UI density and reading
UI Density adjusts the space around interface controls. Reading adjusts the body text in text previews and editor tabs. Both are under Settings → Appearance and can be configured independently.
Scale, font size and density
These settings affect different parts of the interface. Choose according to whether you need larger text, a larger interface or different spacing.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| UI Scale | Scales the whole interface, including text and controls; saved separately for each screen. |
| Font Size | Changes the size of interface text. |
| UI Density | Changes spacing without resizing text or file icons. Higher values add space; lower values make the layout more compact. |
| Reading | Changes the shared font, font size and line spacing for text previews and editor tabs, independently of UI density. |
Adjusting global density
- Open Settings → Appearance.
- Find UI Density and drag its slider.
- Check the result in the file list, sidebar and tab bar.
The range is 50%–200%, with a default of 100%. Context menus, dropdown menus and tooltips follow global density, not the individual area settings below it. The settings dialog and floating panels themselves do not scale with density.
Adjusting an individual area
All four areas have Follow enabled by default and use global density. Turn off Follow for an area to set an independent value between 50% and 200%. This value replaces the global value; the two are not multiplied. Turn Follow back on to use the global value again.
| Setting | Area affected |
|---|---|
| File List | Padding within file rows, headers, group headings and column gaps. |
| Icons & Thumbnails | Space between icons and thumbnails, and around their names. |
| Sidebar | Padding in sidebar entries, the folder tree and sidebar tab strips. |
| Buttons & Tabs | Padding in the tab bar, navigation buttons, footer buttons and quick bar controls. |
For example, to make the file list more compact while keeping the current menu and button spacing, turn off Follow only for File List, then lower that area's value.
Configuring reading
- Open Settings → Appearance → Reading.
- Choose a Reading Font.
- To use a separate font size, turn off Follow for Reading Font Size, then adjust its slider.
- Adjust Reading Line Spacing and check a text preview or editor tab.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reading Font | Defaults to Same as UI Font. You can choose another font, such as a monospace font for reading code. |
| Reading Font Size | Follows the interface font size by default. With Follow off, the independent range is 10–20 px. |
| Reading Line Spacing | Line height as a multiple of font size, from 1.00 to 2.00; default 1.30. |
Text previews and editor tabs share these settings and cannot be configured separately. These settings do not change file-list or terminal text layout, or modify file contents.
Upgrading and downgrading
When upgrading from v0.29.1 or earlier, the previous Spacing value is kept as global density. If it was not 100%, tabs, navigation buttons, footer buttons and menus also use that value in the new version.
Downgrading to v0.29.1 or earlier loses the four independent area density values and reading settings. Older versions do not recognize these settings.
Both groups of settings are saved automatically and remain in effect after restarting tessoa.