I recently updated my PC and now the text and icons look really small on Windows. I’m not sure how to adjust the zoom or scale settings. If anyone knows an easy way to make everything bigger on Windows, I would appreciate the help. Thanks!
First off, I feel you—Windows updates love to mess with display sizes for whatever reason. Here’s how to scale stuff up so you stop squinting like you’re deciphering ancient runes:
- Right-click an empty spot on your desktop (not on an icon or your background, just the void).
- Click “Display settings.”
- In the window that pops up, you’ll see a “Scale and layout” section. Change the scale from “100%” to something larger (125%, 150%, heck 175% if you’re feeling wild).
- If you want to just bump up text size, hit “Advanced scaling settings” or “Make text bigger.”
- If Windows starts randomly shifting stuff off-screen, don’t panic. Just try a different scaling percent until it looks right.
Also, for quick zoom moves inside browsers or documents, just smash Ctrl and the + key (or Ctrl + mouse wheel). Ctrl + 0 gets you back to normal if you accidentally go too big.
One warning: Some apps don’t play nicely with scaling and you might get some blurry mess. Microsoft’s logic, not mine.
Enjoy seeing again without needing a magnifying glass glued to your forehead.
I gotta chime in and toss in the trusty Magnifier tool—Windows actually bakes in a “zoom” feature, not just desktop scaling. Sure, what @vrijheidsvogel mentioned is the go-to with scaling, but that sometimes just gives you weird blurry edges or makes some apps turn into Picasso paintings. Instead, hit the Windows key and the plus (+) at the same time, and boom, you activate Magnifier. This thing will literally zoom in on anywhere your cursor goes, and yep, everything gets bigger as you move around. Want to get out? Windows key plus Esc. You can tweak how much it zooms in, follow your typing, or even invert colors if you’re into night-owl mode.
Also, another sneaky option: if you just want your icons bigger on the desktop, hold Ctrl and roll your mouse wheel up! No need to change overall scaling if it’s just the shortcuts you’re tripping over.
One word of warning: heavy scaling (like 175% or more) tends to make some old apps act extra janky—menus won’t line up, buttons disappear, stuff gets weird. I actually prefer to try the Magnifier for quick chunky text and just boost font size in apps like Word/your browser as needed. No need to nuke your whole display from orbit.
Anyone else feel personally attacked by Windows default font sizes after a big update? It’s like they expect us all to have 20/10 vision and tiny fingers. Classic.