Small text on screens is one of the most common frustrations people have with their devices. The good news is that every phone, tablet, and computer has built-in settings to make text larger — and once you adjust it, you do not need to keep pinching and zooming on every page you visit.
On an iPhone or iPad
Apple has two separate settings that affect text size:
- Go to Settings › Display & Brightness › Text Size. Drag the slider to the right to make text larger across most apps.
- For even larger text, go to Settings › Accessibility › Display & Text Size › Larger Text. Turn on “Larger Accessibility Sizes” and then drag the slider further. This affects apps that support Apple’s text size system.
You can also increase the overall display size (everything gets bigger, not just text) under Settings › Display & Brightness › Display Zoom.
On an Android Phone
The exact menu names vary slightly by manufacturer, but the path is similar on most Android phones:
- Go to Settings › Display › Font Size (sometimes called Text Size or Font & Display).
- Use the slider to increase the size. Many Android phones show a live preview so you can see exactly how it will look before you confirm.
- There is usually also a Display Size setting nearby that makes all elements — not just text — larger on screen.
On a Windows Computer
- Right-click on the desktop and choose Display Settings.
- Under “Scale & Layout,” you will see a percentage. Changing it from 100% to 125% or 150% makes everything on screen noticeably larger, including text, icons, and buttons.
- You may need to sign out and back in for the change to take full effect.
On a Mac
- Go to the Apple menu in the top-left corner, then System Settings › Displays.
- Change the resolution setting. Moving it toward “Larger Text” makes everything bigger.
- For finer control over text specifically, go to System Settings › Accessibility › Display and increase the text size there.
Just for Websites — Zoom In Your Browser
If you only want bigger text when browsing the web, you can zoom in a single page without changing any system settings. In any browser, press Ctrl and the + key (Windows) or Command and + (Mac) to zoom in. Press the same with the – key to zoom back out. Ctrl + 0 (or Command + 0) resets to the default size.
Making text bigger is not a sign that something is wrong with your eyesight — screens are simply not one-size-fits-all. Take two minutes to adjust the settings and your device will be much more comfortable to use every day.