrome.

Here is how you can manage the zoom level of your previously visited websites:

1. Launch the Chrome browser.
2. Then, click the vertical three-dotted line present on the top right hand. Select Settings.
3. Choose Advanced > Privacy and security > Site Settings.
4. On the next screen, scroll down till you find Zoom levels. Click on it.
5. You will now have a list of websites you previously visited. If you want to reset the zoom level of a web page to default, choose X. 

That’s it. All of your web pages will now move to their default zoom-level settings. 

How to Magnify Font Sizes on Chromebook

When changing the size of specific web pages in your Chromebook, you’ll zoom in on everything on the web page, such as images, videos, and texts.

But what if you only want to magnify the font size on your Chromebook?

Fortunately, Chromebook allows you to change the font size for certain web pages. Here is how you can magnify the font size on your Chromebook:

1. Launch the Chrome browser on your Chromebook.
2. Then, look for the three-dot menu on the top menu and click on it.
3. Now, choose Settings.
4. On the next screen, click Appearance.
5. Finally, click the Down arrow present next to Font size and choose your preferred font size. You can make other changes to your Chromebook’s fonts from the Customize fonts option, such as changing font type.

Note: Not all websites enable browsers to customize only the font size. This means you won’t be able to zoom in or customize the font size on certain websites. 

How to Zoom Out on Chromebook

If you are tired of seeing your Chromebook screen zoomed in, you can always zoom it out anytime. Like zooming in, zooming out also includes pressing a key combination and adjusting the zoom level accordingly. The process is almost the same as what you learned when zooming in, but with a slight key difference.

Here is how you can zoom out on your Chromebook:

1. Put one finger on the Ctrl button on your Chromebook’s keyboard and the other on (-). Press both simultaneously.
2. To zoom out further, keep holding the Ctrl button, release the (-) button, and press it again. 
3. Keep pressing the (-) button while holding Ctrl until you reach your desired zoom level. 

This is all you need to learn to zoom out of your Chromebook!

How to Reset Your Chromebook’s Zoom Level

Sometimes, you can accidentally zoom in or out of your Chromebook screen without knowing it. So, to return to the original zoom level, you don’t have to keep pressing the specific key combinations repeatedly. Instead, reset the zoom level to its default setting to continue your work again.

Here is how you can reset your Chromebook’s zoom level:

1. Find the Ctrl and 0 (zero) buttons on your Chromebook’s keyboard and press them together.
2. If your Chromebook’s screen doesn’t reset to its original size, you can try pressing Ctrl, Shift, and 0 simultaneously. 

Note: This method will reset the entire zoom level of your Chromebook, not only a single web page or window. 

Final Thoughts

Using a Chromebook might seem intimidating initially, but it will become as smooth as butter when you know how to use it. Zooming in and out of Chromebook is similar to what you do on any other laptop. Look for the Ctrl and (+) or (-) buttons on your Chromebook’s keyboard. 

If you want to zoom in, press Ctrl and (+) simultaneously. Similarly, press Ctrl and (-) together to zoom out. You can also try the methods we discussed in this guide to zoom in on a single web page, small portions of the screen, and the entire Chromebook. Hopefully, we made it easier for you in this guide!

The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/Savusia Konstantin.