The Three Ways to Make Text Bigger on Your iPad

You can make text larger on your iPad in three separate places, and each one controls different apps or parts of the system. The Display & Brightness settings change text across most built-in apps like Mail, Notes, and Safari. The Accessibility settings let you enlarge text even more if you need it, and work system-wide. Individual apps like Books, Kindle, and News also have their own font size controls inside the app itself.

Which method you use depends on what you're reading. If you want bigger text everywhere on your iPad, start with Display & Brightness. If you need text much larger than that, or if an app ignores the system setting, use Accessibility. If only one app has text too small, check that app's own settings first.

Key Takeaways

  • Display & Brightness settings enlarge text in Mail, Notes, Safari, and most built-in Apple apps without changing anything else on your screen.
  • Accessibility settings offer larger text sizes than Display & Brightness and work across nearly all apps, including third-party ones.
  • Many apps like Books, Kindle, and News have their own font size buttons or sliders that override system settings.
  • Text size changes do not affect icons, buttons, or the overall layout of your home screen.

Changing Font Size in Display & Brightness Settings

Open Settings on your home screen, then tap Display & Brightness. Scroll down until you see Text Size with a slider underneath it. The slider has a small "A" on the left and a large "A" on the right. Drag the slider to the right to make text bigger, or to the left to make it smaller. You will see a preview of the text size change as you move the slider.

This method works best for reading email, notes, and web pages in Safari. It does not change the size of app names on your home screen, notification text, or the keyboard. Once you release the slider, the change takes effect when ready across all apps that use this system setting. If the text still is not large enough, move to the Accessibility settings instead.

Using Accessibility Settings for Maximum Text Size

Open Settings, then tap Accessibility. Scroll down and tap Display & Text Size. At the bottom of this screen, you will see Larger Accessibility Sizes with a toggle switch next to it. Turn this toggle on by tapping it once.

Once you turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes, a new slider called Text Size appears below it. This slider goes much higher than the one in Display & Brightness — it offers sizes up to 188 percent of the standard size. Drag this slider all the way to the right to see the largest text your iPad can display. The preview text above the slider updates as you move it, so you can see exactly how large your text will be before you confirm.

This setting works in almost every app on your iPad, including third-party apps like Gmail, Twitter, and Reddit. The text will be noticeably larger than what Display & Brightness alone can offer. Some apps may reflow their layout to fit the larger text, which means buttons or images might move to different positions on the screen.

Changing Font Size Inside Individual Apps

Many reading and news apps have their own font size controls that you can use without changing your system settings. In Books, open any book and tap the screen once to reveal the controls. Look for the Aa button near the top right. Tap it, then use the slider to change the font size. You can also choose a different font style from this menu.

In Safari, open a webpage and tap the Aa button in the address bar at the top. Tap Larger Text or Smaller Text to adjust the size for that specific website. This setting is saved per website, so you can make one site larger and leave another at its default size.

In News, open an article and look for the Aa icon, usually in the top right corner. Tap it to see font size options. In Kindle, open a book, tap the screen, and tap the Aa button to adjust text size and font choice. These app-level controls override your system settings, so if an app has its own font menu, that is the fastest way to change text in that app alone.

What Changes and What Does Not

When you adjust font size using any of these methods, the text inside apps gets larger, but other elements stay the same size. Your home screen icons, app names, and the dock at the bottom do not change. Buttons, menus, and navigation bars may shift slightly to fit the larger text, but they do not grow proportionally.

If you use Larger Accessibility Sizes, some apps may show fewer items on the screen at once because the text takes up more space. For example, an email inbox might show five emails instead of ten. This is normal and expected — the app is making room for the larger text. You can still scroll to see more content below.

Undoing Font Size Changes

To return text to its original size, go back to the same setting you changed. In Display & Brightness, drag the Text Size slider back to the middle. In Accessibility, turn off the Larger Accessibility Sizes toggle, or drag the Text Size slider back to its default position. In individual apps, tap the font size control again and select the default or smallest option.

Each setting is independent, so changing one does not affect the others. If you made text larger in both Display & Brightness and Accessibility, you will need to adjust both sliders to return to the default size. App-specific changes only affect that one app and do not carry over to other apps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing font size affect how my apps look or work?

No. Larger text may cause some apps to reflow their layout — buttons or images might move — but the app will still work normally. You can still tap all buttons and navigate through the app the same way. Some apps may show fewer items per screen because the text is larger, but you can scroll to see more.

Can I make text larger in just one app without changing the whole system?

Yes. Open that app and look for an Aa button or font size option in the app's menu or toolbar. Books, Safari, News, and Kindle all have their own font controls. These app-level settings override your system settings and only affect that one app.

What is the difference between Display & Brightness and Accessibility text size?

Display & Brightness offers smaller maximum sizes and works mainly in Apple's built-in apps. Accessibility offers much larger sizes and works in almost all apps, including third-party ones. If Display & Brightness text is not large enough, switch to Accessibility for bigger options.

Does font size change affect the keyboard or notifications?

Display & Brightness text size does not change the keyboard or notification text. Accessibility text size may affect some notification text, but the keyboard usually stays the same size. If you need a larger keyboard, that is a separate setting in Accessibility under Keyboards.

Can I set different font sizes for different apps?

Yes, if the app has its own font size control. Use the system settings (Display & Brightness or Accessibility) as your baseline, then adjust individual apps that need to be larger or smaller. System settings explore to all apps at once, but app-level controls let you customize each one.