How to zoom in/out using mouse scroll wheel in a Numbers Spreadsheet?

There’s a lot of conflicting information on the internet about how to use a hotkey combination with an external mouse to zoom in/out of an application window. What I do NOT want to do is zoom in/out of the screen, as what is accomplished if I follow to engage System Settings>Accessibility>Zoom>Use scroll gesture with modifier…


Some sources claim {Command + Scroll} is what’s needed, others say {Control + Scroll}, still others say using 3rd party apps like Logitech Options+ offers this functionality if customizing their branded mouse. None of these combinations worked for me. What's confusing still is that Apple changes hotkey combinations for zoom between apps; for Safari is {Command + +}, for Numbers it’s {Command + >} for example, so I don't know if there are conflicting settings somewhere.


I want to emulate a workflow experience as in Microsoft Excel, where even when using on a Mac, the combination of {Control + Scroll} does allow zooming functionality within a spreadsheet window. How can I accomplish this?

MacBook Pro (M4)

Posted on Aug 6, 2025 09:07 AM

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4 replies

Aug 11, 2025 10:16 AM in response to Stratiegery01

Your issue is complicated by the fact that there are many ways to do this, and the specifics vary depending on the particular mouse/trackpad you're using.


For example, your profile says you're using a MacBook Pro, so the first option is that the trackpad supports pinch-to-zoom, so you can pinch in/out on the trackpad using two fingers to zoom in/out of the document. (assuming you haven't overridden the default settings).


If you're using an Apple Magic Mouse, then you can double-tab (not click) to enable smart zoom which will zoom in and focus on the current table. A second double-tap will zoom out. Again, this depends on you not having changed the default settings.


Other mice may have different options, so you may have to check either System Settings -> Mouse to see what options it supports, or use the third party utility that comes with the mouse if it has a custom app.


For arbitrary zooming using the scroll wheel/touchpad on the Magic Mouse, you can use Command-Option-Shift + scroll. I don't know if this is the same for third party mice with physical scroll wheels.

Aug 14, 2025 12:12 AM in response to Stratiegery01

Command + and Command - change the font size in Numbers. In System Settings->Keyboard->Keyboard Shortcuts you can change those shortcuts to be Zoom In and Zoom Out.


Your question about control + scroll is bigger than just about the Numbers app. It applies to a lot of apps. There may be some third party mouse-related software to do it, or maybe not. You need something that lets you turn the scroll wheel into "pinch to zoom". I am not recommending any particular third-party software but the link below (if it doesn't get removed by the moderator) is an example of what you might find in an Internet search.


https://superuser.com/questions/1422299/simulate-pinch-to-zoom-with-scroll-wheel-in-macos

How to zoom in/out using mouse scroll wheel in a Numbers Spreadsheet?

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