# How to make the Mac menu bar bigger or smaller > Use Accessibility, Display, Menu bar size to set the menu bar text to Large or Default, or change the display resolution to scale the whole screen. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/make-the-mac-menu-bar-bigger-or-smaller/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Open System Settings, then Accessibility, then Display, and find Menu bar size under Text. Apple describes it as setting the font size in the menu bar to Large, or back to Default. You need to log out and log in again to see the change. There is no setting that makes it smaller than Default. ## Make the menu bar text larger 1. Open the Apple menu, then System Settings. 2. Click Accessibility, then Display. 3. Under Text, set Menu bar size to Large. 4. Log out and log back in. If you do not see Menu bar size, your macOS version may not have it. Check [your version](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-check-your-macos-version/), and use the alternatives below. ## Make the menu bar smaller or back to normal Set Menu bar size back to Default in the same place, then log out and in. Apple's page lists no smaller option. To make everything on the screen smaller, including the menu bar, change the resolution: 1. Open System Settings and click Displays in the sidebar. 2. Pick a resolution. In thumbnail view you can hover over a thumbnail to see its size and click it to choose it. Apple notes you can Control click the thumbnail view and choose Show List. A higher scaled resolution gives you more space with smaller text. Apple warns that some app windows may not fit entirely on the screen and that scaled resolutions can affect performance. ## Make everything larger Apple's guide to increasing the size of what is on screen lists the options: the Text size slider in Accessibility, Display, Hover Text, Zoom, and the Larger Text choice in Displays, which lowers the resolution. That guide does not mention the menu bar itself, so use Menu bar size for the bar and Larger Text for everything. ## What the notch has to do with it The cutout is hardware, so changing the text size or resolution does not change its shape. It changes how large the cutout looks next to the menu items. A larger menu bar font also means fewer icons fit on the right side. If icons disappear after you enlarge it, read [menu bar icons hidden behind the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/menu-bar-icons-hidden-behind-the-notch/). For the size of the cutout see [how big is the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-big-is-the-macbook-notch/). NotchStar sizes its closed panel from the values macOS reports for your screen, and its [Home tab](https://www.notchstar.com/features/now-playing/) follows the same cutout. ## Quick answers. ### Can I make the menu bar smaller than the default? Apple's Menu bar size setting offers Large or Default. To fit more on screen, change the display resolution in Displays. ### Do I need to restart for Menu bar size? Apple says you must log out and log in again to see the change. ## Keep reading. - [How to see all menu bar icons on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-all-menu-bar-icons-on-mac/): A short checklist for showing every menu bar icon on a Mac: Menu Bar settings, Control Center, app settings and what to do when the notch takes the space. - [How big is the MacBook notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-big-is-the-macbook-notch/): Apple does not publish the notch size in its tech specs. Here is what Apple does list, and how apps and you can find the size on your own Mac. - [How to hide or show the menu bar on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/hide-the-menu-bar-on-mac/): Open System Settings, Menu Bar, then choose when the bar hides: Always, On Desktop Only, In Full Screen Only or Never. Move the pointer to the top to show it. - [How to check your macOS version](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-check-your-macos-version/): Open the Apple menu, choose About This Mac and read the macOS name and number. Click the number for the build. Apple's list of current versions included. ## More in The notch. - [What is the notch on a MacBook?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/what-is-the-macbook-notch/): The notch is the cutout at the top centre of some MacBook displays that holds the camera. What it is, what Apple calls it and how macOS works around it. - [Why do MacBooks have a notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-macbooks-have-a-notch/): Apple added a camera cutout to the MacBook display in 2021 so the screen could reach closer to the edges. What Apple said and what it did not say. - [How big is the MacBook notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-big-is-the-macbook-notch/): Apple does not publish the notch size in its tech specs. Here is what Apple does list, and how apps and you can find the size on your own Mac. - [Does the MacBook notch have a camera and sensors?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/does-the-macbook-notch-have-a-camera/): Yes, the notch holds the camera. What Apple lists for it, where the green light is, and how to see which apps can use the camera. - [How to hide the notch on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-hide-the-notch-on-mac/): You cannot remove the notch, but you can make an app sit below it with Apple's Scale to fit setting or change how the menu bar looks. Steps and limits. - [What Scale to fit below built in camera does](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/scale-to-fit-below-built-in-camera/): How Apple's Scale to fit below built in camera setting works, where to find it in Get Info, which Macs it applies to and why it sometimes does not show.