How to Zoom Out on Mac

Use keyboard shortcuts to maximize the window

Open the window you want to maximize. If you only need to zoom in/out in an application window, such as Safari or Pages, you can use the shortcut on any Mac without special configuration adjustments.

Press ⌘ Command++ to zoom in. When you hold down these keys at the same time, the content in the window will be enlarged for easier viewing.

Continue pressing the + (plus) key to zoom in to the level you want.

Press ⌘ Command+- to zoom out. The open window will begin to shrink.

Similar to when zooming in, you can continue to press the - (minus) key to zoom out to the necessary level.

Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom to full screen

Click the Apple menu. If you want to use the keyboard to zoom the entire screen (instead of just one window), you can use this method to set up accessibility shortcuts. Start by clicking the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screen.

Click System Preferences from the menu.

Click the Accessibility icon . This option has a blue and white person icon near the bottom of the window.

Click the Zoom menu in the left pane. This option has a desktop icon with a round magnifying glass in the upper left corner.

Check the "Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom" box at the top of the right pane.

Press ⌥ Option+ ⌘ Command+8 to enable/disable the accessibility shortcut. The full screen zoom shortcut key combination is only available when you enable this feature.

You may find this mode useful when viewing smooth images. This feature makes the edges of zoomed objects appear softer, while also making text easier to read. Use the key combination Option + Command|+ to enable/disable this feature.

Press ⌥ Option+ ⌘ Command+= to enlarge the entire screen. Continue holding down this key combination until the screen reaches the size you want.

Press ⌥ Option+ ⌘ Command+- to minimize the entire screen. Similar to zooming, you can continue to hold down these keys until you reach the appropriate size.

Use touchpad operations

Move the mouse pointer to the location you want. You can use your laptop's touchpad or an external Magic Trackpad to quickly zoom with just a simple finger gesture. Start by moving the mouse pointer to the location where you want to zoom out.

Place two fingers on the touch pad at the same time. Do this right at the location where you want to zoom in/out.

Move two fingers apart to zoom in. Instead of pinching with two fingers, this operation is the opposite. You can repeat this motion to zoom in further if desired.

Pinch two fingers together on the touchpad to zoom out. Similar to zooming in, you can also repeat pinching to zoom out until you reach the necessary level.

Use modifier keys with mouse or trackpad

Turn on the Scroll Gesture with Modifier Keys option. With a mouse with a physical scroll wheel, a mouse with a multi-touch surface (such as the Apple Magic Mouse), or a laptop touchpad, you can use it to zoom on any window in combination with "modifier" key. You need to press a modifier key (e.g. Command) and simultaneously scroll the wheel/touch surface up or down to zoom/zoom. Here's how to enable this feature:

Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences .

Click the Accessibility icon (blue and white person).

Click Zoom in the left pane.

Check the box "Use gesture scroll with modifier keys to zoom".

Select a modifier key, such as Control or Command .

Choose a zoom type from the menu:

Click Fullscreen to zoom in or out on the entire screen when you use these gestures.

Click Split screen to view with magnification (or unmagnification) on one side of the screen.

Click Picture-in-picture if you want to zoom in on just the part of the screen where the mouse pointer is.

Press the modifier key when you're ready to zoom in or out. For example, if you select the Control key, hold it down.

Scroll the mouse wheel up to zoom in. If you're using a Magic Mouse or laptop touchpad, swipe up on the surface with two fingers.

Scroll the mouse wheel down to zoom out. On the Magic Mouse or trackpad, swipe down with two fingers.

Kareem Winters

Update 26 October 2023