Everything on computer screen magnified, how do I fix this?

Anonymous
2009-07-28T17:43:50+00:00

I accidentally hit the keys on my laptop and the screen went dark. When it came on again a few seconds later everything it displayed was magnified. Web pages, toolbars, the desktop, everything. I think I accidentally hit some sort of hot key command that resizes how everything is displayed. This is a real nuisance and I'd like to fix it ASAP. I've checked my screen resolution and it's normal, at 800 x 600. I read an article that said the problem can be eliminated by hiding or showing desktop icons, but that didn't work either. I looked through the Microsoft Help database and this forum and Windows Help and Support and couldn't find anything that helped or even identified exactly what my problem is. I am running Windows Vista and all my graphics settings are on default. No matter what I try to display on my monitor-- the desktop, web browsers, and any program-- everything is magnified. When I try to adjust my browser magnification by using Ctrl - or +, only the content in the web browser window changes size and border of the browser (all my toolbars and searchbars) remain magnified. How can I put my screen back to normal?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2009-07-28T18:13:14+00:00

Hello dude_read, welcome.

1024 x 768 is actually the lowest accepted standard for viewing content. If you are running the system at 800 x 600, you will have visual problems displaying content that's designed for larger resolutions.

If you change it up a notch to 1024 x 768, that should do the trick. Alternatively you could change your DPI settings but it's most likely the low resolution you have set.

Let us know,

Thanks!

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-01-23T23:01:47+00:00

    You are a genius Anne. I went to resonlution and changed it, but htis did nothing; once I did what you suggested, it was fixed. Thank you so much, I was 1.5 hours into frustration.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-12-18T11:13:59+00:00

    I accidentally hit the keys on my laptop and the screen went dark. When it came on again a few seconds later everything it displayed was magnified. Web pages, toolbars, the desktop, everything. I think I accidentally hit some sort of hot key command that resizes how everything is displayed. This is a real nuisance and I'd like to fix it ASAP. I've checked my screen resolution and it's normal, at 800 x 600. I read an article that said the problem can be eliminated by hiding or showing desktop icons, but that didn't work either. I looked through the Microsoft Help database and this forum and Windows Help and Support and couldn't find anything that helped or even identified exactly what my problem is. I am running Windows Vista and all my graphics settings are on default. No matter what I try to display on my monitor-- the desktop, web browsers, and any program-- everything is magnified. When I try to adjust my browser magnification by using Ctrl - or +, only the content in the web browser window changes size and border of the browser (all my toolbars and searchbars) remain magnified. How can I put my screen back to normal?

    Quickest fix I've found (if none of the other solutions work for you) is to uninstall the display adaptor then reboot when prompted. Windows should hold the display drivers for you and reinstall them automatically but make sure you have your driver available first just in case you have to reinstall manually.

    I have no idea what causes this bizarre fault - I've seen it a couple of times now and I thought at first it may have been an accessibility option accessed in error with some weird hidden key combination, a resolution error (as many others have suggested), a monitor utility setting - none of which was the case. Hope my fix helps somone out there.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-05-08T16:54:41+00:00

    Something similar did the trick for me too. Thanks virginiacynthia!! My tool bars were normal, but the web pages were magnified. What I did was in Firefox click on "view" then "zoom" and "reset". Web pages went back to normal.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-05-26T15:52:02+00:00

    Anne, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! 

    After so many attempts at repairing this 'large screen' issue, hours, in fact, I had done EVERYTHING - except increase the resolution!!  WOW!!  Thank you so much for sharing EXACTLY how to resolve this!

    :) kasfluv~~

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