How to change font size on iPhone

Your iPhone is central to staying connected, scrolling, reading, texting and everything in between. Making it comfortable to use starts with how text appears on your screen. If you’ve ever squinted at tiny text or held your phone a little closer to your face than you’d like to admit, you’re not alone. That is why learning how to change font size on iPhone can make a huge difference in how easy it is to use your device every day.

Below, we’ll walk you through all the ways to adjust your text so it is bigger, smaller or somewhere perfectly in between.

How to increase font size on iPhone

There are two main ways to increase the font size on your iPhone. One method adjusts your overall text size across your device. The other lets you crank it up even more if you need larger, more accessible text.

Changing iPhone font size the classic way

This is the standard method most users start with. It lets you adjust the size of your system text for things like Messages, Mail and most apps that follow your device settings.

1. Go to Settings
   
2. Tap Display & Brightness
   
3. Select Text Size
   
4. Drag the slider to choose the font size you want

As soon as you move the slider, the text in supported apps will update to reflect your new size.

Making your iPhone’s font size even bigger

If the classic size options are still not large enough, you can go into your Accessibility settings for even larger options, which many apps support (including Messages and Mail).

1. Go to Settings
   
2. Tap Accessibility
   
3. Select Display & Text Size
   
4. Tap Larger Text
   
5. Drag the slider to choose the larger font size you want

How to change font size on iPhone for specific apps

Sometimes you only want a certain app to have larger or smaller text. Maybe you want giant text in Notes for big ideas, but smaller text in Mail so your inbox feels a little less aggressive. However you like it, you can adjust font size in individual apps through iPhone’s Control Center once you add the Text Size control. Here’s how to do it:

Add Text Size to Control Center

1. Go to Settings
   
2. Tap Control Center
   
3. Scroll to More Controls
   
4. Tap the plus icon next to Text Size (the “AA icon”) to add it

If you don’t see the “More Controls” option, swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center and tap the plus icon in the top left to customize your controls there instead.

Change font size in a specific app

1. Open the app you want to adjust text size for
   
2. Swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to open Control Center
   
3. Tap the Text Size control (the “AA” icon) and adjust the slider
   
4. At the bottom of the screen, select the option on the left to apply the text size change to only the app you have open
   
5. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the font size for that app

How to decrease font size on iPhone

If your text is already too large or you changed settings by accident (we’ve all been there), shrinking the font is just as easy. Just follow the same steps you use to increase the size, but move the slider in the opposite direction.

Here’s how to reduce your iPhone’s font size using standard settings:

1. Go to Settings
   
2. Tap Display & Brightness
   
3. Select Text Size
   
4. Drag the slider to make the font smaller

If you previously turned on Larger Text in Accessibility, you can decrease your font size there as well:

1. Go to Settings
   
2. Tap Accessibility
   
3. Select Display & Text Size
   
4. Tap Larger Text
   
5. Drag the slider back down to a smaller option

Once you adjust the slider, your apps will update automatically.

A few more ways to make your iPhone yours

If adjusting your font size helped make your phone feel a little more “you,” there are plenty of other ways to fine-tune your iPhone. You can explore accessibility settings for more control over how other things look and feel on your screen, try turning your iPhone into a dumb phone when you want fewer distractions or free up space to make room for photos, apps and updates.

And if you’re looking to simplify more than just your settings, you can also see why people are switching to Mint Mobile (hint: the premium wireless for $15/mo, for a start).