How to Zoom In and Out on the htop Interface in Ubuntu

htop is a widely used process viewer for Linux systems that runs within a terminal window. While the application itself does not feature an internal zoom setting for its text, the display size is controlled by the terminal emulator hosting it. This article outlines the specific keyboard shortcuts used in Ubuntu to adjust the terminal zoom, effectively scaling the htop interface for better readability.

To change the text size while htop is running, you must use the zoom shortcuts provided by the Ubuntu default terminal, GNOME Terminal. Press and hold the Ctrl and Shift keys, then press the Plus (+) key to zoom in. This increases the font size, making the htop interface elements larger and easier to read.

To zoom out, press and hold Ctrl and Shift, then press the Minus (-) key. This reduces the font size, allowing more process information to fit on the screen at once. These changes take effect immediately without interrupting the running htop process.

If you need to revert to the default font size, press Ctrl, Shift, and 0 simultaneously. This resets the terminal zoom level to its original state. For permanent changes, you can adjust the default font size in the terminal preferences menu under the Profiles section.