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How to Change the Font Size on Your Screen

Make text bigger or smaller for easier reading

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 23, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Keyboard Shortcut for Zoom Windows Zoom Settings Mac Zoom Settings Browser Font Adjustment Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

Easiest way to make a font bigger onscreen: Ctrl or Cmd and tap +.You can also use Windows or Mac Zoom settings from the Personalize or Preferences menu.You may be able to make a font bigger using the settings in your favorite web browser, as well. When you encounter a screen with a font that's too small, you can easily adjust. The method you use to make a font bigger might depend on how long you want the text to be a different size or which program you're using. The steps you need to take vary depending on your computer's operating system. Follow the steps below that apply to the OS you're using.

Keyboard Shortcut for Zoom

Some applications let you adjust the zoom level with your keyboard. This works in web browsers, Microsoft Office programs, and other software.

Windows

If you're using a PC, hold down the Ctrl key while tapping either + (to zoom up) or - (to zoom out). The plus (+) and minus (-) icons are in the top-right corner of the main set of keys.

MacOS

The zoom function is similar on a Mac except that you'll use the Command key with + or -. Press and hold , near the bottom-left of the keyboard, and then use either of the zoom icons to zoom in or out on your Mac. If you also hold down Option, only the font size will change, not the size of images.

Windows Zoom Settings

Another way to change the font size on your Windows computer is through settings that affect the whole operating system. Doing this won't change the text size in all programs but it will make menus and other selections easier to read. These directions are different depending on the version of Windows you're using: What Version of Windows Do I Have? Right-click the desktop and choose Display settings (Windows 11/10) or Personalize (Windows 8/7). In Windows 11, scroll down to the Scale & layout section and select the menu next to Scale. In Windows 10, scroll to Scale and layout and select the menu next to the text that says Change the size of text, apps, and other items. In Windows 8 and 7, select Display on the bottom left. In Windows 11/10, choose a zoom level. In Windows 8, adjust the slider to make text and other items larger or smaller. There's also a Change only the text size option at the bottom of this page that you can modify to make title bars, menus, icons, and other items larger or smaller. In Windows 7, choose a different zoom level, either Smaller, Medium, or Larger. If you ever need to reverse these steps, just return to the above settings and make the change there.
To temporarily make everything on the screen larger, including images, videos, menu items, text, etc., use the built-in Magnifier tool. One easy way to open Magnifier is by holding down the Windows key and then tapping the plus (+) icon once, but you can also search for it in the Start menu.

Mac Zoom Settings

The best way to make text easier to read on your Mac is to adjust it within each app you're using. For example, to make email text larger and easier to read in Mail, go to Mail > Preferences, choose Fonts & Colors, choose Select next to Message font, and then select a font size. In Messages, go to Messages > Preferences > General, and then move the Text size slider to the right. You can also change the font size for desktop icons by right-clicking the desktop and choosing Show View Options. Move the Icon size slider to the right, and choose Text size to pick a different text size. To increase the size of items in the Finder and Mail sidebars, go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences > General, select Sidebar icon size, and then choose Large.

Adjust Mac Font System-Wide

There's a zoom tool built-in to macOS that you can read more about in our How to Use Zoom, Apple's Built-In Screen Magnifier guide. Something else you can try if the other methods aren't working to increase the font size on your Mac is to adjust your computer's screen resolution: From the main Apple menu, select System Preferences. Choose Displays and then Display. Select Scaled and then choose a lower resolution.

Browser Font Adjustment

Web browsers have built-in zoom settings, too, so that you can change the font size on just the one website you're on. This means each website can have its own custom zoom level. To do that, you can use the Ctrl or Command shortcut explained above. However, a browser can also have a default zoom level set up so that each website displays larger text. Here's how to change the default font size level in various web browsers:

Firefox

In the upper-right corner of the screen, select the menu icon (three lines) to find the Zoom toggles. In the browser's settings is an option you can turn on called Zoom text only so that images don't zoom as well.

Chrome

Access the zoom icons from the Chrome menu, or open Settings from there to change the Font size or Page zoom level, which will affect all pages.

Edge

Like most browsers, use the menu at the top right to find the zoom options. Get deeper in the settings, in the Appearance section, to change the default zoom level.

Safari

From the Safari menu, choose Preferences. Under the Websites tab, choose Page Zoom, and then choose a default zoom level from the right panel. Adjust the setting for When visiting other websites to change the font size for other sites. Some websites are built in such a way that increasing the font size using your browser settings will drastically disrupt the way the page is displayed. On some websites, the text size won't change at all when you zoom in or out in your browser. FAQ How do I change font size on an iPhone? To change font size on an iPhone, open Settings > select Display & Brightness > Text Size. Drag slider to the right to increase text size; drag it left to reduce text size. If you need larger text, go to Settings > General > Accessibility, tap Larger Text, and choose from the options. How do I change the font size in Outlook? To change the font size in Outlook 2010 and later, go to File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts. Select Font, and then make your size and style selections. How do I change font size on Kindle? To change your Kindle's font size, tap the screen > select Aa. Tap another Aa size to change the font size on your device. You can also change the font, line spacing, and margins. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Zoom in or out on Windows or a Mac How to Activate Full-Screen Mode in Google Chrome How to Change the Font Size on Kindle How to Change Icon Size In Windows 11 How to Change the Font Size on an iPhone How to Change the Default Zoom Settings in Microsoft Office How to Modify Text Size in Internet Explorer How to Change a Google Docs Background to a Picture How to Change Text Size on Android How to Use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge How to Change the Default Font and Size in Outlook How to Surf the Internet on Your Nintendo Wii How to Move a Window That Is Off-Screen How to Connect AirPods to Zoom How to Use the Photoshop Background Eraser Tool How to Use Zoom, Apple's Built-In Screen Magnifier Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies