Fool & Fool: how to zoom in Ubuntu?

This may seem super silly, but there are many people who do not know this "trick" that it can help a lot, especially to the elderly with vision problems and to all those with reduced vision. The question to solve is simple: How can I zoom into any corner of my desk to better read what it says? How to restore the zoom? These and other questions will be resolved in this new post, part of the string of posts (see post 1 y post 2) linked to role that Linux can play in integrating people with some type of disability.

Using Compiz Manager

How do you know if Compiz is installed and working? Go to System> Preferences> Appearances. Go to the Effects tab. If anything but "None" is selected, Compiz is installed and working.

In the remote case that you still don't have Compiz installed in your Ubuntu, which I doubt very much, I opened a terminal and entered the following:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-fusion-plugins-extra compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-plugins emerald

If you already have Compiz installed but the CompizConfig Settings Manager does not appear In System> Preferences, you have to install it. I opened a terminal and wrote:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Then go to System> Preferences> CompizConfig Settings Manager.

Where it says "Filter", write "Zoom". 2 options will appear: "Enhanced Zoom Desktop" or "Zoom Desktop". Click on the "Enhanced Zoom Desktop" button. On the Zoom In / Out tab, click the buttons to set the mouse and keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts for this feature are also available in System> Preferences> Keyboard Shortcuts. Once there, go to «Desktop», «Zoom in» or «Zoom out». Returning to the CompizConfig Settings Manager, the last step is to click on the "Enable Enhanced Zoom Desktop" option in the left sidebar.

I recommend using the «Enhanced Zoom Desktop» as it allows you to follow the mouse cursor while keeping the zoom; "Zoom Desktop" is limited to zooming in on a certain area. The analogy would be similar to that of the video and the photo. So listen to me, use the "enhanced" version.

If you want to control the behavior of the mouse, the amount of zoom applied, the animations applied when carrying out the operation and other issues, I suggest you "play" with the different settings that you will be able to find in the different tabs of the "Enhanced Zoom Desktop ».

By default, it is configured so that pressing the Super key, also known as the Windows key (next to the Alt on the left), + the mouse wheel, increases and decreases the zoom.

This keyboard shortcut is also good for zooming while watching youtube videos, for example.

One last tip

Almost all internet browsers and office tools allow you to "zoom" by pressing Ctrl + mouse wheel. It is a very very old trick that some may not know.

I mention it to make you understand that sometimes it is not necessary to magnify the entire desktop; there are many applications that internally support the possibility of zooming. GIMP, and just about every image editor available, are some other examples that I can think of right now.