Google Chrome supports native zoom functionality that users of the browser may utilize to change the size of text and media elements such as images on webpages.

Chrome's zoom capabilities can be divided into two core features: changing the size of text and media content on a single webpage or on all webpages.

Zooming can be very useful. Visually impaired users may use zoom functionality to increase the text size on all webpages and it may also be used to increase or decrease the size of individual elements that are either too small or too large.

Note that Chrome's zoom functionality is independent of the resolution, DPI setting, or font settings of the underlying operating system.

Zoom in or out of the active page

Chrome supports several zoom options. You may control the zoom level of the current web page in the following way:

1. Click on the Chrome menu (the three dots).
2. The menu displays zoom controls.
  1. to make everything larger: click on the plus icon.
  2. to make everything smaller: click on the minus icon.
  3. full-screen mode: click on the full screen icon.

The changes take effect immediately so that you see right away if the zoom level needs further adjustment.

Google Chrome supports keyboard shortcuts that you may activate to make text and media larger or smaller as well:

  • Ctrl+ to make everything larger (Mac OS X: Command+)
  • Ctrl- to make everything smaller (Mac OS X: Command-)
  • F11 to open full screen mode (Mac OS X Command+Ctrl+f)

You may also use the keyboard and mouse to zoom in or out of a web page:

  • Ctrl and Mousewheel Up to increase the size of content on the webpage.
  • Ctrl and Mousewheel Down to decrease the size of content on the webpage.

Tip: Chrome indicates a custom zoom level in the browser's address bar. The browser displays a magnifying glass icon in the address bar on page's with custom zoom levels (custom meaning a different zoom level than the default).

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A click on the icon displays the actual level, e.g. 110% as seen on the screenshot above. You may change it with clicks on the plus or minus icons, or click on reset to reset the zoom level to the default value.

Google Chrome remembers custom zoom levels across sessions and applies it to the entire site. If you change the zoom on Ghacks to 110%, all pages on ghacks.net are displayed using that zoom level. You need to reset the zoom level for individual domains if you don't require zoom anymore.

Changing zoom globally in Chrome

While you can change the zoom level of individual webpages, you can also change the zoom level globally in Chrome.

  1. Load chrome://settings/ in the Chrome address bar.
  2. Scroll down on the page until you find to the Page zoom setting under Appearance.
  3. Switch zoom from the default value of 100% to another value.

The change is applied to any webpage you open in Chrome except for webpages with custom zoom levels that you applied using the methods described above.

Tip: you may change font sizes in the Chrome settings as well but these are only valid if a size does not make use of fixed font sizes.

1.Load chrome://settings/fonts in the web browser's address bar.
  1. Change font size to modify the size of text on webpages.
  2. Change minimum font size to increase the smallest size of text you are comfortable with.
  3. Change fonts to another font type.

Google Chrome Zoom extensions

Extensions may extend the zoom functionality of the Google Chrome web browser further. Below is a selection of extensions that do that:

  • Photo Zoom for Facebook to zoom photos on Facebook without leaving the page.
  • W Zoom adds support for changing the size of content on the current tab / per origin / per path only.
  • Zoom for Google Chrome does only one thing: it adds zoom controls to the Chrome toolbar and it introduces more granular zoom levels (e.g. 97%).
  • Zoom Page WE adds features such as text-only-zoom, automatic fit to width and more to the zoom experience.