How to Resize Text and Fonts in Your Browser Settings

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2009/05/12 - Updated: 2017/05/21
Topic: Website Accessibility - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Guide to resizing text and fonts using Internet Explorer FireFox Opera Safari Google Chrome and Netscape web browsers.

Introduction

Main Item

Although Disabled World provides a handy text re-sizer on our pages many web pages can be difficult to view because the text is too small to read easily.

Disabled World includes this information to help people, in particular those with vision impairments, who want to know how to change text size in their browser settings and may not know how.

Modern browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari (Mac), Google Chrome, Opera, and Netscape provide a setting option to adjust the font, or text, size. Once set your preference of font and text size will be the default option for all websites you visit. This feature is particularly handy as you no longer need to look for the text sizing options on each web site you visit, providing they supply such an option.

In Internet Explorer Version 6 and earlier, the text may not resize because the Web site is designed with"hard-coded" or "absolute" text sizes. There is a way around this which is explained in the changing Internet Explorer text size link below. However for security reasons you should no longer be using IE6. Check you have the latest updates from MicroSoft by clicking the Windows, or start button, and selecting"Windows Update" from the menu selections.

Try this to make web page text larger or smaller, or select your browser from the links below:

If you have a wheel mouse: hold down the Control key and spin the wheel to make the fonts smaller or larger - this should work on most web sites. Or you can use Control + and Control -

Another option for resizing text is to use the zoom in the bottom right hand corner of IE7. Or use the top menu - View Menu/Text Size - to change the size in Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The step by step guides below provide instructions on how to make web page text bigger (or smaller) in your web browser.

For the vision impaired a screen magnifier may be just what you need. A screen magnifier is software that interfaces with a computer's graphical output to present enlarged screen content.

Author Credentials: Ian was born and grew up in Australia. Since then, he has traveled and lived in numerous locations and currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Ian is the founder, a writer, and editor in chief for Disabled World. Ian believes in the Social Model of Disability, a belief developed by disabled people in the 1970s. The social model changes the focus away from people's impairments and towards removing barriers that disabled people face daily. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and achievements, check out his bio.