How to Change the Default Zoom Settings in Microsoft Office

Ways to easily grow or shrink Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more

By
Cindy Grigg
Cindy Grigg
Writer
Cindy Grigg is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a productivity writer who teaches Microsoft Office software to students and pros.
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Updated on November 8, 2021

What to Know

  • Open the View tab. Select Zoom and choose a percentage to zoom.
  • As an alternative, choose the zoom slider at the bottom of the document and drag it to change the zoom.
  • You can also hold down Ctrl while you scroll up or down with the mouse to change the zoom.

This article explains several ways to change the zoom in Microsoft Office documents. These instructions apply to Microsoft 365, Office 2019, Office 2016, Office 2013, and Office 2010.

How to Customize the Zoom Setting of Your Office Program's Screen

If the text or objects in Microsoft Office programs appear too large or too small, customize the zoom settings to your preferences. You can change the zoom level for a document or adjust the default zoom for every new file you create. These features vary according to the program and operating system (desktop, mobile, or web). Still, this list of solutions should help you find a solution.

  1. Select the View tab.

    The View tab in Office

  2. Select Zoom in the Zoom group.

    The Zoom option

  3. Choose the percentage to which you want to zoom. Alternatively, select Page Width, Text Width, or Whole Page.

    Zoom settings in Word

  4. Another option is the Zoom slider in the lower-right corner of the window. Use it by clicking or dragging the slider.

    The Zoom slider

Office files open at the zoom level used when they were originally saved.

You can also use a shortcut command. Hold down Ctrl, then scroll up or down with the mouse. If you don't want to use a mouse, type the keyboard shortcut Alt+V. When the View dialog box appears, press the letter Z to show the Zoom dialog box. To make customizations, press Tab until you get to the Percentage box, then type the zoom percentage with the keyboard.

You can create a macro for zooming Office documents or make changes to the template in some programs. This option can be technical. However, it may be worth it to go through those steps if you have some extra time.

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