How to Increase Font Size on Windows 11 (Text, Cursor, and Display Scaling)

Reading tiny text on a high-resolution screen can quickly turn into an eye-straining experience. Whether you’re working long hours, using a small laptop display, or simply prefer larger text, Windows 11 offers several built-in options to improve readability.

You can increase the font size across the system, enhance the visibility of the text cursor, or scale up the entire interface—including icons, menus, and apps. Below, we’ll walk through all the effective ways to make text easier to read on Windows 11, step by step.

Increase Text Size System-Wide Using Settings

If your main issue is small text, Windows 11 lets you enlarge fonts across most system apps and menus without affecting icons or layout too much.

Steps to Change Text Size

Open the Start Menu

Click Settings (or search for Settings)

Select Accessibility from the left sidebar

Click Text size on the right

Drag the Text size slider to the right to increase font size

A live preview appears above the slider

Click Apply to save your changes

This adjustment increases text size across Windows apps, system dialogs, and supported applications.

Make the Text Cursor Easier to See

After increasing text size, you may notice that the text cursor (caret) feels too thin or hard to locate. Windows 11 allows you to customize both its thickness and visibility.

Adjust Cursor Thickness

Open Settings

Go to Accessibility

Select Text cursor

Use the Text cursor thickness slider to make it wider

The preview updates instantly

Enable the Text Cursor Indicator

For even better visibility:

Toggle Text cursor indicator to On

Expand the indicator options

Adjust:

• Size of the indicators

• Color (choose a preset or pick a custom color)

This adds colored markers on both sides of the cursor, making it much easier to track while typing—especially helpful on large displays or with increased text size.

Increase the Size of Everything Using Display Scaling

If text isn’t the only thing that feels too small—icons, taskbar elements, and menus included—you’ll want to use display scaling instead.

Set a Custom Scaling Factor

Open Settings

Select System from the left panel

Click Display

Scroll to Scale & layout

Click Scale

Under Custom scaling, enter a value between 100 and 500

• Common values: 125, 150

Click the checkmark to confirm

⚠️ Important: Increase scaling gradually. Very high values can cause layout issues in some apps.

Apply the Changes

To activate custom scaling:

1. Open the Start Menu
2. Click your account icon
3. Select Sign out
4. Sign back in

Once logged in, all interface elements—including text, icons, and menus—will appear larger.

Which Option Should You Use?

• Text size only → Best for reading without changing layout
• Cursor customization → Ideal for typing and accessibility
• Display scaling → Best for high-resolution screens or small laptops

You can safely combine all three settings for maximum comfort.

Conclusion

Windows 11 provides powerful accessibility tools that make it easy to tailor your display to your needs. Whether you’re increasing font size, enhancing cursor visibility, or scaling the entire interface, a few adjustments can dramatically improve comfort and reduce eye strain.

If text feels too small, don’t struggle—Windows 11 is designed to adapt to you, not the other way around.