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OS 10.6 to OS 11.5: Finder Menu Bar and Folder Filelist Font Size

Is there a way to increase the font size for the Finder Menu Bar and also for Folder Filelists? They both seem a bit small. Perhaps the high resolution screen. Or my eyes. Thanks.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Sep 5, 2021 12:58 PM

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Posted on Sep 5, 2021 1:26 PM

Just to add, you can increase the size of the Menu Bar slightly by choosing "Large" from System Preferences > Accessibiliy > Display.


If that's not enough, you would have to change the screen resolution in System Preferences > Displays. Click "Scaled". Or, consider computer reading glasses.

13 replies

Sep 6, 2021 11:35 AM in response to RedLeafs

The folder file lists can be changed up to 16 pt in the View ➙ Show View Options for each existing folder:



This will have to be done for each existing folder. However, if you click on the "Users Defaults" button any new folders will have those settings.


I have the same complaint as you regarding the Menu bar. I've done what Dialabrain has suggested but also have gone to the Dark Mode and set The System/Accessability/Display preference pane as shown below.



I also use the Dark Reader extension in Safari so that i'm looking at black pages with white text. It's helped me to see the menu bar, menus and files names better.


Sep 6, 2021 10:57 AM in response to dialabrain

This works like a champ... except (you knew there would be an "except", right?) as far as I can tell, it only changes the folder you are currently in. That doesn't help with the other 100-200 folders I have. It seems like it would be logical to be able to change the "default font size" for ALL folders and then override individually (if necessary) with Control+J. Or am I missing something? (As usual).


Thanks again.

Sep 6, 2021 2:00 PM in response to Old Toad

First: To both 'dialabrain' and 'old toad' and anyone else who read my 'question'. I'm sorry that I posted what I stupidly thought might be 'a' question about a single aspect of the operating system when now it is obvious it is two and should have been posted as two questions. Duh!


Second: Thanks to both of you for the 'Finder Menu Bar' enlargement pointers. It does the job.


Third: Ditto on the 'Folder Filelist' instructions. I have the size set to 14 which works great for my eyes and my wife's eyes (it's her computer… I'm just the SysProg… and obviously not that good at it.) It still seems to only apply to the folder it is directly applied to and all subsequent folders created afterwards. But I can live with it. I have taken enough of both of your time.


Thanks again! Have a great day!

OS 10.6 to OS 11.5: Finder Menu Bar and Folder Filelist Font Size

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