It's possible to change the xterm
font size by holding ctrl
and right-clicking the window. Is it possible to do it without a mouse?
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The default keybindings include what's needed:
Shift~Ctrl <KeyPress> KP_Add:larger-vt-font() \n\
Shift Ctrl <KeyPress> KP_Add:smaller-vt-font() \n\
Shift <KeyPress> KP_Subtract:smaller-vt-font() \n\
That is (without any customization needed):
- shift
keypad +
switches to the next-larger font. - shift
keypad -
switches to the next-smaller font.
There are two bindings for KP_Add
to make it workable by default on some unusual keyboards.
This was originally just for bitmap-fonts (in 1999); TrueType fonts were accommodated in 2008.
It is also possible to do this with an escape-sequence, e.g.,
printf '\033]50;#+1\007'
to switch to the next-larger font, and
printf '\033]50;#-1\007'
to switch to the next-smaller font. The fonts.sh
script in the sources makes xterm repeatedly shrink/grow, and when interrupted, restores the original font. (The \007
in the printf
is a nonprinting control/G in the script to accommodate very old shells).

Thomas Dickey
- 76,765
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Thank you. Would you explain how to do it with an escape sequence as well? I couldn't tell from the linked page. – Toothrot Mar 21 '20 at 18:39
XTerm.vt100.translations: #override \n\
. – Freddy Mar 21 '20 at 16:11