How to make sidebar icons and text bigger on a Mac
2 min read · 3 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open System Settings, click Appearance, and set Sidebar icon size to Large. The icons in the Finder sidebar, and in the sidebar of apps such as Mail, News and Photos, get larger. The size of the text in the sidebar changes with them.
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS Tahoe 26
- App
- System Settings
- Path
- System Settings › Appearance › Sidebar icon size: Large
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
The sidebar of Finder and Mail uses small icons and small text. One menu makes both larger, without changing the resolution of the screen.
The screenshots show System Settings on macOS Tahoe 26.
Step by step
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
Click Appearance in the sidebar
Appearance is below Accessibility.
Set Sidebar icon size
It is under the heading Windows. Choose Small, Medium or Large. In the picture it is Medium.
Good to know
The menu bar has its own text size: how to make the menu bar text bigger on a Mac.
In short: System Settings, Appearance, Sidebar icon size: Large.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.