Hello! I am using a 4K display with my MacBook Pro, and I am wondering if there is any way to set the resolution for the external monitor to 4K (3840 x 2160), but then magnify the display so all the buttons, toolbars, apps, and text aren't tiny. I'm able to do this on Windows in Bootcamp and it's super helpful!
MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.15
You should not need the accessibility functions to accomplish what you are asking about.
Menu > about this Mac > (System Report) > Graphics&Displays
will show you two important settings under your display.
under the word Display, you see the ACTUAL resolution your display is currently set to. This should be the same as "default for display" and produce the clearest, most detailed graphics possible.
The next line is: User Interface (UI) Looks like. This tells you about Scaled settings which apply ONLY to User-Interface items such as text.
If you are not seeing choices under System preferences > Displays , try holding the Option key while you click on the list of resolutions. N.B.> these are the "scaled" resolutions for the User Interface ONLY. Your display should always be set to the highest and best for display, despite what you choose under scaled.
Greetings ayryder,
Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities! I understand you'd like to magnify the display of your external monitor.
You can change the Zoom settings within Accessibility to only apply to your external monitor. Check out the information within the following article:
Change Zoom preferences for accessibility on Mac - Apple Support
"Zoom Style
Zoom the entire screen (Full screen), a custom area of the screen (Split screen), or just the area where the pointer is located (Picture-in-picture).
When you use full-screen zoom, you can zoom the screen of an available second display (sometimes called Zoom Display). Click Choose Display, then choose a display."
Cheers.
4K Second Display
