Last verified: 14 August 2026

How to zoom in and out on iPhone

There are two different things people mean by this, zooming within an app, and a system-wide magnifier. Here's both.

To zoom within an app like Photos, Safari, or Maps, pinch outward with two fingers to zoom in, and pinch inward to zoom out. To magnify the entire screen anywhere on the iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and turn it on, then double-tap the screen with three fingers anytime to zoom in and out.

How do I zoom in within an app, like Photos or Safari?

Place two fingers on the screen and pinch them apart to zoom in, or pinch them together to zoom out. This works in most apps that display photos, webpages, maps, or documents, including Photos, Safari, and Maps. It's a gesture built into the individual app, not a phone-wide setting, so it only works where the app supports it.

How do I turn on the Zoom accessibility feature to magnify the whole screen?

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Zoom, and turn it on.
  4. Double-tap the screen with three fingers to zoom in, and double-tap again to zoom out.
  5. While zoomed in, drag three fingers to move around the screen. Triple-tap with three fingers to open the Zoom controls, where you can switch between Full Screen Zoom and Window Zoom (a movable lens), and adjust filters or zoom level.

Unlike pinch-to-zoom, this works everywhere on the iPhone, including the Home Screen, system menus, and apps that don't otherwise support zooming.

People also ask

Which zoom method should I use?

If you just want to enlarge a specific photo or webpage while browsing, pinch-to-zoom is simpler and needs no setup. If you have difficulty reading small text or icons anywhere on your iPhone, the Zoom accessibility feature is the better fit, since it works system-wide.

How do I turn off Zoom if I no longer want it?

Go back to Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and turn the toggle off, or use the same double-tap-with-three-fingers gesture to toggle magnification off temporarily without disabling the feature entirely.

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