Permanently Zoom Specific Websites with Safari on macOS

A useful new feature in the latest version of Safari for macOS High Sierra is the ability to set permanent zoom for any website. If a site has fonts that are too small, or too large, you can change them, and ensure that every time you visit the site, the change will be remembered. Safari does this automatically, but you can control the zoom from the app’s preferences.

Start by going to a website where you would like to change the font size. Open Safari’s preferences (choose Safari > Preferences), then click Websites. You’ll see a number of website options, including Page Zoom. Click that entry in the sidebar to see the websites that are open, and those that you have configured (if you’ve already changed the zoom).

Safari zoom

Is you can see in the right-hand pane, the top section shows those sites that are currently open in Safari, and the bottom section shows Configured Websites, those where I have changed the zoom. All you need to do to add a side to the latter section is zoom one of its pages. To do this, press Command-Plus (+) or Command-Minus (-). The first time you zoom, the page will go to 115%, then to 125%, and so on.

Once you have zoomed a page, Safari will remember that zoom, adding that domain to the Configured Websites section. The next time you visit the site, it will display with the zoom you set.

You can also manually change the zoom settings for any site, either in the Currently Open Websites section or the Configured Websites section. You may want to change some sites so they display smaller or larger fonts, and rather than zoom from the keyboard, you can choose a zoom from one of the Currently Open Websites’ popup menus.

12 thoughts on “Permanently Zoom Specific Websites with Safari on macOS

  1. You know that you can scale only the text-size of a website? That is not a full zoom which scales everything on the page (the default behaviour you describe). Hold down the option in addition to the shortcuts mentioned (or open the “View” menu and toggle the option key, you will see the relevant menu items toggle between “Zoom In” and “Make Text Bigger”). Both actions are remembered.

  2. You know that you can scale only the text-size of a website? That is not a full zoom which scales everything on the page (the default behaviour you describe). Hold down the option in addition to the shortcuts mentioned (or open the “View” menu and toggle the option key, you will see the relevant menu items toggle between “Zoom In” and “Make Text Bigger”). Both actions are remembered.

  3. I think that in Sierra, Safari also remembers the zoom level for individual sites. However, there is no way to see which sites have custom settings (or change them without visiting). But it seems that if I’ve zoomed a site, the next time I return to it, it is still zoomed (even if starting from a new window, or a window with another un-zoomed site).

    • Just go to the preferences and you’ll see any sites where you’ve changed the zoom in the bottom section of the pane as above. You can then change them there, even if they’re not loaded, or remove them entirely from the preferences.

      • Yes, I was trying to say what Philippe said, which is that I’m still on Mac OS 10.12/Safari 10.1.1, and it remembers website zoom levels. But there’s no way to manage this in the preferences.

    • The “remember zoom level” is not new in Safari, Safari 10 already did that. What is new Safari 11 (for macos 10.11, 10.12, 10.13) is the UI (in the preferences panel) to manage that.

  4. I think that in Sierra, Safari also remembers the zoom level for individual sites. However, there is no way to see which sites have custom settings (or change them without visiting). But it seems that if I’ve zoomed a site, the next time I return to it, it is still zoomed (even if starting from a new window, or a window with another un-zoomed site).

    • Just go to the preferences and you’ll see any sites where you’ve changed the zoom in the bottom section of the pane as above. You can then change them there, even if they’re not loaded, or remove them entirely from the preferences.

      • Yes, I was trying to say what Philippe said, which is that I’m still on Mac OS 10.12/Safari 10.1.1, and it remembers website zoom levels. But there’s no way to manage this in the preferences.

    • The “remember zoom level” is not new in Safari, Safari 10 already did that. What is new Safari 11 (for macos 10.11, 10.12, 10.13) is the UI (in the preferences panel) to manage that.

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