How to Zoom Out on Mac

The fastest way to maximize a window (such as a web browser) on a Mac is to press Command and + (plus) to maximize it, or – (minus) to minimize it. However, there are also many other zoom options including trackpad operations and additional keyboard shortcuts. This wikiHow teaches you different ways to zoom on a macOS desktop or laptop computer.

Table of Contents

Use keyboard shortcuts to maximize windows

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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 keyboard shortcuts on any Mac without special configuration adjustments.

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

Keep pressing the + (plus) key to zoom in as far as you want.

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

Similar to when zooming in, you can keep pressing the – (minus) key to zoom out as far as needed.

Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in full screen

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Click the Apple menu

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. 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 an accessibility shortcut key combination. Start by clicking the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.

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Click System Preferences from the menu.

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Click the Accessibility icon . This option has a blue and white person icon near the bottom of the window. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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

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

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Press ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + 8 to enable/disable accessibility shortcuts. 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 softens the edges of the zoomed object and makes the text easier to read. Use the Option + Command|+ key combination to enable/disable this feature.

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

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Press ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + - to minimize the entire screen. Similar to when zooming in, you can keep pressing these keys until you reach the right size.

Use touch pad operation

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Move the mouse pointer to the position you want. You can use your laptop’s touchpad or an external Magic Trackpad for quick zooming with a simple finger gesture. Start by moving the mouse pointer to the position where you want to zoom out. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Simultaneously place two fingers on the touchpad. Do this right where you want to zoom in/out.

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Move two fingers apart to zoom in. Instead of pinching two fingers, this is the opposite. You can repeat this movement to zoom in more if you want.

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Pinch two fingers together on the trackpad to zoom out. Similar to when zooming in, you can also repeat the pinch-to-zoom operation until you reach the required level.

Use modifier keys with mouse or trackpad

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Enable the option Scrpl Gesture with Modifier Keys. With a mouse with a physical roller, a mouse with a multitouch surface (such as an Apple Magic Mouse), or a laptop touchpad, you can use it to zoom on any window by combining it with “add-on” key. You need to press the modifier key (e.g. Command) and simultaneously scroll the roller/touch surface up or down to zoom in/out. Here’s how to turn it on:

Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences .
Click the Accessibility icon (a blue and white human figure).
Click Zoom in the left pane.
Check the box “Use scrpl gesture with modifier keys to zoom” (Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom).
Select a modifier key, such as Contrp or Command .
Choose a zoom type from the menu:
- Click Fullscreen to enlarge or reduce the entire screen when you use these actions.
- Click Split screen to view magnified (or unmagnified) on one side of the screen.
- Click Picture-in-picture if you only want to enlarge part of the screen at the position of the mouse pointer. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Press the modifier key when you are ready to zoom in or out. For example, if you select the Contrp key, hold down this key.

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

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

Steps

Use keyboard shortcuts to maximize windows

Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in full screen

Use touch pad operation

Use modifier keys with mouse or trackpad

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