Simple: Enlarging Text

Mac Accessibility 101

• Series: Simple accessibility hints
• Simple: Enlarging Text
• Simple: Bigger Mouse Pointer
• Simple: Alert Sounds You Can See
• Simple: The Computer Tells You The Time
• Simple: Show Icons in open/save dialag box
• Simple: Zoom in to see screen details more easily
• Simple: Word Completion
• Make iTunes Easier To See and Use
• Simple Keyboard Shortcuts To Save You Time

The keystroke ⌘+ (in other words command and shift and equals at the same time) will enlarge the text size in many OS X applications. If you’re using Safari to read this, try typing it now – the text on the web page should get bigger.

As a general rule ⌘+ works where there are big blocks of text, but not for smaller amounts of text, menus, or any pictures. Try pressing it when you’re reading mail with Mail.app, using Safari, or using the Help Viewer and watch what expands and what doesn’t. If you are using TextEdit, then only the text that you have selected will enlarge. This may be similar for other editors too.

The keystroke ⌘- (in other words command and minus) will make the text smaller in all the same places that ⌘+ makes it larger, so if you overshoot or don’t like the effect you can go back. Also, you have to enlarge the text for every new window and after you restart a program – the effect doesn’t stick.

On the plus side, the command works on all OS X computers – there’s nothing to download or configure or set up. And command-plus for bigger and command-minus for smaller is easy to remember. Try it anywhere – the worst that can happen is nothing!

- Ricky Buchanan