// GUIDE · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026
How to zoom in on your Mac screen during a presentation
Turn on Accessibility Zoom in System Settings, then hold Control and scroll. It's free and zooms the live screen. If you also want to draw on the zoomed view, use ZoomIt for Mac (free) or Overlaid.
Small text is unreadable on a video call. Pinch-to-zoom works in Safari and Chrome, but not in Figma, Xcode, Terminal or on the desktop.
System-wide zoom fixes that. The question is whether you also want to draw on what you've zoomed into.
METHOD 01
Accessibility Zoom
Free, built in
Magnifies the live screen, so video and animations keep moving while you're zoomed.
- 1Open System Settings, then Accessibility, then Zoom.
- 2Turn on Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom.
- 3Pick a modifier (Control by default), then hold it and scroll.
GOOD
- +Free
- +Zooms moving content live
- +Full screen, split screen or picture-in-picture
NOT SO GOOD
- −You can't draw on it
- −Easy to leave zoomed in by accident
METHOD 02
ZoomIt for Mac
Free, open source
Microsoft's presentation tool. Static zoom on a frozen frame, live zoom, and drawing on the zoomed view.
- 1Install with Homebrew: brew install --cask zoomit
- 2Grant Screen Recording.
- 3Use its zoom shortcut, then draw on the zoomed frame.
GOOD
- +Free
- +Both frozen and live zoom
NOT SO GOOD
- −No cursor effects or keystrokes listed
METHOD 03THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Freezes the screen and zooms up to 8x, then lets you pan and draw at any scale. Plus a live magnifier lens.
- 1Turn on draw mode with ⌃⌥D.
- 2Pinch on a trackpad, or hold ⌘ and scroll with a mouse, to freeze and zoom.
- 3Scroll to pan. Draw with any tool.
- 4Press Esc to go back to the live screen.
GOOD
- +Draw on the zoomed frame
- +Works with a mouse or a trackpad
- +Zoom out past 100% for extra canvas space
NOT SO GOOD
- −The zoomed view is a still frame, so video stops while you're zoomed
- −Needs Screen Recording permission
// WHICHEVER YOU PICK
THREE TIPS.
Frozen or live?
Live zoom is better for video. A frozen frame is better for pointing and drawing, because nothing moves out from under your pen.
Zoom before you explain
Zoom in, then talk. Talking while you pan around makes people seasick.
Know your way back
Practise the exit shortcut before the call. In Overlaid it's Esc.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Smart zoom is up to each app. Browsers support it, but most apps don't. System-wide zoom tools work everywhere.
Yes. Accessibility Zoom uses a modifier key and scroll. Overlaid uses ⌘ and scroll in draw mode.
// COMPARE
- Overlaid vs ZoomIt for MacMicrosoft's free, open-source Mac port of the classic Windows presentation tool: zoom, draw, snip, record.
- Overlaid vs macOS's built-in toolsAccessibility Zoom, pointer settings and Screenshot Markup, already on every Mac.
- Overlaid vs PresentifyThe best-known Mac screen annotation app: drawing, cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom and a whiteboard.
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Draw on your screen in the next five minutes.
7 days free with every feature. Then a one-time purchase. No account, no subscription.