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How to Make Text Bigger on Your Phone, Tablet, and Computer

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Senior adjusting text size on smartphone

Can't Read the Screen? Let's Fix That

If you find yourself squinting at your phone, tablet, or computer, you're not alone. As we get older, our eyes naturally need larger text and clearer displays. The good news is that every device has built-in settings to make text bigger, bolder, and easier to read. Here's how to adjust each one.

On iPhone and iPad

Make Text Bigger

  1. Open Settings (the grey gear icon)
  2. Tap Display and Brightness
  3. Tap Text Size
  4. Drag the slider to the right to make text larger
  5. Go back and you'll see the change immediately

Make Text Bold

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Display and Brightness
  3. Turn on Bold Text
  4. Your device will restart briefly to apply the change

Use Display Zoom (Even Bigger)

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Display and Brightness
  3. Tap Display Zoom (under the Text Size option)
  4. Select Larger Text
  5. Tap Done and confirm — your device will restart

On Android Phones and Tablets

Make Text Bigger

  1. Open Settings (the gear icon, usually in your app drawer)
  2. Tap Display (or Display and Brightness)
  3. Tap Font Size or Font and Display Size
  4. Drag the slider to make text larger
  5. Tap Done or just go back — changes apply immediately

Make Text Bold

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Display
  3. Look for Bold Text and turn it on

Note: The exact steps vary slightly depending on your phone brand (Samsung, Google, Motorola, etc.), but they're all under Display settings.

On Windows Computers (Windows 10 and 11)

Scale Everything Larger

  1. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop
  2. Click Display Settings
  3. Under Scale and Layout, you'll see a dropdown menu
  4. Choose 125% or 150% — this makes everything on screen bigger
  5. Changes apply immediately (you may need to sign out and back in for some apps)

Make Text Bigger Only (Without Scaling Everything)

  1. Open Settings (press the Windows key + I)
  2. Go to Accessibility (or Ease of Access in Windows 10)
  3. Click Text Size
  4. Drag the slider to the right to make text larger
  5. Click Apply

On Mac Computers

Make Everything Larger

  1. Click the Apple menu (top left corner)
  2. Click System Settings (or System Preferences)
  3. Click Displays
  4. Under Resolution, choose Larger Text

Make Text Bigger in Specific Apps

  • Safari (web browser): Press Command (+) to zoom in, Command (-) to zoom out
  • Mail: Open Mail then Settings then Fonts and Colors then adjust the message font size
  • System-wide: System Settings then Accessibility then Display then turn on Increase contrast or adjust text size

On Web Browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari)

If the text on a website is too small, you can zoom in without changing any settings:

  • Windows: Hold down the Ctrl key and press + to zoom in (Ctrl - to zoom out)
  • Mac: Hold down the Command key and press + to zoom in (Command - to zoom out)
  • To reset: Ctrl + 0 (Windows) or Command + 0 (Mac)

This zoom stays on for each website — so if you zoom in on CBC.ca, it will stay zoomed next time you visit.

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts