Q: Inbox messages are very tiny. Can I zoom the type?

Are you highlighting the text before trying to change the Font Size?

Thanks for the reply BD Aqua.  I started a new thread (since this one was old and I see it was on Leopard) here:

increase mail viewing font size???

I got someone to help me change the Terminal command back to what it was originally (nothing).

But what I am saying (and I think others were saying in this original thread) is not that we can't highlight a piece of text and make the font bigger, but that when you have your preference fonts set to something like Arial 11, which is standard type on a document and decently readable, the DISPLAY of your message that you are writing (and reading) is not Arial 11, but it is as if you have it set on 9.

I made 2 screen shots.  One of what a Mail message looks like typing in Arial 11 and one of a Pages doc typed in Arial 11, 9 and 14 so you can see what I am saying hopefully!  I notice as I insert these the website is resizing them and making them somewhat smaller, so if you download the attachments you will see them in their true sizes (they are screen shot .pngs)

Hope this is making sense!  LOL!  Thanks for trying to help.  This has annoyed me for the past few years!

Have you gone to Mail>Preferences>Fonts & Colors & set the font & size there?

The original fix:  defaults write com.apple.mail MinimumHTMLFontSize 14

isn't working for me. Any thoughts?

And Mail>Preferences>Fonts & Colors & set the font & size doesn't work either???

What version of OSX?

Oh, did you quit Mail before using defaults write com.apple.mail MinimumHTMLFontSize 14 ?

I have the same issues as others here -- and I've just switched from a pc, so unfortunately it seems ridiculous to me that there is not simply a zoom key in mail -- or that swiping the touchpad will not zoom.

I've tried all the suggestions (thank you) and they do not work.  All I want is to read the emails (whether I create or receive them) in a larger font-- but do not want to change what is going out.  I also do not want to change coding (at least not while I"m still a new user).

I thought Apple was supposed to make things simpler... ? 

I greatly appreciate the help of all of you to try to work around this!

To zoom try CMD & the plus key... as many times as needed.

And Mail>Preferences>Fonts & Colors & set the font & size doesn't work either???

That changes the font size of the selected message but not the font size of the list of messages in the selected mail folder.

What version of OSX?

Yosemite, Version 10.10.5

Oh, did you quit Mail before using defaults write com.apple.mail MinimumHTMLFontSize 14 ?

Yes

Thanks!

Hmmm, I can only replicate that here if it's an HTML eMail that calls out a font size.

To test that out copy the contents of the eMail then open Text Edit, type a space the use Edit>Paste & Match style, select all again, CMD+t to show & change Font size.

PS. Can't really afford to boot into 10.10.5 right now, but believe it should be the same.

Thank you BDAqua!  That seems to work tonight although I tried it last night and it didn't-- my system was rebooted today with a technician (for something else) and maybe that changed something.... anyway, thanks for letting me know the shortcut.

Great to hear, thanks for the report & good luck.

Thanks Neville!  This worked perfectly.  Now, I (like others have posted) can finally read emails in my inbox whose font is too small.