Make it easier to see what’s on the screen of your Mac
If you’re having trouble seeing items on the screen while working on your Mac, try these suggestions.
Change the appearance of the desktop
Make the desktop less transparent: Choose Apple menu
Choose a desktop picture with fewer colors or shapes: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, click Desktop, browse through the picture folders on the left, then select a less busy picture or a solid color on the right.
Make borders darker: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, click Display, then select “Increase contrast.” macOS automatically reduces transparency and makes the borders of buttons, boxes, and other items on the screen more visible.
Use a dark appearance: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click General, then click the Dark appearance. You can change the accent and highlight colors.
Invert colors: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, click Display, then select “Invert colors.” If you turn on Night Shift, “Invert colors” is automatically disabled.
Make colors easier on your eyes at night: Use Night Shift to make the colors on the screen warmer.
Differentiate or tone down colors: Apply color filters or tint the entire screen.
Make the pointer bigger: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, click Cursor, then drag the Cursor Size slider to the right as far as you need.
Tip: If you lose track of the pointer on the screen, quickly move your finger on the trackpad or quickly move the mouse—the pointer briefly gets bigger so you can see it. To turn this feature off, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, click Cursor, then deselect “Shake mouse pointer to locate.”
Make text bigger
Increase the text size of emails in Mail: In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences, click Fonts & Colors, click Select next to “Message font,” then select a font size in the Fonts window.
Increase the text size of messages in Messages: In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, click General, then move the “Text size” slider to the right.
Increase the text size in other apps: In many apps, you can press Command-Plus ( ) or Command-Minus (–) to adjust text size. If that doesn’t work, check the app’s preferences.
Make icons and other items bigger
Increase the size of icons and text on the desktop: Control-click the desktop, choose Show View Options, then move the “Icon size” slider to the right. Click the “Text size” pop-up menu, then choose a text size.
Increase the size of icons and text in the Finder: Select an item in the Finder, then choose View > Show View Options. The view you’re using determines how you increase the size.
Icon view: Move the “Icon size” slider to the right. Click the “Text size” pop-up menu, then choose a text size.
List view: Select the larger icon size to the right of “Icon size.” Click the “Text size” pop-up menu, then choose a text size.
Column view: Click the “Text size” pop-up menu, then choose a text size. You can’t choose an icon size.
Gallery view: Select the largest thumbnail size. You can’t choose a text size.
Increase the size of items in the Finder and Mail sidebars: Choose Apple menu
Use zoom
Zoom in on the screen: Choose Apple menu
When “Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom” is selected, you can zoom in (press Option-Command-Equal sign), zoom out (press Option-Command-Minus sign), or quickly switch between the two settings (press Option-Command-8).
When “Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom” is selected, you can zoom in by pressing and holding the Control key (or another modifier key) and swiping up with two fingers on your trackpad.
Zoom in on the item under the pointer: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Zoom, then select Enable Hover Text. See Use Hover Text.
Zoom in on webpages: In Safari, choose View > Zoom In, or press Command-Plus ( ). You can choose Zoom In or press Command-Plus multiple times to continue zooming in. If you want to zoom just the text and not images, choose Zoom Text Only.
Zoom in on PDFs, images, and webpages: If your mouse or trackpad supports it, you can zoom in or out using a simple gesture. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Mouse > Point & Click or Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom, then select Smart zoom. Now to zoom in or out, double-tap on your mouse with one finger or on your trackpad with two fingers.