Zooming in and out is such a basic feature in any tool that we usually forget its importance unless it’s not available and you have to find alternatives.

Imagine a situation where you need to enlarge the sheet during a presentation and your manager is sitting very far from the projector.

Once the presentation ends, you expect to remove the zoom so the sheet appears normal again. These are common day-to-day scenarios.

Believe it or not, up until recently there was no such option in Google Sheets to zoom in or zoom out. Fortunately, Google heard of all the complaints and implemented this feature.

This post will show you all the different ways you can zoom in and out on your Google Sheets. I know you all are ready and excited about this! 😊

Zoom In and Out with the Toolbar

You might want to ensure that the entire audience in the conference room can see your work, the numbers you present, or important visuals in the document. Being able to zoom in and zoom out provides you this power.

The best way of doing so, you will ask?

Through the Toolbar!

The zoom feature inside the Toolbar is one of the best things that was added to Google Sheets.

To zoom in and out through the Google Sheets Zoom option present inside the Toolbar, follow these steps.

Inside the Toolbar, the fifth option is for the Zoom tool. This will allow you to zoom in and out of Google Sheets quickly.

Click on the dropdown arrow from the Zoom toolbar to see the various options.

• If you want to zoom in, select a percentage value greater than 100%.
• If you want to zoom out, select a percentage value less than 100%.

Tip: You can set the zoom level of your own choice using this tool. Just click on zoom percentage, and type out a number of your choice to zoom in or zoom out of the sheet to that exact level.

Note 1: The magnification level is possible only between 50% to 200%. This means you can reduce the sheet by up to half, or increase it by up to double the original size.

Note 2: 100% is the standard default zoom level inside Google Sheets.

Zoom In and Out with the View Menu

Another method of accessing these zoom options is through the View menu.

1. Go to the View menu.
2. Select Zoom from the options.
3. Select the from the available zoom level options to magnify the sheet between 50% to 200%.

The default sheet zoom is set for 100%, which can be seen as checked inside the Zoom submenu. Feel free to choose any of the available options to zoom in or out of the sheet.

Tip: There is no such keyboard shortcut to access the Zoom tool. However, if you are accessing it through the View menu, feel free to use Alt + V + Z as a shortcut to open the submenu.

Note: Unlike the Zoom option from the Toolbar, you don’t have an option to select a specific magnifier of your own choice. You can only choose between the specified seven possibilities.

Zoom In and Out with the Browser Settings

When there was no option to zoom in or out inside of Google Sheets, imagine how people would have been getting it done?

The answer is pretty simple. People were using the browser zoom settings to magnify the sheets.

Even though we have built-in zoom options, having this option could still help you out.

Zoom In and Out with Google Chrome

You all will agree with the statement that Google Chrome is the most frequently used browser. Since Google apps run smoothly inside this browser, it is the first choice for many users.

To zoom in and out inside the Chrome browser, follow the steps below.

Open up the worksheet inside a new Chrome tab.

Navigate towards the extreme upper-right corner of the tab to click on the Customize and Control Google Chrome option. It is an option with three vertical dots.

Once you click on the Customize and Control Google Chrome icon, there is the Zoom tool as the seventh customization option.

The default zoom is set for 100%. If you want to increase it, click on the + icon on the right side. There is the – icon on the left-hand side that you can use if you want to decrease the zoom level.

Tip: There is also a Full-Screen option on the right that allows you to see the entire Chrome interface in a full screen by removing the tabs and search bar from the interface. This option can also be a useful one. To come out of the Full-Screen mode, you can use the keyboard shortcut key F11.

Zoom In and Out with Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is another popular browser that people often use. If you are using this browser to work on your Google Sheets, there are also ways to zoom in or out of the browser.

You will see the Open Application Menu with three vertical lines as an icon in the upper-right corner. Click on it.

The standard zoom size is set to 100%. To increase the zoom, you should click on the + icon at the right. To decrease the zoom, you should click on the – icon at the left.

Tip: here is also an option right to the + icon that allows you to Full Screen the browser. and the keyboard shortcut F11 will allow you to come out of Full-Screen mode in Mozilla Firefox.

Note 1: The zoom-in and out sizes inside Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox differ from the Google Sheet. Inside the browser, you can zoom the screen as much as up to 500% for five times the original size. You can zoom out the screen by 25% for as low as 1/4^th of the original size.

Note 2: A drawback here, is you can’t set a custom zoom size of your own. You have to rely on the pre-defined zoom sizes that change when you press the + or – button.

Keyboard Shortcuts to Zoom In and Out with a Browsers

To reduce your work, you are always in search of shortcuts.

There are also keyboard shortcuts to zoom in and out through browsers.

To zoom in, hold the Ctrl key and then hit the + button.

You can keep hitting the plus button until you are satisfied with the zoom size to a maximum of 500%.

To zoom out, hold the Ctrl key and then hit the - button.

You can keep hitting the - button until you are satisfied with the screen zoom size to the minimum of 25%.

To instantly revert back to 100%, hold the Ctrl key and press 0. This method will automatically set your page zoom to the default of 100%.

Note: These three shortcuts will work with almost every Windows browser. If you are working on a Mac, then replace the Ctrl with the ⌘ Command key.

Zoom In and Out On Mobile Devices

The world is now digitally transformed, and undoubtedly mobiles are ruling it with a fair margin compared to laptops and desktops.

Mobile phones provide you the flexibility to work with your Google Sheets, Reports, Charts, Formulas, etc., through compact palm-sized devices.

Google allows you to access sheets through mobile devices, and you might require methods of zooming those in or out there as well.

Follow the methods below to zoom in and out worksheets through any mobile device.

Use your two fingers to pinch the screen apart. To do so, make sure you take two of your fingers apart from each other. This method will magnify or zoom in on the sheet.

To Zoom out, use the same method. Pinch the screen with two fingers. Bring two fingers closer to each other in order to zoom out.

Note: The main drawback here is you don’t see by what amount the screen is zoomed in or zoomed out.

Zoom In and Out with Mouse Wheel

If you are a user who prefers to work with the mouse rather than using the laptop mouse pad, this trick is for you.

Most mice that you use include a wheel between the left and right-click.

This wheel generally allows you to scroll up and down. If you scroll the wheel in an upwards direction, it will scroll the sheet up. If you scroll it to your side or down, it will scroll the page down.

However, you can use this mouse wheel to zoom in or out of the browser screen.

Keep the mouse cursor outside the Google Sheets area. You can either keep it on the upper side of it or the lower side of it.

1. Hold the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel upward to zoom in using the mouse wheel.
2. To zoom out of the browser, hold the Ctrl key and move the wheel downwards.

Tip: If you prefer to use the mouse pad on your laptop, this method still works. You need to pinch using your fingers and spread them apart to zoom in. Conversly, bring the two fingers towards each other to zoom in.

Conclusion

There are five methods you can use to zoom in and out on Google Sheets.

Two methods are operable within the Sheets environment, while the others are browser-specific.

You also have keyboard shortcuts or can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out through the browser screen.

Mobile devices also get their own unique method to zoom in and out by using familiar gestures.

I hope you find these methods of zooming in and out helpful while working with Google Sheets. Let me know in the comments below!