Everything on your Mac screen is too small

Why it happens

Macs often start with a setting that fits a lot on the screen, which makes everything small, especially on a 13-inch MacBook. The Resolution options trade space for size. Choosing a larger option makes every app bigger at once, not just one.

How to fix it

1. Click the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Displays. With more than one screen, click the one you're reading on at the top.

2. Under Resolution, click Larger Text. The screen blinks for a moment and everything grows.

   Displays›Resolution

3. If that's now too big, click the option one step to the right, between Larger Text and Default. Pick whichever you can read comfortably.

4. On some external monitors you'll see a list of sizes instead of pictures. A lower number there means bigger text.

Still not fixed?

1. Want only the words bigger, not the icons? In Accessibility, click Display, then Text size, and drag the slider. It works in apps that support it, like Mail, Messages and Finder.

   Accessibility›Display›Text size

2. Make the menu bar text larger with Menu bar size in Accessibility, under Display. Log out and back in to see the change.

   Accessibility›Display›Menu bar size

3. For a closer look at small print now and then, turn on Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in Accessibility, under Zoom. Press Option-Command-equals to zoom in and Option-Command-minus to zoom out.

   Accessibility›Zoom›Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom

4. In Safari and most other apps, Command-plus makes the page bigger and Command-minus makes it smaller again.

5. If the screen looks blurry at every size, or the Resolution options are missing after a restart, contact Apple Support. A display or cable fault can cause that.