“Eye Tracking” is among the most notable Windows 11 features that lets you control your PC using just your eyes. For folks with the physical and motor disability, it can be nothing less than a boon. However, anyone can take full advantage of this handy feature to perform a number of tasks using their eyes. Whether you have yet to go hands-on with this lesser-known Windows gem or wish to get the most out of it by unlocking its full potential, I’ve got you checked off with the in-depth guide. Keep reading…
Set Up and Use Windows 11 Eye Tracker on Your PC
From letting you fine-tune general settings to browse the web to customizing your favorite app, and much more, the eye-tracking feature can let you perform almost everything on a Windows computer. Though you need to go through some learning curve initially to make it your very own.
Keep in Mind the Prerequisites
- If you are wondering whether or not the eye-tracking feature is available in your country or region, let me assure you that so long as your computer is powered by Windows 11, you can get this feature.
- Yeah, you got that right! The Windows 11 eye-tracking is available in all regions.
- Do note that the eye control keyboard supports only the EN-US keyboard layout. Therefore, make sure to have it ready.
- Another pivotal limitation that you need to be aware of is that certain eye control settings are only available in English.
- Bother not, eye-tracking doesn’t require you to tweak the region and language settings of your PC.
Ensure That You Have a Supported Eye Tracker
To get started, make sure that you have a compatible eye-tracking device. Take a look at the supported eye trackers:
- Tobii Eye Tracker 4C
- Tobii EyeX
- Tobii Dynavox PCEye Explore
- Tobii Dynavox I-Series+
- Tobii Dynavox PCEye Plus
- Tobii Dynavox EyeMobile Mini
- Tobii Dynavox EyeMobile Plus
- Tobii Dynavox PCEye Mini
- Note – there are many laptops and monitors that offer up the eye-tracking support
Connect Your Eye Tracker With Your Windows 11 Device
- To get going, unbox the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C device and then peel off the sticker that is protecting the glue.
- After that, carefully attach the magnet under your screen.
- Then, you need to attach the eye-tracking device to the magnet.
- Next, connect the eye tracker to your PC’s USB port.
Install the Eye-Tracking Software
- Launch a web browser on your PC and head over to gaming.tobii.com/getstarted/.
- Now, select the hardware option and choose Tobii EYETRACKING.
- Next, hit the Tobii device and select your device.
- Next up, you should see the details of the software that you need to install.
- Up next, scroll down a bit, and hit Download.
- Once the software has been downloaded, you will be asked something like “What to do with the downloaded file?”. Select “Run” to proceed.
- It will launch the installation wizard.
- After that, make sure to read the licensing terms and conditions.
- Select the Agree checkbox and hit Next.
- Be sure to hit Yes to let the software make changes to your device.
- After the software has been installed successfully, hit Continue to set up the eye tracker.
- If some red lights have become visible on your device, that means the eye tracker has been activated.
Tips to Perfectly Calibrate Your Eye-Tracking Device on Windows 11
- First off, hit Get Started.
- When the screen displays the two vertical lines, you need to move these lines (using your mouse) to perfectly align them with the help of the white markers on top of the device.
- Hit Done.
- Inside a rectangle on the screen, you should see your eyes as two dots.
- Now, it’s time to move your eyes and head just a bit in order to confirm that your device can track your eyes.
- When a series of blue dots show up on the screen, make sure to look at each dot one by one until it explodes. Repeat this action a few times with precision.
- As soon as you have gone through this process with the desired precision, a “Calibration successful! “message will appear on the screen. If it doesn’t show up, chances are high that you haven’t followed this essential procedure properly.
- Bear in mind that if you take more time to move your eyes to the next dot after one explodes, the whole calibration process will reset and you will be forced to start from the beginning.
- Next, enter your name for the user profile and hit Save.
- It’s worth pointing out that a separate user profile is a must for each user. Another vital thing you should remember is the requirement of multiple profiles in case you wish to use your computer with or without glasses. No worries! You have the full freedom to create additional user profiles later at your own convenience.
Enable Eye Control on Windows 11
- Navigate to the Settings on your computer.
- Select Accessibility.
- Hit Eye Control on the right pane.
- Finally, ensure that the switch next to the Eye control is turned on.
Tips to Use the Eye Tracking Launchpad on Your PC
When you activate the eye tracking feature, the launchpad will appear on the screen. To select a button on the launchpad, all you need to do is just rest/dwell your eyes on it until it gets activated.
For those uninitiated, dwelling means keeping your eyes fixed on a particular spot on the screen for a specific amount of time. As for “Dwell Time”, it’s the amount of time you set your eyes on the screen. You can use the launchpad buttons to carry out the following tasks:
- Swiftly move the launchpad to the top or bottom portion of the screen.
- Control the mouse cursor. For instance, using the launchpad buttons, you will be able to select the left and right mouse buttons.
- Take control of the mouse scroll wheel in order to scroll through a webpage/app.
- Enter text with the help of the eye-control keyboard.
- Make the most of the eye control text-to-speech (TTS) functionality to enter words on the screen. Besides, the TTS will also let you read words aloud.
- Launchpad also comes in handy in letting you easily access features like the eye tracker device calibration, eye control settings, Start, Task view, and more.
- With the launchpad feature, you can even pause eye control if ever the need arises to do so.
Tips to Use Tobii Eye Tracking App on Your Windows PC
Probably the best part about eye-tracking is that it works inside the Tobii app even when the Windows eye control is disabled.
Before you get into the Tobii app, let me provide you with a simple and straightforward tip that can help you stay in control. To select any menu items inside the app, first look at the menu items to move the focus to them. Then after, press the spacebar to select the specific items.
- Hit the Tobii icon on the taskbar to launch the Tobii app.
- Now, select the preferred function depending on your needs.
- Right at the top, you should see a link to tobiigaming.com. Clicking on the link will direct you to the Tobii Gaming site where you will have access to a ton of games that are designed to support eye tracking.
- Games and Experiences: This section will let you download Tobii apps. Notably, it will also let you go through the eye tracker intro and overview again.
- Interactions: Using this section, you can fine-tune several key settings including those of the mouse, touchpad, and more. From this very section, you can even update the Tobii software and reset the entire settings to the factory default.
- Display setup: If you ever need to realign your device, you need to dive into this very section.
- Gaze Trace: Select it to activate the Gaze Trace that allows you to trigger a bubble that displays how your gaze moves on the screen.
- Along the bottom of the screen, your user profile name will appear. The bottom area will also show a couple of dots representing your eyes.
- When you move your head, you will be able to view whether or not both your eyes are within the eye tracker’s field of vision.
- How do you tell whether or not the device is tracking your eyes perfectly? When the dots look brighter and larger, that means the eye tracker is able to track your eyes efficiently.
- To create new user profiles, dive into the same bottom area. Furthermore, you can also test and enhance the calibration for the specific user profile from this very section.
- To close the Tobii app, just press the Esc key. Alternatively, hit anywhere outside the app window to get out of the app.
There you have it! So, that wraps up this detailed Windows 11 eye-tracking tutorial. I hope you will now be able to get the most out of this noteworthy feature. Midway through the process or while exploring the feature, if you come across any roadblock, feel free to ask for help.
