Kindle Paperwhite Zoom is Easy – (Here’s How)

4
 Minute Read
Updated: 
April 27, 2022
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There are two ways to zoom in on Kindle Paperwhite or Oasis devices:

  • Finger gesture using the touch screen display
  • Adjust the Font Size in the menu options

1. Finger Gesture on Touch Screen

The quickest way is to use finger gesture on the touch screen.

Zoom In on Kindle

  1. Take your thumb and index finger and make the OK sign as if you have pinched your finger and thumb together.
  2. Place them on the display and gradually separate them apart.
  3. The font size on the display should get larger.
  4. Continue to do this until you are happy with the text size.
  5. Lift your fingers from the display.
Gradually separate your thumb and index finger as the refresh rate on an ereader display is slower than on mobile so it takes longer for the text size to respond.

While doing this you may notice a Font Size window pop-up towards the top of the screen. This will provide you feedback and guide you as to how quickly the font size is changing and by how much from the original size.

Zoom Out on Kindle

Zooming out using finger gesture is just the reverse.

Take the starting position of your thumb and index finger furthest apart and then bring them together touching. This will gradually make the text on the screen smaller.

As previously the Font Size menu will pop-up at the top of the display to act as a guide.

Once you are satisfied with the font size, simply remove your fingers from the touch screen to keep the current text size.

2. Adjust Font Size via Menu Option

If you find zoom via the touch screen difficult to use, you can always adjust the text font size which has the same result.

How to Adjust the screen Font Size

 1. Tap at the top of the page to open the book drop-down menu.

2. Tap on the ‘Aa” icon.

3. Select the Font tab.

4. Adjust the font using the Size slider.

Tap on the + or – to increase/decrease the size of the words on the screen to a size you are comfortable with.

You may have also noticed that you can change the bold (thickness) of the text, this is particularly useful for users that struggle to read fine print. Increasing the bold and font size should make the text clearer for the user.

Interestingly, there is an option to change the font type from the default (Bookerly) to any on the Font Family list which currently stands at nine different types. So, if you fancy a change to “spice things up” why not give it a go.

Still Struggling to read?

You may want to try Dark Mode which inverts the monochrome on the display. The background turns black and the text flips to white. Personally, I find this much softer to read at night as there is less light for my eyes to focus on.

If you’re interested, I wrote a piece on how to change to Dark Mode which gives you a quick setup guide that should take less than a minute.

Does Zoom work on the Kindle Oasis and Basic?

The touch zoom feature works on all Kindle ereader and tablet devices. You can zoom in and out using the pinch and pull finger gesture or adjust the font size as we discussed above.

Zoom in on pictures on Kindle Paperwhite

For some reason trying to zoom into a picture is not as easy.

However, it is straight forward once you know what you are doing.

1. On a page with an image tap and hold on the image until two white boarders appear on either side of the image.

2. You should now see a Magnifier Icon with a + sign in the center.

3. Tap on the magnifier icon.

4. The magnifier should disappear and in the top right you should see a Cross Icon.

5. Using your fingers on the touch screen you should be able to zoom in and out of the image.

6. When finished, tap on the Cross Icon to revert to page turning.

How to stop Zooming on Kindle

To avoid zooming, simply lift your fingers away from the touch screen. Bear in mind that if you tap on the display you will continue to progress through the book.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to disable the touchscreen altogether on the Kindle Paperwhite, otherwise you would lose the interaction with the menus. However, this is achievable on the Kindle Oasis as it has forward/back buttons, for more details check out our quick guide to disabling touch screen on the Kindle Oasis.

How to Zoom on Comics on Kindle Paperwhite

Comic ebooks are treated in a similar way as PDF’s, in that, the whole page is rendered, making it as easy to zoom in as you would do with regular text on an ebook.

To zoom into a comic book just follow the same instructions as you did with zooming into text on an ebook.

Using Zoom on a PDF

When interacting with a PDF, the Kindle device will render the whole page as one, making it easier to navigate via the touch screen.

In effect you can zoom into text and images just as you would do with an ebook.

Unlike an image when you zoom into a PDF the text remains sharp and not pixelated, so zooming in will not affect your ability to read the text clearly. However, images within PDF’s will lose their resolution the further you zoom into a picture.

Can you Zoom on a Kindle Paperwhite?

You can zoom into any ebook or document on the Kindle Paperwhite, or any Kindle ereaders to be exact. Use the touch screen just as you would to turn a page, only this time pinch you fingers together to zoom into the text on the page.

Due to the low power, low processing capabilities of Kindle, there tends to be a slight latency between your finger gesture and the display updating.    

How do I adjust the zoom on Kindle?

This can be achieved using finger gestures using the touch screen. Pinch or pulling the finger apart will zoom in and out of the page depending on how much you apply. This can be repeated several times to zoom further into an image.

Can you Zoom in on Ereaders?

Most ereaders come with a touch screen, which allows you to zoom in and out using finger gestures. In most cases, pinching your fingers together or double tap the screen will allow you to zoom in on the text. Repeating this process will allow you zoom in further. Reversing the gesture i.e. pushing your fingers apart will zoom out.

Summary

With a bit of practice using zoom on Kindle ereaders is straight forward.

Kindle ereaders do have some latency, so it’s important to be patient when attempting this as there will be a delay between the movement of your fingers and changes on the display. If you find this tricky, it may be best to change the font size using the menu.

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Dave is our resident tech expert with a 25-year track record as a hardware design consultant and specializes in E-ink and battery management design. He holds a bachelor’s degree BEng in Electronic Engineering and is a member of the IET,
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