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Summary
In many apps, pressing Command and + (plus sign) at the same time will let you zoom in, and Command with - (minus) will let you zoom out on a Mac. You can also zoom system-wide or zoom in on specific text by enabling those features in Accessibility settings.
When you have trouble seeing something on your computer screen, do you lean in closer or put on your reading glasses? You can make it easier to see anything on your Mac screen using the Zoom feature.
We’ll show you various ways to zoom in and out on aMacBookordesktop Mac. You can use a keyboard shortcut, gesture, or both. You can even enlarge text when you hover your cursor over it and customize its view.
Related:How to Set a Default Zoom Level in Safari for Mac
How to Zoom In on a Mac
To zoom in on a window or specific app such as Safari, hold Command and press the Plus (+) key. Different apps may use other shortcuts, toolbar buttons, or menu actions, so refer to your specific apps' documentation.
Additionally, once youenable zoom optionsin the Accessibility settings, you can use a shortcut, your trackpad, or a scroll gesture to zoom in on any window or part of the screen:
How to Zoom Out on a Mac
To zoom out of a window or a specific app like Safari, you’re able to hold Command and press the Minus (-) key. Again, other apps may use different shortcuts, toolbar buttons, or menu actions to zoom out.
Withaccessibility zoom option(s) enabled, you have more options for zooming out on your Mac, no matter which app you’re using. Depending on which options you’ve enabled, you can use one or more of the following:
How to Enable Accessibility Zoom on a Mac
To start zooming anywhere on your Mac, you’ll need to enable the Zoom feature in theAccessibility settings. From there, you’ll choose the methods you want to use.
Open System Preferences with the Dock icon or from the Apple icon in the menu bar. Then, select “Accessibility” on the left and “Zoom” on the right.
You’ll see each of the following options you can use to zoom in on your Mac.
Enable the toggles for using keyboard shortcuts and/ortrackpad gesturesto zoom in and out. With these settings, you’ll see the shortcuts and gestures to use directly below the settings.
Scroll Gestures
Next, you’re able to turn on the toggle for using a scroll gesture with a modifier key. If you enable this option, choose the modifier key you want to use in the drop-down box. You can pick the Control, Option, orCommand key.
Related:How the Command and Option Keys Work on a Mac
Zoom Style
Then, pick the zoom style you want to use on your Mac. You can pick from Full Screen, Split Screen, or Picture-in-Picture. Depending on the option you select, you can adjust its options.
Related:How to Use Multiple Monitors on Your Mac
Hover Text
Another zoom option you’re able to enable on your Mac is Hover Text. As you can see from the description, you hold the Command key as you hover your cursor over text to zoom (more detailbelow).
Optional: Touch Bar Zoom
If you have aMac with a Touch Bar, you can enable this option as well. You then touch and hold yourTouch Bar to see a larger versionof it on your screen.
Related:Five Useful Things you’re able to Do With The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar
How to Zoom With Hover Text
If you enable the Hover Text option in the Zoom settings on your Mac, you may make adjustments to how the zoom looks for complete flexibility.
In System Preferences > Accessibility > Zoom, press the Info icon (small letter “i”) to the right of Hover Text.
You can then adjust the text size, style, and entry location along with the activation modifier and an option to triple-press the modifier for activation lock.
Next, you may change the colors for the text, insertion point, background, border, and element-highlight.
Select “Done” when you finish and then check out the Hover Text zoom.
Hold Command, or the modifier key you selected if you changed it, and use your cursor to hover over text. You’ll see the text pop making it easy to read. Release the modifier key to remove the zoom.
Using one or more of these zoom methods can help you see just about anything on your Mac screen bigger and better. For more, look at how tomagnify your iPhone screen using Display Zoom.
