Sometimes you forget how to do certain functions on your computer and that exact time is the moment you need to remember. While working on your Macintosh, you may need to zoom in on a section of the screen.
Macintosh computers come with a built-in zoom feature that Apple includes in the operating system. This can easily slip your mind since you might not often use the feature, but Setapp provides a tutorial on how to zoom in on Mac as well as providing many useful utilities that enhance your use of your Apple computer.
Screen Zoom
Mac OS X refers to this built-in app as Screen Zoom. Wherever you locate your cursor, when you activate Screen Zoom, will get zoomed. This feature makes it easier to see one small part of the screen, so you can read small fonts, examine distinct pixels, and more easily visually examine and work with various portions of the screen.
In early versions of Mac OS X, the zoom feature came already enabled. All you had to do was depress the control key and turn the mouse wheel. But in modern operating system versions, the function must be enabled by the user. Here is how to enable that feature on your modern Apple computer.
How To Enable Zoom on a Macintosh
- Go the Accessibility settings, also referred to as Universal Access settings, depending on the operating system version.
- If you have the El Capitan, Yosemite, or Mavericks OS build, in the Apple menu, open System Preferences. If you have Mac OS X, choose the Screen Zoom feature.
- Using your mouse, click on Accessibility.
- On that screen, click on the Zoom link.
- You will open a list of checkboxes next to modes and types of zoom. Check off those you want to enable.
We realize some people use older versions of Apple computers, so we will include details on how to zoom on older versions of Mac OS. You also need to enable it when using versions Lion and Mountain Lion.
- From the Apple menu, choose the option for Open System Preferences.
- From that menu, click on Universal Access.
- Choose the tab labeled Seeing.
- Choose the checkbox labeled On under the Zoom section.
Once Zoom Is Enabled
Once you have enabled the zoom feature on the computer, you have a few options for actually zooming, depending on the method of navigating the screen you use. Typically, these will be a mouse, trackpad, or keyboard.
Using a Trackpad or Mouse to Zoom
When using a trackpad, use two fingers gesturing in opposing directions (up and down). When using a mouse, use the scroll wheel, moving it in either direction while holding down the Control key (not the Apple key).
- To zoom in, depress the Control key and Scroll Up.
- To zoom out, depress the Control key and Scroll Down.
You can also zoom using keyboard shortcuts.
- Command+Option+= to zoom in
- Command+Option+- to zoom out
Just like other versions of Mac OS X, you can still toggle anti-aliasing on and off within the Zoom feature by hitting Command+Option+/.
Remember, screen zoom is enabled by default in earlier versions of Mac OS X, just hold down the Control button and zoom with the mouse wheel or trackpad, just like it works in modern versions of Mac OS once it has been enabled.
At times, even the most seasoned Mac users lose their way and google things that were supposed to be common knowledge, such as how to zoom in and out on Mac. But it’s also less obvious than you think. You’ll be surprised just how many ways there are to go about zoom in Mac.
So check out the handy guide to Mac zoom below and see how you could get more out of your time on Mac with these zoom tips and fixes.
How To Master Mac Zoom In No Time
Zoom for Mac is a screen magnification feature that comes built-in with all Apple products. It allows you to zoom in (literally) on anything that appears on your screen in apps that support zooming, including web pages, photos, docs, and videos. Or you could also enlarge the whole screen using Accessibility Zoom for those especially hard-to-read system texts or images.
Sara Wales
Dhruval Patel