How To Change the text size and font in Windows 10

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Regardless if you’re visually impaired or not, you might find the Windows 10 default font size too small. This happens even more frequently on high-resolution displays. The good news is this minor annoyance can easily be fixed since it’s possible to change the text size and font in Windows 10.

In fact, Windows 10 lets you enlarge other UI elements, not just the fonts, and even zoom in temporarily.

How to change the text size and font in Windows 10

We’re going to discuss all of these situations below, so you can have a better experience while using Windows 10.

Changing the text size

If you have Creators Update or a newer Windows 10 update, you can change the text size using a third-party tool. It may seem weird and we’re not sure why Microsoft removed such an essential feature, but that’s how things are for now.

For the purpose of this guide, we’ll use an application called System Font Changer. You can download and install it from the link below:

Download System Font Changer

When you run it for the first time, you’ll be asked if you want to save the default settings. We recommend you click Yes and select the location for the backup. This will allow you to easily revert to the default font sizes at any time.

change the text size and font in Windows 10

Once the application is open, choose the element you want to resize and adjust its size using the slider. You can even enable the “Bold” option if you feel it can help you. When you’re happy with the settings click Apply, sign out of your Windows user account then sign back in for the changes to take effect.

If your Windows 10 version is older than Creators Update you can change the text size directly from the system settings.

Navigate to Settings -> System -> Display and click on Advanced display settings. Then, select Advanced sizing of text and other items.

A Control Panel window will open. Here you can select the UI element you want to resize from a drop-down menu then choose the new size from a second drop-down. Click Apply when you’re happy with the settings.

Changing the system font

Segoe UI is the standard system font in Windows 10. Older Windows versions made it easier to change the system font. For Windows 10, the situation is not the same and we will use a registry tweak for the purpose (courtesy of TenForums).

Before anything else, it’s worth mentioning that not all fonts can be used as system fonts since they don’t have the complete character set. If you choose a font that looks weird or difficult to read in some areas it’s because it lacks some of the characters required by the system.

You should also know that changing the system font may not have a global effect. Some modern apps such as the Start Menu, the Settings app, and the Action Center will still use the original default font. Nevertheless, it does affect older Windows apps and UI elements such as the taskbar.

Launch Notepad and paste the code below:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]

"Segoe UI"="NEW FONT"

Replace the NEW FONT text from the last line to the font you want instead of the default one. You can browse your choices by performing a system search for the Fonts folder – there, you can view all the fonts that are currently installed in your copy of Windows 10.

Now you will need to save the file which you can do from File -> Save As…. and set the Save as type as “All Files”. Now you will need to name the file – you can give it any name, just make sure it ends with the .reg extension. Finally, hit the Save button.

At this point, you just need to open the file you just saved. Windows will automatically detect it as a registry file and apply the changes. You’ll be prompted to confirm your choice so click Yes and then click again on OK. Reboot your PC for the changes to apply.

If you ever want to revert the changes download this file from TenForums, open it, click Yes and then OK. Restart your PC and you’ll have the original system font back.

Temporary zoom

If you just need a one-time zoom, this is a function some apps provide. Most of the times you can access this feature by pressing Ctrl + Plus (the “+” key) to zoom in, and Ctrl + Minus (the “-” key) to zoom out.

However, it’s worth mentioning Windows also has a built-in Magnifier. Click the Start button and search for “magnifier” then click on the first result to open the app.

To change the zoom level and other related options click on the cog icon.

Resizing the display

If the ability to change the text size and font in Windows 10 is not enough for you, there’s also the option to resize the entire display. To do this, you will need to access the Display settings.

Navigate to Settings -> System -> Display. There, you will be able to customize the scaling percentage via a sliding bar. If you need to fine-tune it, click on Custom scaling as it will let you manually enter a percentage.

To revert back to the default, just look for the option that has (Recommended) after it. Using the percentage scales will smoothly up-scale fonts to the size desired, so it’s recommended to just stick with that rather than adjusting the Resolution which tends to make things blurry if not set to your monitor’s default.

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