# Mac users: cool feature alert! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108 "2006-10-11T22:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/1 "2006-10-11T22:04:08Z")
This requires 10.4.8 and a scroll mouse. Hold down the Control (Ctrl) key, and scroll your mousewheel “up”. Your screen will zoom in on the area around your mouse. Release the control key, and you can pan around the screen by moving the mouse. You can zoom in so close that a single character takes up the whole screen. To go back to normal, hold control again and scroll out (down). It’s very cool - I’ve been using it show things to people across the room that they otherwise would have to come close up to see (i.e. Dashboard widgets). ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/2 "2006-10-11T22:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] This requires 10.4.8 and a scroll mouse. Hold down the Control (Ctrl) key, and scroll your mousewheel “up”. Your screen will zoom in on the area around your mouse. Release the control key, and you can pan around the screen by moving the mouse. You can zoom in so close that a single character takes up the whole screen. To go back to normal, hold control again and scroll out (down). It’s very cool - I’ve been using it show things to people across the room that they otherwise would have to come close up to see (i.e. Dashboard widgets). [/QUOTE] It’s part of Universal Access. I keep it turned off, myself. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/3 "2006-10-11T23:24:59Z")
Another neat thing is that Control-command-option-8 switches the display to inverse black & white. The control panel can also switch it to inverse color, and it has options for zooming, for those of us without mouse wheels. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/4 "2006-10-11T23:27:47Z")
On a laptop, the scroll wheel isn’t necessary, since using two fingers instead of one on the touchpad is the same as using a scroll wheel. That inverse colour business blew my MIND, though. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/5 "2006-10-12T00:56:51Z")
[QUOTE=Foldup Rabbit] That inverse colour business blew my MIND, though. [/QUOTE] I’ve found it’s fantastic for keeping eyestrain away when I’m working with a lot of text. I toggle the color scheme every hour or so to keep my eyes adjusting, and the headaches are further apart and far less severe. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-users-cool-feature-alert/376108/6 "2006-10-12T02:03:11Z")
That is way cool! I just got a scroll mouse!