How to make sidebar icons and text bigger on a Mac

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-make-sidebar-icons-and-text-bigger-on-a-mac/ · Checked October 2026 · MacBook Pro · macOS Tahoe 26

3 of 3 steps with real screenshots · 5 official sources below

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro)

App

System Settings

Path

System Settings › Appearance › Sidebar icon size: Large

Real screenshots

3 of 3 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

5 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open System Settings

   Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.

   Done

2. 

   Click Appearance in the sidebar

   Appearance is below Accessibility.

   Done

3. 

   Set Sidebar icon size

   It is under the heading Windows. Choose Small, Medium or Large. In the picture it is Medium.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• Your Mac has System Preferences, not System Settings. Apple says that on macOS Monterey Sidebar icon size is in System Preferences, General. Source: Change General preferences on Mac
• You cannot find Appearance in the sidebar. Apple says you can type a word, such as sidebar, in the search field at the top of System Settings and click the matching option. Source: Find options in System Settings on Mac

If this does not work

• Large is still too small. Apple says the Text size setting in Accessibility, Display also makes text bigger in app sidebars, on the desktop and in apps that use your preferred reading size. Source: Increase font size and icons on Mac
• You want everything on the screen bigger. Apple says you can lower the resolution: in System Settings click Displays, then Larger Text. Everything on the screen then appears larger. Source: Increase the size of what's on the Mac screen
• The files in a Finder window are still small. Sidebar icon size only changes the sidebar. Apple says that in a Finder window you choose View, Show View Options and pick a text size and an icon size there. Source: Increase font size and icons on Mac

About this guide

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.

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.

📷 Camera Lab: the same 6 scenes photographed with 11 phones, side by side.