How to Zoom Out on a Mac

Daily web browsing means occasionally encountering text or images that are too large or too small to be displayed correctly. If a webpage appears too big, it’s only logical to want to zoom out of it to have a better view. But how can you do so on a Mac?

This article will try to explain just that. We’ll provide actionable tips so you can zoom out on any content on your Mac using a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or browser. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.

How to Zoom Out on the Mac Keyboard

If you want to zoom a specific window or webpage on your Mac, you can use keyboard shortcuts. The easiest way of doing so is with the “Option,” “Command” and plus or minus keys. Here’s how to do so.

First, if you want to zoom out the entire screen, and not just a single window, enable the “Accessibility Zoom” feature. Here’s how.

1. Go to the “Apple” menu from the top left-hand and navigate to “System Preferences.”
   
2. Select “Accessibility.”
   
3. In the “Zoom” sidebar, tick the “Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom” box.
   

If the box is already checked, it means the feature is already enabled.

Next, use the keyboard shorts cuts:

1. Press “Command” plus “Option” plus  “-“ (minus sign) to zoom out.
   
2. Hold down the “Command” key or keep pushing the minus sign until you zoom out the content to the desired size.
   

How to Zoom Out on a Mac With the Mouse

If you use a mouse with your Mac, you can simply zoom out by activating the screen zoom feature.

1. Navigate to “System Preferences” and continue to “Accessibility.”
   
2. Open the “Zoom” section from the sidebar.
   
3. Make sure the “Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom” box is ticked.
   
4. Select the desired modifier key from the dropdown menu (“Control,” “Command,” or “Option”)
   

You can also use the scroll gesture on your trackpad to zoom out on your Mac.

How to Zoom Out on a Mac With the Trackpad

Zooming in and out on a trackpad is one of the most straightforward ways to fit the content on the screen according to your needs. To use the zoom options with your trackpad, you should enable the gesture support in the “Settings” first. Here’s how to do so.

1. Navigate to “System Preferences,” then “Trackpad.”
   
2. Open the “Scroll and Zoom” tab.
   
3. Check the “Smart zoom” box.
   

After enabling this feature, you can zoom in on pictures by placing two fingers on your trackpad and pushing them together. Zoom out by pushing the fingers apart.

How to Zoom Out on Mac in Chrome

Are you using Chrome on your Mac device and are wondering how to zoom out on a specific website? Just follow the instructions that correspond to the action you wish to complete below.

Zoom Out on the Current Page

Follow these steps if you wish to zoom out your current web page in Chrome.

1. Open the Chrome app on your Mac.
   
2. Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right-hand of the Chrome window.
   
3. Find the “Zoom” option and select the command you want. You can make everything on the screen smaller by clicking on “Zoom out” or the “-” sign.
   

You can also use the keyboard shortcuts to zoom out on Chrome content on Mac. Just press the “Command” key and the “-” sign. Keep pushing the minus sign until you reach the desired view.

Enlarge Specific Website Zoom Levels

You can change the zoom levels of a specific website in Chrome. Here’s how to do so.

1. Launch the Chrome app.
   
2. Select “More” at the top right-hand and navigate to “Settings.”
   
3. Navigate to “Privacy and security,” then “Site Settings,” then “Zoom levels.”
   
4. Click “X” to remove resizing from specific websites.
   

Set the Font or Page Size for All Webpages

If you want to change the size of everything on the web pages you visit, including the images, fonts, and videos, follow the steps below.

1. Open Chrome and navigate to the “More” menu.
   
2. Go to “Settings,” then “Appearance.”
   
3. To change everything, click on the down arrow next to “Page zoom” and choose the option you like.
   
4. To change the font size, click on the down arrow next to “Font size” and select the font size you want.
   

How to Zoom Out on Mac in Safari

Safari OS allows you to zoom your page with a few simple tricks.

Use the Keyboard

The easiest way to zoom out in Safari is to use keyboard shortcuts. To zoom out, simply hold the “Command” key and the “-“ (minus) sign. Press the minus sign as many times as necessary.

You can also add the zoom buttons to your Safari toolbar. Here’s how to do so:

1. Right-click on the blank space in your Safari toolbar.
   
2. Select “Customize Toolbar.”
   
3. Click on the “Zoom” buttons and drag them onto the toolbar surface.
   
4. Hit “Done” to finish.
   

You can also zoom out of a page by leaving the images the same size. To do so, hit “Option,” + “Command,” + “-“ to zoom out.

Zoom the Entire Screen

Follow the steps below to zoom out the entire screen on Safari.

1. Open Safari and navigate to “Safari” in the upper left-hand of the screen.
   
2. Go to “Preferences,” then “Websites,” then “Page Zoom.”
   
3. Mark all websites from “Configured Websites” and select “Remove.”
   
4. Navigate to the “When visiting other websites” menu and select the desired percentage.
   

Enlarge the Content for Specific Websites

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
   
2. Go to “Safari” in the top left-hand and navigate to “Settings for This Website.”
   
3. Go to “View,” then “Zoom.” The app will remember your zoom level the next time you revisit that website.
   

Make Text Larger for Specific Websites

1. Launch a webpage on your Mac.
2. Click on “View” in the upper left-hand of the screen and press the “Option” key on your keyboard.
3. Select the “Make Text Bigger” option from the dropdown menu. Safari will remember your preferred text size for that website the next time you return.

A Viewing Surface According to You

Macs are known to be highly adaptable devices. Thanks to various shortcuts and built-in tools, you can zoom out virtually any piece of content on your screen with ease. Whether it’s a simple webpage or the entire screen, you can manage the zoom settings any way you like.

Hopefully, this article has helped you do just that. You have learned to zoom out on Mac using a mouse, trackpad, keyboard, or your favorite browser.

Which method worked best for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.