How to make the Mac menu bar bigger or smaller
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
- Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
- Click Accessibility, then Display.
- Under Text, set Menu bar size to Large.
- Log out and log back in.
If you do not see Menu bar size, your macOS version may not have it. Check your 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:
- Open System Settings and click Displays in the sidebar.
- 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.
For the size of the cutout see how big is the notch. NotchStar sizes its closed panel from the values macOS reports for your screen, and its Home tab follows the same cutout.
