iMac 5K Screen Text Too Small? Fix It

Updated

I love my 2017 27” iMac with a 5K Retina screen. If there was ever a complaint, it would be the text size on the screen is too small in the default setting.

I am in my forty’s and I do not wear glasses. I have had my eyes laser corrected several years ago and can see fine on my iPad Pro 12.9” and my iPhone X.

For some reason, the iMac leaves a lot to be desired for the way the text size is rendered. It is so small it makes it hard to see what you’re typing. Making a simple adjustment will fix this issue.

Here is what I did and I feel this will work great for most people.

Scale Display Resolution

  1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper right-hand corner and.
  2. Go to —> System Preferences —> Displays.
  3. Change the resolution to Scaled.
  4. Default should be set to Best (Retina)
  5. Click the option to the left. It will be the one in between “Larger Text” and “Best (Retina)”.
  6. Done.

You could click the “Larger Text” option if you need the text as large as possible. That option is too large for me.

The Screen Will Be More Engaging

Engaging? How can a computer become more engaging?

You will see. Try it. Everything on the screen will be a little larger, easier to read and easier to click elements.

I have to work a lot in iMessage because I communicate and schedule many of our customers that way. Scaling the screen to make text larger has really helped in the iMessages app.

Because the screen has so much resolution, it can handle the scaling without making everything look to blurry.

5K is A LOT of resolution on a 27” screen. And, oh what a beautiful screen it is.

You need to make your computer work for you. It doesn’t matter what the person to your left or right is doing. Set up your computer so your experience is good and you will be more productive.

Try it out a few weeks before switching back to see if you can adjust to it.