How to Zoom Out on a Mac: Window & Whole Screen

Sometimes, the text on your computer is just too large or too small for your reading pleasure. Or, perhaps your screen got stuck zoomed in and now you need to zoom it back out. There are a bunch of options if you need to know how to zoom in with a Mac or zoom out on a Mac. We'll show you how to zoom out on a single window open on your Mac, or zoom in or out on the whole Mac screen. Plus, we'll go over Hover Text, which is a nice middle-ground option. Here's all the ways you can zoom out of a Mac.

Jump To:

• Zoom In & Out on a Mac Window with Keyboard Shortcuts
• Zoom In on Mac Window with the Trackpad or Mouse
• Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Keyboard Shortcuts
• Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Trackpad Gestures
• Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Scroll Gesture and Modifier Keys
• How to Use Hover Text to Zoom In on Small Text

How to Zoom on a Mac in a Single Window

If you just want to know how to zoom in or out on a single window like Safari, do be aware that this method doesn't always make the window larger, and sometimes just enlarges or minimizes the text within the window, depending on the app you have open.

Zoom In & Out on a Mac Window with Keyboard Shortcuts

The first method of zooming out on a Mac is with Keyboard Shortcuts. If you like tips about how to use your Apple devices, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day.

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1. Open a compatible window like the Safari app, and press Command and then = at the same time to zoom in.
   
   
2. Then, press Command and - at the same time to zoom out. 
   
   

Zoom In on Mac Window with the Trackpad or Mouse

The classic way to zoom in and out of a window on your Mac is to use the trackpad pinching gestures. However, this doesn't always work right as the finger placements can be a little tricky.

1. Open a compatible window like the Safari app, and pinch your two fingers in to zoom out.
   
   
2. Then, pinch your two fingers out to zoom in.
   
   

How to Zoom In & Out of Mac Whole Screen

If you want to make the entire screen zoom as opposed to a single open window, you will need to go to your Mac's accessability settings first.

Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Keyboard Shortcuts

Once you've enabled this feature under the Accessibility settings, you will be able to use the same keyboard shortcuts to zoom in and out as you can for a single window. This time, you simply add the "Option" key.

1. On your Mac, open System Settings.
   
   
2. Click Accessibility.
   
   
3. Click Zoom.
   
   
4. Toggle Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Zoom on. It will be blue when enabled.
   
   
5. Now, to use the keyboard shortcuts, press Option-Command-8 at the same time to enable Toggle Zoom. To exit toggle zoom, press the keys again.
   
   
6. To edit your Toggle Zoom view, under Zoom Style choose either Picture-in-Picture that will turn your mouse into a magnifying glass.
   
   
7. Or, choose Split Screen to turn half of your screen into the zoomed in image.
   
   
8. And lastly, choose Full Screen to have a slightly more zoomed in screen than normal.
   
   
9. Press Option-Command-= at the same time to zoom in.
   
   
10. Press Option-Command and - at the same time to zoom out. 
    
    

Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Trackpad Gestures

While you can't edit your trackpad settings to be able to pinch to zoom or unzoom a Mac screen, you can use a different trackpad gesture once you've enabled it in Accessibility settings.

1. On your Mac, open System Settings.
   
   
2. Click Accessibility.
   
   
3. Click Zoom.
   
   
4. Toggle Use Trackpad Gesture to Zoom on. It will be blue when enabled.
   
   
5. Now, to use the trackpad gesture, double tap the trackpad with three fingers to enable Toggle Zoom. To exit toggle zoom, double tap the trackpad with three fingers again.
   
   

Whole Screen Zoom on a Mac with Scroll Gesture and Modifier Keys

This is another option for zooming in and out on the whole screen on your Mac that is very convenient and simple to execute. All you have to do is press a key of your choice while you do the normal scrolling gesture on your trackpad to zoom in or out on the Mac.

1. On your Mac, open System Settings.
   
   
2. Click Accessibility.
   
   
3. Click Zoom.
   
   
4. Toggle Use Scroll Gesture with Modifier Keys to Zoom on. It will be blue when enabled.
   
   
5. Then, choose a Modifier Key from the drop down menu. I chose the Command key because it's easy to remember.
   
   

How to Use Hover Text to Zoom In on Small Text

If you like the idea of making the text on your Mac screen larger but you don't want to lose the mobility of navigating the window or Mac screen as it was intended, Hover Text is an amazing middle ground. Hover Text offers you the ability to see the text your mouse hovers over as very large for a temporary period. Here's how it works:

1. To enable Hover Text on your Mac, open System Settings.
   
   
2. Click Accessibility.
   
   
3. Click Zoom.
   
   
4. Toggle Hover Text on. It will be blue when enabled.