How to increase the size of the screen text in Windows 10 and OS X

As our eyes grow more “mature” and our optical prescriptions get stronger and stronger, what can we do about our computer monitors? I have some tips on how to do this in Windows 10 and OS X.

 

Windows 10

I have a client in Woodland Hills who asked me about raising the screen text size in their new Windows 10 laptop. I have to admit that Windows 10 does this better than OS X, because you have to change just one setting to increase the screen text size system-wide.

How to do it? Start by right-clicking on your Windows 10 desktop. You see the following menu:

 

 

Second from the menu’s bottom, you see Display Settings. Left-click on it (the normal kind of click) to bring this up:

 

 

Although you see a slider, you just have four settings.

You have 100%, the default.

You have 125%, the Medium size.

You have 150%, the Large size.

And if you have a big screen such as I do (1920 x 1080), you can even go to 175%.

 

Slide to the setting you want. Then click on Apply

Apply will then tell you to Sign out/Log Out of your computer for a moment. Then sign in/log in again.

 

 

 

Voila! Your text has increased in size. 

 

Now what about OS X?

Kirk McElhearn, a senior writer for Macworld, is over 50, as he acknowledges. He wrote an article for Macworld.com about increasing the size of text in OS X. 

No system-wide fix exists for increasing the size of the screen font overall. You have to do it on an app by app basis. Kirk gives the details here.

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog