How to change the editor font size in VS Code on Mac: steps for 2026

What the editor font size setting changes

The setting is called editor.fontSize. It controls the text in the code editor, the main area where your files open. It does not change the sidebar, the menus, or the terminal. The terminal has its own setting, called terminal.integrated.fontSize.

The official Tips and Tricks page uses 18 as an example value for the editor. It uses 14 for the terminal in the same example. Those numbers are examples, not recommendations. The official Default Settings page does not list the default, so run Preferences: Open Default Settings (JSON) to see what your build uses.

That survey number is a useful reminder. Many people read code in this editor for hours each day. Text that is too small tires your eyes. Text that is too large fits fewer lines on screen. A size that suits you makes long sessions easier.

Method 1: Change the size in Settings

This is the route most people should use. The Settings editor applies each change as you make it. You can watch the code and stop when the text looks right. You do not need to save a file for the change to take effect.

On macOS, Settings sits under the Code menu. The official docs describe File > Preferences > Settings, so check which path your menu bar shows. Either way, the setting ID editor.fontSize stays the same, and that ID is the one to search for.

Method 2: Edit settings.json

Some people prefer a text file. A text file is also easy to copy to another Mac. Open the user settings file with the Command Palette. Press ⇧⌘P, then run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON). The file opens as a normal editor tab.

1. Press ⇧⌘P to open the Command Palette.
2. Type Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) and press Return.
3. Find editor.fontSize in the file. If it is not there, add it inside the curly braces.
4. Type the setting as "editor.fontSize": 18, with a comma after it when another setting follows.
5. Save with ⌘S, then look at a code file to check the new size.

JSON is strict. A missing comma, a missing quote, or an extra comma breaks the line. VS Code marks lines it cannot read, so check for underlines before you close the file. Keys are case-sensitive, so editor.fontsize with a lowercase s may be ignored.

Where the settings.json file lives on your Mac

The user settings file sits at $HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json. On your Mac, that is ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json. The Library folder is hidden in Finder by default. To reach it, press ⇧⌘G in Finder, paste the path, and press Return.

This user file applies to every VS Code window on your Mac. A workspace file is different. It lives in the project folder, and it can override the user file for the same setting. The override section below explains why that matters.

Use zoom to change the editor only

VS Code has two kinds of zoom. Window zoom scales everything on screen. Editor zoom scales only the code text. Mixing them up is the most common reason people think the font size setting is broken.

⌘= zooms the window in and ⌘- zooms it out. According to daily.dev, these keys also scale the sidebar, menus, and activity bar. The official Tips and Tricks page stores window zoom as window.zoomLevel, with 5 as an example value. Reset Zoom sits under View > Appearance > Reset Zoom, per the same guide.

For editor-only zoom, open Settings and search editor.mouseWheelZoom. Turn it on. Then hold ⌘ and scroll over the code. Only the editor text changes. The Command Palette also has Editor Font Zoom commands, including Editor Font Zoom Reset. Resetting the editor font does not reset the window zoom.

Why the font size does not change

Settings have scopes. VS Code applies them in a fixed order: default, user, workspace, then workspace folder for multi-root projects. Later scopes override earlier ones. A workspace value beats a user value for the same setting, so your change can look ignored.

Language overrides add one more layer. A block such as [python] can set its own editor size for Python files only. If your Python files look wrong, open the workspace settings and search for @lang:python. daily.dev suggests the same check.

Search @modified in the Settings search box to list only the settings you changed. If editor.fontSize shows up with a value you did not expect, you have found the override. Change or remove that value, and the editor follows the new number.

Common mistakes that waste time

• Changing terminal.integrated.fontSize and expecting the editor to follow. They are separate settings.
• Pressing ⌘= and thinking only the editor changed. Those keys scale the whole window.
• Expecting Reset Zoom to reset the editor font. It does not, according to daily.dev.
• Editing a workspace settings file when you meant the user file. The two are separate files.
• Typing a key name with the wrong case or spelling. Search finds the right entry, but a typed key in JSON must match exactly.
• Leaving out a comma in settings.json. VS Code cannot use the value until the syntax is fixed.

Pick a size you can read for hours

There is no single right number. Change the value in steps of one or two, then work in the editor for a few minutes. Small changes make it easier to notice when the text becomes comfortable. Go back and forth until one size feels right.

Think about where you sit. A laptop on a desk needs a different size than a monitor across the room. Some people keep the editor large and the terminal smaller. That is why the terminal has its own setting, and you should treat the two as separate choices.

Keep the terminal font separate

The integrated terminal reads terminal.integrated.fontSize. The official example uses 14. Search terminal font size in Settings to find it, or edit the same key in settings.json. If you want the terminal to match the editor, set both values to the same number.

For the full terminal steps, read How to toggle the integrated terminal in VS Code on Mac. The same Settings search works for the terminal size.

Web version and other setups

The browser version of VS Code runs at vscode.dev. It has no terminal and no debugger. Only a subset of extensions runs there. Some shortcuts also behave differently, because the browser claims them first. The official page lists ⌘W, which closes the browser tab, and ⇧⌘P in Firefox as examples.

I did not confirm the Settings steps in the browser version. If you use vscode.dev, check the Settings menu there before you rely on the steps in this guide. The desktop app is the version these steps describe.

Check the version you are running

The steps follow the official VS Code docs. The latest stable release on the official updates page is 1.145, released November 4, 2026. The 1.145 notes do not mention font, zoom, or Settings changes. The steps should hold for that release.

I did not run a live build to confirm every menu label. If your labels do not match, search the Settings tab for editor.fontSize. That ID is the reliable match when a label changes between builds.

Next steps after you change the size

Once the size feels right, you may want to change the theme or turn on word wrap. The color theme guide walks through the theme picker. The word wrap guide covers the setting that stops long lines running off the screen.