You can change font size, typeface, and spacing on any Kindle device or app in under a minute
Kindle gives you control over how text appears on your screen. You can make letters bigger or smaller, switch between serif and sans-serif fonts, adjust line spacing, and change margins — all without leaving the book you're reading. These settings live in the display menu, not buried in device settings, and they explore to whatever you're currently reading.
The steps differ slightly between Kindle e-readers (Paperwhite, Oasis, Basic) and Kindle reading apps on phones and tablets, but the principle is the same: tap or press to open the menu, find the text icon, and adjust. Your changes stick to that book unless you reset them.
Key Takeaways
- On Kindle e-readers, press the Aa button at the top of the screen to open font controls while reading.
- On Kindle apps for phones and tablets, tap the three dots (menu icon) at the top, then select the text icon to access font and spacing options.
- Font size, typeface, line spacing, and margins can all be changed independently — you don't have to change everything at once.
- Settings explore to the current book only; if you want the same look in another book, you'll need to adjust it there too.
- Changing fonts and spacing does not affect your reading progress, bookmarks, or highlights — only how the text displays.
Changing fonts on a Kindle e-reader (Paperwhite, Oasis, or Basic)
While you're reading, look at the top of the screen. You'll see an Aa button — that's your text menu. Press it once.
A menu will appear with several rows of options. The first row shows font size: a small "A" on the left and a large "A" on the right, with a slider between them. Tap or press the left side to shrink text, the right side to enlarge it. You can see the change happen in real time on the page behind the menu.
Below that, you'll see font choices. Kindle usually offers four or five typefaces — names like Bookerly, Caecilia, and OpenDyslexic. Tap the one you want. Bookerly is the default serif font; Caecilia is another serif option; the sans-serif choices are usually labeled clearly. If you have dyslexia or find certain fonts easier to read, OpenDyslexic is available on most newer Kindles.
Further down are line spacing and margins. Line spacing controls the gap between lines of text; margins control the white space on the left and right edges. Both have sliders. Adjust them the same way you adjusted font size — tap left to decrease, right to increase. When you're done, press outside the menu or press the button again to close it and return to reading.
Changing fonts on Kindle apps for phones and tablets
Open the Kindle app and start reading a book. At the top of the screen, you'll see three dots stacked vertically (the menu icon). Tap it.
A menu will drop down. Look for an icon that looks like a capital A with lines next to it — that's the text formatting option. Tap it.
The text menu will open. You'll see the same options as on an e-reader: font size (with a slider), typeface choices, line spacing, and margins. Make your changes the same way — tap the size you want, choose a font, adjust spacing and margins with the sliders. On a phone, you may need to scroll within this menu to see all options.
When you're finished, tap outside the menu or tap the back arrow to close it. Your changes take effect when ready.
Which fonts are available and when to use each one
Kindle's default font is Bookerly, a serif typeface designed specifically for e-readers. It's readable at small sizes and familiar to most readers. If you like how it looks, there's no reason to change it.
Caecilia is another serif font — slightly different proportions, useful if Bookerly feels too tight or too loose for your eyes. OpenDyslexic is a sans-serif font with exaggerated letter shapes designed to reduce letter confusion for people with dyslexia; it's available on Kindle Paperwhite (2018 and later) and Kindle Oasis. The sans-serif options (usually labeled as such) are cleaner and more modern-looking, with no decorative strokes on letters.
There's no "best" font — it depends on your vision, your reading habits, and what feels comfortable to you. You can switch fonts between books or even mid-book if you want to experiment.
Font settings explore to one book at a time
When you change the font size or typeface in a book, those changes explore only to that book. If you open a different book, it will use whatever settings were last applied to it — which might be the Kindle defaults, or your own earlier choices.
This means if you want all your books to look the same way, you'll need to adjust each one. It's a small inconvenience, but it also means you can read different books in different fonts if that helps you — a larger font for late-night reading, a smaller one for commutes where you want more text on screen.
If you want to reset a book to Kindle's default appearance, open the text menu again and select the default font and size. There's no "reset all" button, but returning to Bookerly at size 4 or 5 gets you back to the standard look.
What font changes do and don't affect
Changing fonts, size, spacing, and margins affects only how the text looks on your screen. Your reading progress, bookmarks, highlights, and notes are completely separate — they stay with the book no matter what font you're using. If you highlight a passage in large text and then switch to a smaller font, the highlight stays in place.
Font changes also don't affect how the book syncs across devices. If you read a book on your Kindle Paperwhite in Bookerly, then open the same book on your phone in OpenDyslexic, both devices remember your place in the book and your highlights. The font display is local to each device.
Troubleshooting font problems
If the Aa button doesn't appear on your e-reader, you're probably in a menu or on the home screen rather than actively reading. Open a book first, then try again.
If you change the font and it doesn't look right — the text is cut off, or letters overlap — you may have adjusted margins too far inward. Open the text menu again and move the margin slider back toward the center.
On Kindle apps, if the text menu doesn't appear after tapping the three dots, make sure you're actually inside a book and not on the library screen. Some older versions of the Kindle app have the text icon in a slightly different location; if you don't see it in the first menu, look for a second menu or settings option.
If a specific font looks blurry or hard to read on your device, try a different one. Font rendering can vary slightly between devices, and what looks sharp on a Paperwhite might look different on an older Kindle Basic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use custom fonts on Kindle?
No. Kindle only offers the fonts Amazon has built into the device or app. You cannot upload or install your own typefaces. The available fonts are fixed, though Amazon occasionally adds new options in software updates.
Will changing font size make me read faster or slower?
Larger text usually slows reading slightly because fewer words fit on screen, but it reduces eye strain for many people. Smaller text lets you see more at once but can cause fatigue. The "best" size is whatever lets you read comfortably for long periods without adjusting the device.
Do font changes sync between my Kindle and the Kindle app on my phone?
No. Each device remembers its own font settings for each book separately. If you read a book on your Paperwhite in large text, it will open in the default size on your phone. You'll need to adjust the phone version separately.
What's the difference between line spacing and margins?
Line spacing is the vertical gap between lines of text — increase it to spread lines farther apart. Margins are the white space on the left and right edges of the text block — increase them to make the text narrower and add more white space around it. Both reduce how much text fits on screen, but they affect readability differently.
Can I change font color or background color on Kindle?
On e-readers, no — the screen is black text on white (or white text on black in dark mode, if your model supports it), and you cannot change that. On Kindle apps for phones and tablets, you can usually switch between light and dark modes, which changes the background and text color. Look for a brightness or theme icon in the text menu.