Screen enlargement software is loaded onto a computer, then acts like a magnifying glass moving over a page. The program magnifies text and/or graphics displayed on the computer monitor. Most screen enlargement applications allow the student or teacher to control the level of magnification and to alter the foreground background contrast.

The accessibility wizard in Windows (from 95 forward) walks the user through a series of Windows appearance options. Adjustments for the font size, screen resolution, scroll bar size, icon size, color scheme, mouse cursor appearance and mouse cursor blink rate can be made through the wizard. The Windows screen magnifier can be activated there or through the accessories folder in the programs menu.

A variety of full-featured screen magnifier software is available and they come with many options including high levels of magnification. These magnifiers can magnify all screen items, including the mouse pointer, text cursor, icons, buttons, and the title bars. Examples of full-featured magnifiers include MAGic (Freedom Scientific), ZoomText (AiSquared) and LunarPlus (Dolphin). All of these programs have upgraded versions that include screen reading.

Screen Enlargement software is typically used by students with low vision.