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Get started with eye control in Windows – Microsoft Support

8 min read

Windows 11Windows 10

This article will guide you through all the steps of setting up an eye tracker. If you’ve already got one set up, see Eye control basics in Windows, and for troubleshooting help, go to Eye control troubleshooting guide.

In this topic #

Set up an eye tracking device #

This guide helps you to set up and calibrate your eye tracking device for use with Windows eye control. We have tested it with the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C device; your experience with other devices might vary.

What you need to get started #

Eye tracking device #

Eye control supports the following eye tracking devices:

Tobii

  • Tobii Eye Tracker 4C
  • Tobii EyeX
  • Tobii Dynavox PCEye Plus
  • Tobii Dynavox EyeMobile Mini
  • Tobii Dynavox EyeMobile Plus
  • Tobii Dynavox PCEye Mini
  • Tobii Dynavox PCEye Explore
  • Tobii Dynavox I-Series+
  • Selected laptops and monitors that include eye tracking integrations

EyeTech

  • TM5 Mini

Windows 11 #

Eye control is available in Windows 11 in all regions. However, the eye control keyboard only supports the EN-US keyboard layout, and some eye control settings are only available in English. The Region and Language settings of your PC don’t need to be changed; they don’t affect eye control use.

Someone to assist you #

You might need the help of a friend, family member, or caregiver to complete the set-up and to change eye control settings.

Set up the device #

Connect the device #

  1. Open the box and take out the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C device, one of the supplied magnets, and the illustrated installation guide. If your PC’s USB ports are located far from your screen, you might also need the USB extension cable.
  2. Before you attach the device, plan carefully the best location for it.Note: The glue behind the magnet is quite strong, so be careful to attach it to the right place. You might not be able to remove the magnet without breaking it.Note: The device can easily come loose when you move or bend the USB cable, so you should plan the position of the device in relation to your USB port in advance, and bend the cable to roughly the right shape before attaching the device.
  3. Peel off the sticker protecting the glue and attach the magnet under your screen as shown in the illustrated guide.
  4. Attach the device to the magnet and connect it to your PC’s USB port as shown in the illustrated guide.

Install the software #

  1. Open a web browser on your PC and go to gaming.tobii.com/getstarted/.
  2. Under 1. Select the hardware, select Tobii EYETRACKING, and then under 2. Select Tobii device, select your device. The page content below the selection changes to show the details of the software package you need to install. Scroll down and select Download. The Your download will start in a few seconds pane opens. If the download does not start automatically, select the link at the bottom of the pane.
  3. When asked what to do with the downloaded file, select Run. The installation wizard opens. Read the end-user license and use agreement, select the Agree checkbox and select Next.
  4. Select Yes to allow the app to make changes to your device.
  5. When the installation has completed successfully, select Continue to set up the eye tracker. Some red lights should now be visible on your device, meaning it has activated.

Calibrate the device #

  1. Select Get Started!. Your screen shows two vertical lines. Use the mouse to move these lines to align them with the white markers on top of the device and select Done.
  2. The screen shows your eyes as two dots inside a rectangle. Move your eyes and head a little to confirm that the device can track your eyes.
  3. After a moment, the screen shows a series of blue dots. Look at each dot (one at a time) until it explodes. After you have done this a few times, a Calibration successful! message is displayed. If you take too long to move your eyes to the next dot after one explodes, the calibration sequence starts from the beginning.
  4. Type a name for your user profile and select Save. A separate user profile is needed for each user. A single user might require multiple profiles if they use the computer with and without glasses, for example. You can create additional user profiles later.

Test the Tobii app #

  1. The full screen mode of the Tobii Eye Tracking app activates after you save your profile, and the intro starts with background music. You are a pilot in a spaceship, and the screen gives you instructions on how to control the cursor and screen with your eyes and the Spacebar key.
    1. Look around by looking at the edges of the screen.
    2. Look at an asteroid for a moment to have a targeting icon appear around it. Press Spacebar to shoot the asteroid.
    3. If you want to stop piloting your ship before the intro ends automatically, look to your right for the exit button, look at the button for a moment to activate it, and press Spacebar to exit the intro.
  2. The Tobii app presents an overview of various eye control features. Follow the instructions and look at various points on the screen to interact with them.
  3. After you finish watching the overview, the full screen mode deactivates and the Tobii app opens on the right side of the screen. You can use the app to manage your user profiles, test your eye control, and modify eye tracker settings. For more information, go to Use the Tobii Eye Tracking app.
  4. To close the app, press Esc or click anywhere outside the app window.

Use Windows eye control #

To turn on eye control, go to Settings > Accessibility > Eye control and turn on the toggle.
Open Eye control settings

When you switch on eye control, the launchpad appears on the screen. For information on how to use the launchpad, go to Eye control basics in Windows.

Use the Tobii Eye Tracking app #

When your device is activated, eye tracking works inside the Tobii app even if Windows eye control is not switched on. You can look at menu items to move the focus to them and press Spacebar to select them.

  1. To open the Tobii app, select the Tobii icon on the taskbar. If it’s not showing, select the Show hidden icons icon. You can also type “eye” in the taskbar search field and select Tobii Eye Tracking.
  2. Inside the app you can select the following options, starting from the top:
    • A link to tobiigaming.com, where you can explore games that use eye tracking.
    • Games and Experiences, where you can download Tobii applications and experience the eye tracker intro and overview again (as you did during the initial set-up).
    • Interactions lets you change various settings related to touchpad, mouse, and general Windows use, as well as power usage. Here you can also update the Tobii software and reset all settings to their defaults.
    • Display setup lets you realign the device if its position under your screen has changed.
    • Gaze Trace enables a bubble which shows how your gaze moves on the screen. To disable the bubble, select Gaze Trace again.
    • At the bottom, you can see your user profile name and two dots representing your eyes. As you move your head, you can see whether both your eyes are still within the eye tracker’s field of vision. The larger and brighter the dots are, the better your device is tracking your eyes. Select the bottom area to create new user profiles, or test and improve the calibration for the current user profile.
  3. To close the app, press Esc or click anywhere outside the app window.

Troubleshooting #

If you’re having problems with eye control, here are some tips that might help. Check out the Eye control troubleshooting guide for more comprehensive troubleshooting help. 

Device not working after restarting your PC #

After you restart your PC, the eye tracking device might not activate properly. To solve this, try these steps:

  1. Disconnect the device from the USB port and reconnect it.
  2. Press Control + Alt + Delete, select Task Manager, select the Services tab (select More details if the tab is not showing), right-click on Tobii Service, and select Start or Restart. Keep Task Manager running until the service is running.
  3. Restart your PC.

If the above do not help, uninstall and reinstall the Tobii Eye Tracking app.

Reflections are confusing the device #

You might encounter issues with light reflecting from windows or your glasses. Try closing all curtains or blinds in the room. If you can see the screen without glasses, you can also try creating a new user profile for using eye control without glasses.

Your position has changed #

Using the eye tracker with a laptop (where the position of your eyes in relation to the screen can easily change) can cause problems. Ideally, calibrate the eye tracker and then do not move the computer and try to keep your position stable. If you need to move the computer and change your position drastically, recalibrate the eye tracker if you run into problems.