how do you change the size of the font in the menu bar running Maverick?

It's not like the code to change menu fonts should be that daunting a task to add nor actually cost anything to implement ... it's apparently a matter of style being valued over utility.

It's actually a heck of a lot of work. Microsoft decided to create Windows 95 and later as a resolution independent desktop.

For whatever reason, Apple has never given users the option to choose any font they want for the GUI.

Unlike Windows, the Mac OS is not an active desktop. Or as some techs call it, resolution independent. When you change a system font, everything needs to make room for your changes. Meaning every single application dialogue item needs to expand, shrink, or move as necessary so the font, and font size you chose doesn't cause text to overrun the space it's supposed to fit in. The Mac OS doesn't do this, so the fonts are chosen by Apple and coded to fit a fixed space.

If you were allowed to change the system font appearance, but nothing was coded to make room for it, you would get results like this:

Normal:

Same app with a change to the system font used for the menus to Times Regular at a larger size, but in a non resolution independent app:

I didn't change everything, just enough to show the idea. But this is what would happen everywhere on the system if you could choose any font and font size you wanted, but nothing could adjust for space.

As for the Accessibility Pane, that was the second place I looked ... nothing there to simply increase the system menu font size.

Nope, there's never been anything there for that function. As stated in this topic, the only way to adjust Apple's menu is to adjust the entire screen resolution.

"

Wish I could rally a class-action suit over this, I think it would definitely have merit.

It most definitely would not. You would have to prove some sort of liability, safety concern, or financial loss directly related to the issue. None of those apply to, "I don't like the size of the font.""

Apparently Apple doesn't recognize the needs of those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act??

Apparently Apple doesn't recognize the needs of those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act??

I'm sure they have it covered. Besides reducing the resolution to make everything bigger (which a person with poor eyesight would want to do anyway), have you looked in the System Preferences? The Accessibility pane exists specifically for this reason.

Being "covered" legally vs. "covering it" as a good, corporate citizen, are a bit different approaches. It's not like the code to change menu fonts should be that daunting a task to add nor actually cost anything to implement ... it's apparently a matter of style being valued over utility.

As for the Accessibility Pane, that was the second place I looked ... nothing there to simply increase the system menu font size. Using the ADA analogy, it's like having a powered chair lift for the few people who really need it, but having no simple ramp available for the many more who would benefit from a ramp.

This article was published a couple days ago at the OSX Daily site: How to Change the MacOS High Sierra System Font to Lucida Grande.

It would be considered definitely a system hack so use at your own risk. Be sure to have a complete backup of your boot drive in case you hose your system.

Hi Old Toad,

These hacks have been around since El Capitan was introduced, and users griped about the switch to the nearly identical San Francisco fonts.

These hacks all do the same thing. A copy of Lucida Grande has its internal names changed to match those of San Francisco. You then place those fonts in the /Library/Fonts/ folder. What you're doing is intentionally creating a font conflict. While it makes no sense, the order of importance given to the three main Fonts folders on the drive is:

~/Library/Fonts/

/Library/Fonts/

/System/Library/Fonts/

Note that the root Library folder has more importance than the System folder, which you would think would come first. You can put the modified fonts in your user account and achieve the same result.

Nothing horrible is happening other than you now have multiple font conflicts going on the entire time your computer is running. Something I would not suggest anyone do. That, and there are way more San Francisco fonts than there are Lucida Grande typefaces you can modify. So you end up with two fonts from Lucida Grande bumping Regular and Bold, and the rest of the System is still using San Francisco everywhere else.

You can do this hack with any font, as long as you have the software necessary to change the internal names. But again, I don't think it's a good idea, and would not suggest anyone do it.

I agree with you. But the OP seemed to feel strongly about changing the font so I pointed him to a possible solution and warned him about the pitfalls of doing so. I personally wouldn't try it for any reason.

I'm wondering if that "install app" will even work with the current System Integrity Protection feature.

But the OP seemed to feel strongly about changing the font so I pointed him to a possible solution and warned him about the pitfalls of doing so.

Ah, gotcha'! Yup, it's an option, so worth suggesting as long as they know the downside.

I'm not sure if the installer will work with SIP enabled, either. But all it does is copy the modified fonts to the /Library/Fonts/ folder. You can place them there manually and achieve the same result.

The only way to increase the size is to try a different display resolution.

Open System Preferences > Displays > Display > Scaled

And try increasing the contrast in System Preferences > Accessibility > Display

Those fonts can't be changed.

This might help, but it's only for web browsing.

Web browsing for hard of seeing users

Also in Accessibility in System Preferences with a scroll wheel mouse, it's possible to set a hot key, like control + mouse wheel will zoom in/out where the pointer is at.

I find this incredibly fast method to zoom in on anything.

I appreciate your effort to help but asking the customer to degrade the screen resolution in order to fix a font size that is too small is really no solution. Customers pay good money to get large scree iMacs or other similar products with Hi-Res screens and certainly do not want to compromise the resolution just because the font is too small. It is hard to believe that there is no third party application that can do this.

I agree wholeheartedly. I shelled out big bucks for my 17" MacBookPro precisely because of my vision difficulties so I'd have a nice big screen. Now I have to give up resolution on my entire display just so I don't have to try to read horrendously small fonts? That's not right. I'd call it a definite case of discrimination. Wish I could rally a class-action suit over this, I think it would definitely have merit.

I agree as well. Apple need to fix this. I'm starting to get annoyed with the lack of freedom in Apple's products...

Yes. One of the asinine ways in which subsequent software versions remove the fine control users need. Os 9 used to have this setting, and I loved it. Removes eye strain while retaining the high resolution. After that, I did change resolution, but it's not satisfying. Now, on Mavericks, I can't even do that. The menu bar submenu for displays has disappeared, and when I change resolution through the displays menu, it doesn't seem to want to stick. I am doing various workarounds on each program, which is ridiculous. And stll can't change the top menu typefast. Why dumb things down, Apple designers?