Global Text Height

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I'm near blind and need help. The text height my MAC uses for folders and other system related items is nearly impossible for me to read. I'v tried changing everything that deals with text height using System Preferences but I must be missing the one that controls the default text height or minimum text height my system should use. Is there a way to get a global minimum text height to be used by everything. Even trying to read System Preferences app is very difficult for me. Even tried using a 2x magnifier but that is still worthless with some teeny tiny things I can see but can't read in some pop ups. HELP!!! I know I must have missed the key to this somewhere. I just know this must be possible. Right???
 
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My sympathies for your eyesight condition, but you might get some useful information and help suggestions here:
Stop squinting: Make text bigger in OS X | Macworld

Also using their suggestion, you can select the hard drive or your Desktop with the Finder active and press Command+J and select icon and/or text size. I'm not sure if it's a System wide change or just for selected items.

Also have a look at the options available for visual help in your System Preferences under Universal Access or Accessibility depending on your OS X version.

I even find the Display option there to increase Cursor Size helpful on my 27" iMac.

I hope this helps. ;)
 
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Thanks you but I've done all that. At least as best I can. Most of my apps are now readable. It's the system things that I'm not able to change or I'm totally wrong in the way I expect things to work. Such things as the names given a folder in Safari or the very top line on the screen that says what app you are in and what function are available to that app. All system things. There should be a way to change the minimum text height and just let it truncate if the name is too long. I can figure out what most things are by the first 4 or 5 letters anyway.

Surely Apple understands that there are people that have poor eyesight. Even the government understands that and they are far from good. I can't drive my car because I could endanger someone. But I sure can't endanger anyone on my computer but I'm having even more trouble driving it. Someone out there must have some magic set of words enter in the right place that will set a minimum text height to be used EVERYWHERE.

Maybe some kind of Add-On????? I am using a big text add-on that works great for some apps now. I just need to get the system fonts changed.

Again, thanks but I've done all those things listed.
 
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Have you tried changing the resolution in your Displays System Preference to a lower setting?

There should be several options under the Resolution setting. They might be slightly blurry but will sure make everything bigger.

I'm not an Apple FanBoy any longer but it seems that they have always addressed the visually impaired as well as other impairments pretty well. Have you checked all their options on your Mac or even at their site?
https://www.apple.com/ca/accessibility/osx/#vision

And if you need more, try some searches and may be some third party software if needed such as:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=2vHTVOKmB_Ps8weY2oKICQ
 
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Yes I have and it does work but it just does a number on how things display and how detects work. You never know if you may be detecting cancel or send or buy all depending on application. It's just dangerous. But yes I can read things but I may have just bid $1,000 on a $1.00 item. Nope. Thanks but no thanks. It just proved to me that the text can be changed if you can get to the right code though.
 
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Just a thought as I have no idea what Mac or display you're using, but if it's small you're probably going to have trouble.

So if you want and need huge text and Menus, I'd suggest getting a large display and 24" as a minimum if you don't already have one. And I can't imagine anything being missed with text enlarged and resolution set low on a 27" display.
 
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I'm beginning to think that's the real product plan with Apple. Don't allow system things to be changed will force you to yet another product. They failed to realize a lot of us older folks are tapped out. Just no respect for elders any more. The thing is, there is room for at least two text size increase. Or it looks like it. I'm about ready to just give up. Really frustrating and I have a nasty headache again from straining. Oh, maybe I should do what everyone does now. Sue for mental and medical cruelty.(insert smile emotican...I cannot see them to do it)
 
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Got Most Things Changed

Well I found if I look far enough that Firefox has some "add-ons" that allow me to customize ?almost? everything so I can read things with easy. Does this mean someone somewhere might have a OSX "add-on" that might allow increasing text size for those few system items that are still unreadable for me? Like that that line item at the top of my Mac screen that says what function or application is active. The one that has that proud apple icon first.
 
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I don't know how blind or visually handicapped you are or why you are having so much problems finding a solution, and I had well past "legally blind" Canadian client that had no trouble at all, even back in Mac System 8.x days, and things seem to have gotten even better since then.

Besides the various System Preference options, even Safari has an option to show text in large minimum size built-in that works with most standard pages. Or if that's not enough, you could setup a "style sheet".

You can find directions here:
Automatically zoom Safari pages on launch | Macworld

And for other stuff, I'm a bit surprised you can't find more just with a google search, i.e.:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=B8TbVO7-DfK_-AOBv4CwDg

And don't forget that most Mac apps respond to the "command plus +" to make text larger if the settings don't work.

But maybe you're having some unique visual problems with your Mac and its applications that I'm not understanding. And maybe let us know what Mac Model and OS version you're using, and maybe some can supply some specific suggestions. ;)
 
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Thanks for the reply and making me feel dumb but I have everything I can find about text height set to what ever maximum setting that might be allowed. Minimum font set to 24 with individual fonts also set to 24 or in other areas large or max. Anything dealing with text set BIG.

My example has been that very top line on my screen that says what application or function you are in that has the Apple icon. No one has shown me how to enlarge that text. I'll go look at your suggestions though so you may have done that. If you did thanks and excuse me for me sensitive to basically be called stupid. I get it it. I am I guess.

EDIT: Looked and can say there's a difference in being blind and visually impaired. I'm still refusing to say I'm blind. I just want system oriented text inlarged.

And for Safari. I already have the advanced function set to use no text smaller than set. In my case 24. I can change it to 48 and it will not change anything on that top line that says other things like if you are bluetooth connected or web connected, percent of battery charge, date, language for keyboard, ect.

How about that line of text characters?

I guess I can say okay I'm blind and start going down that path for audio response. If I can't change the text for that top line, will audio help there? I doubt it but will look.
 
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My apologies hog cowboy that my reply made you "feel dumb" as it sure wasn't meant to obviously.

As for increasing the size of your Menu Bar, I'd have to check, but we still don't know what Mac model or OS version you're using which can possibly make a difference for any modification.

But I have previously suggested a method by changing your Displays Pref Pane to a lower resolution, for the Menu Bar and all the other stuff you see on your display monitor.
 
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Don't even know if this will do for what you are asking for but since I can't see what it says I'm hoping sins it is a screen shot of about this Mac.

Edit: Oh wow. I can read it after sending it to photobucket. It's now at least 2x larger. That's one of those system things I'm having trouble with. Why is it so much smaller on my Mac screen? I did not enlarge it on photobucket. All system things are small.

And I'm sorry I came off like I did. My frustration is just getting to me. Now is when I normally just give up for a few days.
 
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Yup, viewed stuff can change a lot and is usually due to the resolution being used, and also a reason I mentioned lowering your Mac's Display Resolution.

I thought TinkerTool app might help your viewing, buy probably not according to some for your problem as they mention here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5479014?start=15&tstart=0

You might find some useful suggestions here:
Make Fonts, Objects Larger, More Readable on Mac (Mavericks)

Otherwise with the later Mac OS X versions and that includes the Mavericks 10.9.5 that you're using seem to have dropped the System Font and Menu modifications we used to have in earlier Systems. A bit of a bummer, and I couldn't find any hacks you'd even want to try. Sorry, and maybe drop Apple a feedback comment. :(

I didn't find anything useful Googling for how to increase menu font size with this search:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...-8&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=sfHbVPfuL5Kl-QOKsoEQ
 

chscag

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About the only way you're going to get that top menu to appear larger is to lower your display resolution as member pm-r suggested. Lowering the resolution has the same effect as making everything on screen including menus larger. The only drawback is that it introduces some distortion of images and perhaps an out of focus appearance.
 
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Yup, viewed stuff can change a lot and is usually due to the resolution being used, and also a reason I mentioned lowering your Mac's Display Resolution.

I thought TinkerTool app might help your viewing, buy probably not according to some for your problem as they mention here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5479014?start=15&tstart=0

You might find some useful suggestions here:
Make Fonts, Objects Larger, More Readable on Mac (Mavericks)

Otherwise with the later Mac OS X versions and that includes the Mavericks 10.9.5 that you're using seem to have dropped the System Font and Menu modifications we used to have in earlier Systems. A bit of a bummer, and I couldn't find any hacks you'd even want to try. Sorry, and maybe drop Apple a feedback comment. :(

I didn't find anything useful Googling for how to increase menu font size with this search:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...-8&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=sfHbVPfuL5Kl-QOKsoEQ

After looking at this Tinkertool you mention it looked like it just might have one parameter that would help. It does mention a "System" font in the "FONTS" control button. So I tried it. I changed that parameter from 12 I think it was to 24. Made no change what so ever. But it did have a "Preview" button and it sure looked like it should have changed something because that size in that preview was near unreadable. I kept bringing it down until at 17 it looked like in preview I should be able to see system type text. But again no change when I baled out. Makes me wonder now if I have something somewhere set wrong or some other add-on is overriding the Tinkertool thing. Was a good possibility I admit so thanks for the suggestion.

About the only way you're going to get that top menu to appear larger is to lower your display resolution as member pm-r suggested. Lowering the resolution has the same effect as making everything on screen including menus larger. The only drawback is that it introduces some distortion of images and perhaps an out of focus appearance.

I have changed screen resolution and it does in fact help. Problem is it does some very strange things with some things I display. I have to go back and change a lot of things just to make things look like they did with the other resolution but still find some things really get distorted. To to point that trying to do a track pad click on something gets something else detected. It just plain become unusable and frustrating in yet another way.


I have tried several times to make something like a style that can be used but that appears to be limited to a browser and has no effect on the system text. And someone suggested I talk to Apple. I guess then I was wrong thinking this forum was that. Does anyone have a link to an Apple forum. Believe it or not I have hearing problems too so phones are near impossible to use. Okay, yes, I'm a mess.

As far as everything else I have all other text huge now. It's just those tiny system text things like that function line or whatever it's called at the very top of any display page or application. There's others but that's the easiest to describe. There must be a way the add a text or font height to some line of code or program somewhere similar to what I had to do to get a different default search engine other than google. No?
 
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I don't know if Tinkertool acts the same way that some utilities do that can change the System settings, but many require a computer restart or even a reboot in order to work as set.

As for changing the display and resolution for better use, I'm wondering if enabling the hidden HiDPI mode might help.
"Using HiDPI mode will let you lower the resolution without decreasing quality and sharpness. "ResolutionTab" app makes switching through HiDPI modes very simple.

You'll have to Google for how etc. But maybe start here:
http://www.macworld.com/article/204...solve-your-resolution-switching-problems.html

Or possibly just using SwitchResX which we have used successfully:
SwitchResX - The Most Versatile Tool For Controlling Screen Resolutions On Your Mac
 
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Okay. I'll shutdown and see if these changes actually take affect on reboot. That will be tomorrow though before I know one way or the other. But I'm up for trying. Thanks. I'll do some searching on that other possible. Never heard of it. Not a programmer. Just a near blind and deaf user.
 
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Well it made sense that a reboot may be needed to affect the changes as Tinkertool does say at the bottom that changes take effect with relaunch of application. But still no change with system type text.
 

chscag

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I've been using Tinker Tool on an off for years and it has never been able to change the system text. It will, however, change the font size on some apps, but not all. It's a nice utility though and the best part is it's free. :)
 
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Guess I'm going to **** because I'm beginning to wish something bad for everyone working at Apple but it would sure be nice if they all could experience what poor eye sight is.:Cool:

I got the retina surgery done and cataract removed on one now. One to go but even then I'll still need help I think with system type text. I'm doing my part you would think Apple could do a little on their end.
 

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