How to make the text larger in Safari for macOS

Terminology:

‘Alt’ refers to the ‘Option’ key ( ⌥ )

If you have enabled ‘Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys’ under ‘Keyboard’ settings in ‘System Preferences’ then omit the ‘Fn’ key from the keyboard shortcuts shown in this article.

Using keyboard shortcuts:

Press ‘Cmd‘ and  ‘+‘ (plus) to increase the text size

Press ‘Cmd‘ and ‘-‘ (minus) to decrease the text size.

Press ‘Cmd‘ and ‘0‘ (zero) to reset the text to the browser default size

Using the menu bar

1. Click ‘View‘ in the menu bar, or press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl‘ + ‘F2‘ to highlight the ’Apple icon‘ (),  press the right arrow to highlight the ‘View‘ menu and press ‘Enter‘, see Fig 1.
   
   Fig 1
2. Click ‘Zoom In‘ to increase the text size, click ‘Zoom Out‘ to decrease the text size and cick ‘Actual Size‘ to return to the browser’s default size. See Fig 1 above.

Using trackpad gestures

If you have a trackpad you can use trackpad gestures in Safari (pinch and two finger tap) to zoom the contents of the web browser. These gestures are enabled by default.  If you find they are not working check that they are enabled under ‘Trackpad‘  ->  ‘Scroll & Zoom‘ in ‘System Preferences‘.

Using ‘Double-tap with two fingers‘:

1. To ‘Zoom In‘ double-tap on the trackpad with two-fingers.
2. To ‘Zoom Out‘ repeat the above gesture.

Using ‘Pinch with two fingers‘:

1. To ‘Zoom In‘ pinch two fingers apart.
2. To ‘Zoom Out‘ pinch two fingers together.

­­ You can find more information about trackpad gestures on Apple’s support pages: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204895

To set a larger default text size for all the pages you visit:

1. Click ‘Safari‘ in the menu bar or press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl‘ + ‘F2‘ to highlight the ’Apple icon‘ (), press the right arrow to highlight the ‘Safari‘ menu and press ‘Enter‘, see Fig 2.
   
   Fig 2
2. Click on ‘Preferences‘ or press the up and down arrow keys to select and press ‘Enter‘, see Fig 2 above.
3. Click on the ‘Advanced‘ tab or press ‘Tab‘ until it is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar‘, see Fig 3.
   
   Fig 3 
4. Click on the drop-down menu next to ‘Page Zoom‘, or press ‘Tab‘ until it is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar‘ to activate the menu, see Fig 4.
   
   Fig 4
5. Click on the percentage you wish to change the ‘Zoom‘ level to or use arrow keys to select and press ‘Enter‘, see Fig 5.
   
   Fig 5
   
   Note: Changing the ‘Zoom’ level will change the size of all web page elements such as text, images etc.

To increase the default minimum font size:

6. First, make sure the checkbox next to ‘Never use font sizes smaller than …‘ is ticked. If it isn’t ticked, click the checkbox or press ‘Tab‘ until the checkbox is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar’ to tick. (Fig 6).
   
   Fig 6
7. Next, click on the drop-down menu next to ‘Never use font sizes smaller than …‘ or press ‘Tab‘ until it is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar‘, see Fig 6 above.
8. Click on the size you wish to use as the minimum font size or use the arrow keys to select a font size and press ‘Enter‘, see Fig 7.
   
   Fig 7
9. When you are happy with your settings click the ’Close‘ (red) button at the top of the window or press ‘Cmd‘ + ‘W‘ to return to Safari.

Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If this is the case you will need to contact them to access these settings or for further help.

More information:

Apple's guide to trackpad gestures:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204895