How to Increase Font Size and Make Text Bigger on the iPad

If you can't read the letters and numbers on your iPad, increase the default font size. Make things more legible with a few taps and reading will be easier on your iPad or iPhone. Changing the default font size works for most apps that come with the iPad and others available in the App Store, but not all third-party apps support his feature.

Increase the Font Size

Here's how to make the font larger on an iPad:

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Display & Brightness.

3. Tap Text Size.

4. In the Text Size screen, drag the slider to the right to make the text larger.

5. Tap the Back arrow to return to the Display & Brightness screen, then turn on the Bold Text toggle switch to make the text on the iPad even easier to read.

   If you turn Bold Text on, restart the iPad for it to take effect.

Pinch-to-Zoom

The iPad has several handy gestures, and one that is used more than others is pinch-to-zoom. Pinch in and out with your thumb and index finger to zoom in and out of the iPad screen. This doesn't work in every app, but it works on most web pages and images. So even if changing the font size doesn't make the text large enough, the pinch-to-zoom gesture may help.

The iPad Also Has a Magnifying Glass

The iPad iOS operating system has a variety of accessibility features, including the ability to quickly zoom in on the screen. This works even when pinch-to-zoom doesn't. There's also an option to zoom in to a portion of the display using a virtual magnifying glass.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap General.

3. Tap Accessibility.

4. Tap Zoom, then turn on the Zoom toggle switch.

   When Zoom is on, activate it by tapping three fingers on the screen. Use three fingers to move around the screen.

5. To use a controller to turn on Zoom and navigate, turn on the Show Controller toggle switch.

   When the controller is on, tap the controller to adjust Zoom settings from any page. Double-tap the controller to turn Zoom on and off. When Zoom is on, use the controller as a joystick to move around the screen.

6. Tap Zoom Region to switch between enlarging the entire screen and only part of it. Tap Window Zoom to display a magnifying glass that you can drag around the screen to enlarge only the text you place it over.

7. Use the menu in the controller to switch between Window and Full-Screen Zooms, resize the lens, and increase the amount of magnification.

Use Your iPad or iPhone as a Real Magnifying Glass

This is a useful feature to turn on while you are still in the Accessibility settings. The Magnify setting uses the iPad or iPhone camera to magnify something in the real world such as a menu or a receipt.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap General.

3. Tap Accessibility.

4. Tap Magnifier, then turn on the Magnifier toggle switch.

5. To use the Magnifier, triple-click the Home button and point the rear camera on the iPad at the object you want to magnify. Adjust the magnification level and brightness, add filters, and invert colors to make things easier to see.