The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes
If you’ve ever opened up a website and been blasted with font so tiny that you yearned for a microscope, you understand the importance of changing font size. Whether your eyesight isn’t what it used to be or you want to squeeze more words onto a page, there are times where you need to change the font size on your screen. Changing font size takes a few seconds and can make text much easier to read.
Computer Fonts
On Windows computers, press Control and the plus sign (+) to increase the font size you see on your screen. While holding the Control key, keep pressing the + plus sign until the font is the size you want it to be.
To reduce the font size, press Control and the minus sign (-).
On Mac computers, press Command ⌘ and the plus sign (+) to increase your font size. While holding the Command ⌘ key, keep pressing the + plus sign until the font is the size you want it to be.
To reduce the font size, press Control ⌘ and the minus sign (-).
Browsers
Chrome
Click on the icon in the upper right corner of your browser (this used to be a wrench, now the icon is three stacked bars). Go to Settings => Advanced => Web Content => Font Size. Pick the size you prefer.
Firefox
In Firefox, it’s easier to just use the Control + plus/minus sign to adjust the size of your font. But if you want to use the controls in Firefox, using Windows press Alt to get the menu to appear at the top of your screen. Then press Zoom and adjust the size of your font. Using a Mac, click on View => Zoom In/Out.
To select the minimum default font size, click on Tools/Options in Windows, or Preferences on a Mac, then Content. In the Fonts & Colors choose a minimum font size from the dropdown menu.
Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of your screen. Click on Zoom and adjust your font size. To change the default font size, go to View => Text Size and select the size you want.
Safari
In Safari on a Mac, go to View => Zoom and select your text size.
To select a default minimum font size in Safari on a Mac, go to Safari => Preferences => Advanced => Accessibility => check “Never Use Font Sizes Smaller Than” and set your preference. On a Windows computer, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen => Appearance and select the default font size.
Smartphones/Mobile Devices
iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
Go to Settings => General => Accessibility => Large Text. Then select the size of your font from 20 pt. to 56 pt. This will increase the font size for Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Messages and Notes.
Another way of increasing the font size is to turn your phone 90° from portrait to landscape. If the font still isn’t big enough, spread the screen with two fingers. This works in Safari, email and some, though not all, apps.
If a section of text doesn’t cover the screen double tap it and the text will enlarge to cover the screen.
Android
Go to => Settings => Accessibility => Font Size and select the font size for your phone (which apps are controlled by this setting depends on your version of Android).
To change the font size on your Android browser, open a web page and press the menu button. Go to Settings => Accessibility and choose your font size. You can adjust the font size with a Text Scaling slider from this page.
Here’s a helpful video showing you how to adjust the font size on your Android phone:
You can also pinch and spread your fingers to adjust the font on the screen of your Android device.
Kindle
On the Kindle Fire, open a book, press the screen and a toolbar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Press the Aa button => Font Style to choose your font size.
On the Kindle Touch, open a book, press the top of the screen and a toolbar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Press the AA button to choose your font size.
On the Kindle Keyboard, press the AA button to choose your font size.
Bottom Line
Changing your font size can make a big difference in how easy text is for you to read. Take a few moments and change your font size to make reading on a screen easier on your eyes!
Do you change your font size? Are you ever frustrated by fonts that are too big or too small? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Eye Chart image by Nancy White
** Kindle Font Size image by Aimee Daniells
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As always, your posts are so helpful. Cheers to you for helping me make peace with my iPhone screen!
Hi Lizbet, I’m so glad this post was helpful to you. Have a lovely weekend! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Very good. I use Chrome and the zoom turns itself on and off by itself sometimes. I just checked the menu because I still have the spanner icon. I switched on full screen and there were no instructions to switch it off again! It turned out to be F11 in the end I think! I have to have a go at Internet Banking again, I don’t think my bank likes Chrome so I’ll try it with Internet Explorer. I spent an hour the other day helping a Chinese student to access her bank account online. There was no money in it! It was still with a Chinese Bank! It is certainly a challenge studying in a foreign country. My friend thinks she is here to have a good time not study. British students have a very different idea of university life!
Some WordPress sites have really tiny fonts, my default font was tiny. That was one problem that took a while to figure out.
Hi Mike, Sorry you’re having a problem with your Chrome. You may want to update it to see if that helps. Since you still have the spanner icon, you seem to have an older version of the browser.
I remember when we moved over to the UK, it took a very long time for the money to transfer from the US. You would think that it would be very quick, but I think that it goes on the slow boat.
Yes, it would be great if it were simple to change the font in WordPress so you could adjust the text size easily. I use Thesis and they make it very easy to change it in the dashboard. Readers appreciate larger text! :-bd
Hey, that’s easy! Thanks.
(But my comment was rejected — not enough words. So I’m trying again.)
Hi Gramps, Yes, these are very easy steps to take, but they can make life a lot easier.
My blog has a requirement for a minimum number of words in a comment to thwart spammers. Thank you for taking the time to supplement your thoughts! 🙂
Loved the post carolyn!
Oh yes! Font size can sometimes cause problems in reading, and if we don’t know how to adjust things, we really have to strain a lot to read through the post. Earlier I would just leave the post because the content was too small.
I normally just try the easier way you mentioned about Control+ for increasing and decreasing the font size when I really need to read. It works well online because some sites have large, while others have small font size. If we adjust the font size from the settings (about which I didn’t know until now!) then when we visit the normal sites that have normal fonts, those appear too large. I just tried it out, so, then we would need to keep readjusting it whenever we visit various sites.
I think that would work best for people like my Dad who prefers a larger font than the smaller ones in all cases. Or the ones who have a problem reading the smaller or even normal fonts. It depends on the preferences I think.
I liked the way you described everything so well so that anyone using any application of any kind of phone etc. can know about it.
Thanks for sharing yet about something I didn’t fully know. 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, that is why I cover the basics because setting your font and your browser home page can make a big different in your enjoyment of your computer work. Also, many people don’t know that you can set the font of your smartphone.
You’re right, it’s probably better for most people to adjust the font size for a website as opposed to setting it for the browser. Font sizes can vary quite a bit between websites and you don’t want to go too wrong.
There are some people who want a smaller font so they can fit more text on a page. Those with good eyesight sometimes want very small print on a Kindle, for example, so they don’t have to turn the page as often.
Carolyn, This has been a persistent issue since I switched to Mac. Outlook for Mac shrinks the font view, and I haven’t found a systemic fix anywhere. The only solutions are the “in the moment” ones like you list. Thanks for the great tips!
Hi Adam, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re very welcome. Having a universal fix would be great for smaller font sizes, but in the meantime, the temporary fix can solve a lot of problems.
Hi Carolyn, Thanks for sharing this post. I have been straining my eyes quite a bit while working on the computer. There are so many sites out there who are concerned with just filling in content on the page and thereby making the font size really small. If only they made the change, we wouldn’t have to bother. But yes these steps are pretty simple. The first place that I’m going to use it on is my Kindle.
Hi Harry, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, many sites use very small font, making it frustrating to try to read their text. Now you can enlarge the text to the size you want it to be, no matter what size text the website has. You might just enjoy your Kindle books a lot more with a better font size for your eyes! 🙂
Hallelujah………………this notepad I am now using is small…..in the office I’m hooked up to a huge screen, but at home it was difficult for me to see. I’m in high cotton now as we like to say down south………..:)
Hi Bill, I’m so glad this was helpful for you. It’s amazing what a difference larger font can make! :-bd
Hey Carolyn,
Oh, yes. Font is essential part of how we deliver content (too large or too small, both can be bad, right?)
I always use the Cntrl + mouse scroll feature to increase the font (On mac, the command key – I have always been confused with the keys in Mac, especially because Macs I use at college have both Windows and Mac Os – so the keyboards have both control and command buttons).
Never knew about the settings in Chrome 😉 Thanks for that 😀
Hi Jeevan, You’re right, font that’s too big or too small is bad for readers. And every website wants to be good for its readers, right?
Taking control of your font size can make a big difference. I’m glad that you learned how to set your default font size in Chrome, Jeevan. I hope websites look much better to you now! 🙂
Hey Carolyn
As I’m getting older, the font sizes on many websites seem to be getting smaller and smaller to cram more words on one page! I always forget about zooming though so thanks for the reminder.
I also find the iPhone quite temperamental when it comes to zoom and I never thought about changing the settings. Now I know what to do.
Useful stuff as always Carolyn.
Thank you for sharing.
Tim
Hi Tim, I’m glad you found this article helpful. The zoom feature on iPhone won’t increase the size of font in text messages, so adjusting the font size in Settings gives you capabilities that zoom doesn’t.
Thanks for your kinds words and for taking the time to leave a comment!
The only device I’ve been doing anything with the fonts is the Kindle. I had to adjust it up one size, because it was so much easier to read when I did that. I have never thought about doing it on my iPhone or iPad 🙂
Thanks.
Hi Jens, You may be very pleased with having larger font, especially on the small screen of your iPhone. It can be a struggle to read tiny font on a mobile device, but increasing the font can help! 🙂
Hi Carolyn.I followed the details you said and I’m glad I was able to adjust the font size on my iPhone.I’m having that problem for so long and I can’t read some of the details I need because I don’t know what to do.Thanks to your help.
Hi Steven, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m very glad that you found this information helpful. Thanks for sharing your comment!
Thank you for sharing this post. I have always wanted to know how you increase the font size, because sometimes I find it difficult to read. I am glad you have included how to increase it on android phones as well.
Hi Twanda, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad that you found this helpful. It’s not always clear how to adjust the font on smartphones! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I showed my mom how to use the combo of pressing Control and the plus sign (+) to increase the font size, and she thought it complete magic … 😉
And thanks for the iPhone tip. Never really thought about changing it there, but just did and like my new font size 🙂
Hi Craig, What a great story about your mom! She’s right, it can seem like magic when a simple key press can make a big difference.
Yes, many people suffer with a font size that’s too big or too small on their phones because they don’t realize they can make the change simply. I’m glad you like your new font size, Craig. :-bd
Hi Carolyn,
Having problems with the fonts is a common problem for everyone and adjusting the font according to the need is needed for everyone.Some times it depends on the resolution of the screen but if the problem still persists then changing them through the shortcuts you have mentioned is the best thing one can apply easily.
Hi Aditya, Yes, it’s very easy to change the font size, but it can make life a lot better. No one likes to struggle with font size that is too big or too small. I like little changes that make a big difference! 🙂
I’m sure there are still plenty of people who don’t know how to do this so thanks for sharing these tips about all the different computer programs and browsers Carolyn.
It took me awhile to figure some of this out but there is always a learning curve with any new program or update.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, some people don’t know about how to change the size of the font on a computer and many people don’t know how to change the size of the font on a smartphone. Just a few simple steps can make a big difference to some people!
Web designers should have a special consideration over the font they are using while designing a website. Using a font that’s not common is quite a distraction. Font size also matters as it can ruin the layout.
Hi George, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Excellent point. The type of font can affect readability in addition to the size of the font.
I always get mad at small font sizes, especially when someone takes a screenshot and sends it as attachment. It is usually of no use to me since I cannot even make out what they are trying to tell me!!!
Another way to increase or decrease fonts, which i commonly use, is to hold the Ctrl button and use the mouse scroll. Works fine for me.
Hi Praveen, You’re right, it’s very frustrating to visit a website that you can’t even read because the font is too small. Great point about the mouse control. Thanks for sharing that tip! 🙂
Wooww… I had never ever imagined a post on font size… This topic seems to be soo casual, but after reading the post, it feels that, it is indeed necessary to fix the font size! 🙂
Hi Zainil, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, not many people write about this exciting topic. But I believe topics are fair game if readers can be helped by learning new information. By taking a few moments to change your font size you may be making your life a lot easier! 🙂