Change font size in three taps on any Kindle device or app
Open any book you're reading on your Kindle device or app. Tap the middle of the screen — on a phone or tablet, this opens the reading toolbar at the top and bottom. On an e-reader, it brings up a menu. Look for the font or text icon, which usually looks like an "A" with up and down arrows next to it. Tap it, then drag the slider left to make text smaller or right to make it larger. The change takes effect when ready on the page you're reading.
The font size you choose stays with that book only. If you open a different title, it will use whatever size you last set for that book — Kindle remembers your preference for each title separately. This means you can read one book in large print and another in smaller text without changing settings each time you switch.
Key Takeaways
- Tap the middle of the screen to open the toolbar, then tap the text size icon (usually an "A" with arrows) to adjust font size.
- Font size settings are saved per book, so each title remembers your preferred size the next time you open it.
- You can also change line spacing, margins, and font style from the same menu where you adjust text size.
- On Kindle e-readers, larger font sizes may cause text to break across more pages, but the total word count stays the same.
Where to find the text size menu on different devices
On Kindle e-readers (Paperwhite, Oasis, basic models), tap the center of the page to bring up the menu bar. You'll see several icons across the top — the text size control is usually the "A" icon. On Kindle apps for phones and tablets, the same tap opens a toolbar at the top of the screen. The text icon appears there alongside brightness, settings, and other controls.
On Kindle for PC or Mac, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Plus (Windows) or Command+Plus (Mac) to increase size, or Ctrl+Minus and Command+Minus to decrease it. You can also go to the menu and select "Text Size" directly. On Kindle for web (reading in your browser), the text size control is in the toolbar that appears when you click the page.
What happens to your book when you change font size
When you increase font size on an e-reader, the text reflows — words move to fit the larger letters, and you see fewer words per page. This means a book that was 300 pages at size 2 might become 450 pages at size 5. The actual content doesn't change; Kindle just displays it differently. Your reading progress percentage updates to reflect the new page count, so don't be alarmed if a book suddenly shows more pages.
On phones and tablets, the same reflow happens, but you're less likely to notice because the screen is smaller to begin with. Font size changes work the same way across all Kindle devices and apps — there's no hidden setting that works differently on one platform.
Adjusting other text settings alongside font size
The same menu where you change font size also controls line spacing, margins, and font style. Tap the text icon and look for additional options below the size slider. Line spacing controls how much white space appears between lines of text — useful if you find large text cramped. Margins let you add more white space on the left and right edges of the page.
Font style options vary by device. E-readers typically offer two or three serif and sans-serif fonts. Apps and computers offer more choices. These settings also save per book, so you can have one title in Georgia font with wide margins and another in the default font with narrow margins. Experiment with combinations — some readers find that larger font plus increased line spacing is easier on the eyes than just size alone.
Resetting font size to default
If you want to return to Kindle's standard font size, open the text menu again and move the slider back to the middle position, marked as size 2 or 3 depending on your device. There's no "reset all" button that changes every book at once — you adjust each title individually. If you find yourself changing the same settings in every book, that's a sign to experiment with what feels comfortable, then stick with it.
Some readers prefer to set a comfortable size once and leave it. Others adjust per book based on the font the publisher chose or how much time they plan to spend reading that day. Neither approach is wrong — Kindle's per-book memory means you can change your mind anytime without losing your place.
Font size on Kindle vs. physical books and other e-readers
Kindle's font sizes are measured differently than physical book print sizes. A Kindle size 3 is roughly equivalent to 10 or 11-point type in a printed book, but this varies by font choice and device screen size. If you're comparing Kindle to another e-reader like Kobo or Apple Books, the numbering systems don't match — you'll need to adjust by feel rather than by number.
One advantage of Kindle is that the same book looks consistent across all your devices. If you set a book to size 4 on your phone, it stays at size 4 when you open it on your e-reader or tablet. Other platforms don't always sync this way, so you may have to re-adjust when you switch devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set a default font size for all my books at once?
No. Kindle saves font size per book, not globally. However, when you start a new book you haven't opened before, it uses the size you last set in any book. So if you finish one book at size 4, the next new book will open at size 4 — you only adjust when you want something different.
Why does my font size reset when I close and reopen the app?
It shouldn't. If your size keeps resetting, force-close the Kindle app completely (not just minimize it) and reopen it. On phones, this usually means swiping it away from the recent apps list. If the problem continues, uninstall and reinstall the app. This is rare, but clearing the app's cache sometimes fixes it.
Does changing font size affect how long it takes to read a book?
No. The book contains the same number of words whether you read it at size 2 or size 6. Larger text may take more pages to display, but you're reading the same content. Some people read faster with larger text because it's less tiring; others find it slower because they see fewer words at a glance.
Can I make the font size even larger than the maximum setting?
On e-readers and most apps, the slider has a maximum size. If that's still too small, check your device's system-wide accessibility settings — many phones and tablets have a magnification feature that enlarges everything on screen, including Kindle text. This works on top of Kindle's own size control.
What if I'm reading a book with images or tables — does font size affect those?
Images and tables stay the same size. Only the text around them changes. If a table is very wide and your font is large, the table might not fit on one screen, and you'll need to scroll horizontally to see all of it. This is a limitation of how e-readers handle mixed content, not a Kindle-specific issue.