Set default font--this is surely a stupid question, but...

MaxMSPbeginner
ark's icon

ark

I have a high-resolution monitor (2560x1600) on my Windows 7 machine, so when I launch Max 7, the fonts, icons, etc., are uncomfortably small. I would like to make them bigger.

So... I pull up the reference, search for "default font," and find this:

Setting the default font new patchers

* Open the preferences window by choosing Preferences from the Max menu (Mac) or Options menu (Windows).

* Click the Font tab.

...

OK... so I choose Preferences from the Options menu. Along the top of the resulting window, I see "Basic Patching Recent All"

If I select All, I see the following categories:

Files and Folders
Interface
Jitter
Language
Mixer
Patching
Scheduler

Font does not appear in this list. Other examples in the documentation show a similar list with Font as one of its elements.

So apparently a Font category is supposed to be available, but for some reason it is not appearing on my computer. Am I missing somethingn obvious here?

JFdS's icon

JFdS

For everyone in 2026 who was searching for this, like I did :D

  • open an empty patcher

  • open the inspector (the small "i" icon)

  • on the upper right there's diamond shape with a P inside. ("Show Patcher inspector")

  • click it

There you can set the default font and size and whatever you like.

Cheers!

Roman Thilenius's icon

Roman Thilenius

old school method should also still work: create an objectbox with a valid object name. press command-A to select all objects, change the font size, save as template.

alternatively the zoom setting can also be stored programmatically to the patcher since a few years.

Wil's icon

Wil

- only saves for that single patcher

Few more steps after setting fonts/colors/stuffs etc

  1. create template

  2. name the template + default for new patchers

    -- then close the patch you just made without saving --

  3. All new patchers will have new settings stuffs

//

The new settings seem to not go backwards - only new patchers get them

So if you want new settings for old patches, you have to go back and re-save all of them, including sub-patches

Ahhhh... all LIVE objects do NOT recognize template setting in new patchers (as far as I just tested)

**Also, question- I cannot find anywhere how to edit or delete templates - nothing in documentation about edit or delete templates

(well, to edit, just change some setting and save same name)