Increase System Font Size - How?

Apple won't do anything about this issue unless lots of users request it. Send such complaints directly to Mr. Jobs.

Those of you that made recent purchases and are forced to use a different operating system due to the illegibility of the fonts- I would suggest requesting a refund. If they get enough of these returned, they might consider taking some sort of action to solve this problem. If they demand a restocking fee I would threaten litigation. All you need is a jury of people over age 40 or so. Of course the only people who really benefit from class action lawsuits are the attorneys.

MACagba said:

Workaround to system independent resolution issues answered here -
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2352147&start=30&tstart=0

look at reply of lunchmeat317 for more details:

"Open Terminal and use the following command:

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleDisplayScaleFactor 1.5

You can choose whichever scale factor you'd like. 1.5 works for me. This is likely similar to what someone else mentioned, but there's no blurriness. I think they used "-g" instead of NSGlobalDomain, which may have had a different effect?"

Click to expand...

Thanks for this tip MACagba. The text looks sharp and scaled up like it should. Unfortunately, there are display artifacts on most applications and cursor tracking on the bookmark bar menus on Safari and Firefox is broken.

I understand from reading many forum postings that "resolution independence" is implemented in OS X but most applications must be rewritten to handle it properly. I'm not holding my breath! I'm getting by for now by reducing my screen resolution to 1024 X 640 and tolerating the fuzzy text. In the System Preferences > Displays menu, I selected Show displays in menu bar. That way I can instantly switch between low res mode to read the menu text and hi res mode to view the window contents.

Regards,

Jim

txdevelopers said:

Thanks everyone for posting.

I had the same prob. Cured by going to:

System Preferences -> Hardware -> Mouse

Select the 'Screen Zoom' checkbox

Select 'Screen Zoom' -> Options

'Zoom while holding' ^ Control

Then to enlarge the screen image by

1. With trackpad - Control + Two Finger scroll
2. With mouse - Control + mousewheel in or out

Once enlarged, moving the cursor to the edges of the display will move the display to the desired portion.

As always, completely un-intuitive, but effective once you've decoded the twisted minds that wrote the op system code.

Click to expand...

OH MY GOSH txdevelopers THANK-YOU!!!
Once mastered, this little trick is a (pardon the pun) "eye"life saver.

Notifier display scale factor stuck

After I experimented with setting the AppleDisplayScaleFactor to 1.5 and discovered the display and cursor artifacts, I reset it to 1.0. Everything returned to normal except the shutdown and force quit notifiers which are stuck at scale factor 1.5. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Regards,

Jim

File your complaint with Apple here

http://www.apple.com/feedback

I just entered this feedback/complaint regarding global font size changes and encourage you to do the same. Let's get this thing done!:

I would like to see Apple deliver a stellar solution for increasing global font size for sight-impaired people.

I recently convinced my 78 yr. Father to go to an iMac and the only option for increasing fonts is changing the screen resolution. This makes everything blurry and dumbs down the high quality monitor upgrade I boasted to my family about.

I would expect more from Apple given how they rock everything else out. This would also be more Accessibility-friendly and less of a legal concern, I would think.

Please allow a global font size increase that doesn't diminish the screen resolution and Apple's high quality products display performance. Please make Apple Senior Citzen friendly. Your demographic is widening...support it! Thanks. from a lifetime Apple user.

Stella47 said:

http://www.apple.com/feedback


I recently convinced my 78 yr. Father to go to an iMac and the only option for increasing fonts is changing the screen resolution.

Click to expand...

That's what I did. Switched to 1024x640 on a 13" macbook. All is fine now even from 2 feet back and my eyesight isn't that good.

I just posted the request for change on Apples feedback site. That's the only way they will do anything so everyone who gets here should click on the above link and register your dissatisfaction..

I am using parallels with Windows 7 running and can set the resolution etc with no problems including setting the font size for everything running... If I can do it there I should be able to do it in the MacOS..

I have a 27" screen so going for the lower resolution settings ends up with wasted screen space! Apple should fix this and fix it soon, this thread has been going since 2004 and they have done nothing!

Chris...

My story exactly too! I just assumed that OS X would have scalable system-wide text. What a joke!

peacetown said:

Just received 17" Macbook Pro. One reason I upgraded was for the the beautiful crisp and clear 1900 x 1200 high resolution antiglare screen... and now I need to squint to see the user interface system fonts and icons. The only remedy I have found so far is to run Windows where this is an easy adjustment, reduce screen resolution to a fuzzy focus, or zoom in and out. Very frustrating.

Warning... DO NOT buy a beautiful high resolution screen if you need to see the user interface.

Apple has come a long way but they have clearly dropped the ball here.

Click to expand...

I don't believe in gratuitous bumping, so I will say that this is one of the better threads on system font scaling I have seen on any Mac site. Nice to see a proper discussion of solutions, problems, and motives is nicely topped off by a good feedback letter to Apple. Which of course is the only way to really make a difference, as boycotting without communicating a reason doesn't solve anything.

Pixel perfect application design should not trump user control. We are moving toward an open, user-empowered web, friendlier to those with disabilities and just general onset of age. Something that every one of us will have to deal with eventually. Obscuring one segment of the UI to clarify another (with the UA Zoom feature) is little more than a graceful hack based on tools for reading books, and neither Apple nor armchair support techs should lean on it so much as a solution for people with vision impairment to use a computer more effectively.

Omg!!!

OMG that's a great thread.
But I am SO SO SO disappointed!!

The thread has been created in September 2007 (!) and while I was going through the 3 pages and 60 responses I was really hoping to have an answer to fix this absurd issue at the end...

I have the same story as everybody else: bought a new Macbook Pro 17 beginning of 2011 for my father. He's been using a ThinkPad 15'' @ 1024x768. When he started using the Mac with its gorgeous screen, he told me that the characters were way too small; sure no problem at all I think, similar to Windows, I head for System Preferences > Appearance, nothing... I go to Displays, nothing also...
And then I googled the issue and find the sad truth.

What the F (with a big F) Apple is doing???

Anyway, I have currently lowered the resolution with all the blurriness...
I may install Windows 7 until the Mac dies and then ditch the entire Mac thing in the future.

Looks like resolution independence isn't coming to Lion either. It's 2011, and Apple is still stuck in the 1990s with regard to font scaling.

Thank God I sold my iMac and went back to Windows.

Complaint to Apple

I just filled in the feedback form.

I've had my iMac for a year now but for 11 months I have used Windows on it. I just can't see the fonts well enough. The menubar is too small and the grey bars above everything is bland. I want customisation!

Every now and again I log back into Snow Leopard to do something and I fall in love with it then I try to use it again and find I can't!

C'mon Apple listen to your users. W shouldn't have to use Windows on an iMac to be able to use it!

Still Windows 7 does work wonderfully well on it...

Ceri

I also bought a new Macbook Pro 17 inch (this is my 4th MAC). I am certainly disappointed not being able to change the Menu Font Size.

After reading most of the posts I simply took the advice to change the menu items in Safari to CAPITAL at least I can make them out now when scrolling over them with my curser

Thanks to the fellow that recommended the WASHINGTON solution

Gregg2 said:

Apple won't do anything about this issue unless lots of users request it. Send such complaints directly to Mr. Jobs.

Click to expand...

Some one has his ADDRESS ???

Well, sure, someone does. What would be the point of having one otherwise?

Rolf-Dieter said:

Some one has his ADDRESS ???

Click to expand...

From http://email.about.com/od/famousemailaddresses/f/What_is_Steve_Jobs_s_Email_Address.htm, sjobs@apple.com, steve@apple.com are his email address.

I sent the system font issue feedback to OS X feedback too.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Revert modification of GlobalPreferences

jw61 said:

I am in exactly the same situation. Can't find any option to change menubar fonts and Tabs font in Safari.



I tested. Tinkertool does not change fonts in the spots mentione above (in MAC OS X 10.6.2 on Apple MacBook Pro)

Terminal command
"defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleDisplayScaleFactor 1.5"
icreases system fonts however. But it corrupts some applications & web pages functionality (buttons e.t.c.). So does not seem to be the solution...

Click to expand...

The rest of the interface is indeed messed up still after running this command in Snow Leopard. PLEASE HELP!!! How do you revert to the original setting?

I want to switch to Mac OS X but this is the only thing that keeps me off!!

having the same issue

I just purchased the 27 inch iMac. I have great eyesight and i find myself going cross eyed on this thing!! I'm blown away that I cant adjust the fonts system wide.
WE NEED A DPI SETTING LIKE IN WINDOWS!!

and I am NOT decreasing the screen resolution because it looks like ASS.

Is there any help out there for this?

I just purchased a new 27" iMac and this is ridiculous! I have to lean into the H U G E screen just to see the tiny tiny fonts in the address bar and top grey bar! There has to be a fix without control zoom or command +, or changing the resolution because I did not purchase a mac with his res so that I would not be able to use it! This was an easy fix in windows with hi-res screens-why not OSX???

read posts 1-70 above

Retina Displays for Lion?

I'm another one of those people who just persuaded my father to get a mac only for him to have to have to reduce the resolution to make it usable.

Anyone think this might finally get sorted out in lion? With the rumours of 'retina displays' apple would surely have to increase the DPI on the system menus otherwise no one could read them! Could this finally be the introduction of resolution independence?

Pretty easy fix

I thought I mentioned this previously, but Safari has an extension listed under Productivity called "All pages zoom," which sets the size of the font globally. All you need do is press Cmd++ to where you like it, and it stays set throughout. I use it all the time. It does take a second or two to take effect.

Hope this helped some of you

I'm suffering from this "feature" too.

Or am I holding it wrong?

Anyway, I'm happy to understand that it is recognized problem. I have sent the feedback.