Today’s current browsers, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox to name the most popular, have several functions that enable you to enlarge things in your browser window for easier viewing. You can enlarge everything (text and graphics), enlarge the text only while leaving pictures at their original sizes, and enlarge the browser window to
- Enlarge all of the elements on a web page, text and graphics included.
- Enlarge the text in a browser but leave graphics unchanged.
- Enlarge the browser to fit the screen.
Shortcut to making things big and small (all browsers)
There is a quick way that you can increase and decrease the size of elements on a page. You can enlarge everything on the page (text and graphics) by:
Hold down the Ctrl key and use the scroll wheel on your mouse (if equipped.)
Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + key to increase size, the – key to decrease size.
Note that this will increase the size of everything, which might come in handy for accessing small buttons or enlarging detail as well as enlarging text.
Shortcut to making browser fit the entire screen
One way to maximize your viewing space is to enlarge the browser window to crowd out everything else – even tabs and taskbars:
Press the F11 key (top row of your keyboard) to maximize the browser. Press it again to return it to its normal size.
Browsers have custom settings too
Browsers have other settings too. Unlike the settings we showed you above, the techniques below are specifically for text and not graphic elements on a web page. We’ll go through the 3 major browsers you might encounter. Remember, Internet Explorer is the default browser that ships with all PCs.
Internet Explorer
On the menu bar, click View, then Text size, then select your preferred text size. If the menu bar is not visible, press the Alt key or right-click the top of the browser and select Menu.
Chrome
Click the Chrome menu button on the toolbar (top right), then click Settings.
Click Show advanced settings (at the bottom.)
In the Web Content section, make your selection from the Font size drop-down menu.
Firefox
Firefox has two ways to enlarge text size. The shortcut doesn’t have as many options as using the Settings menu.
Firefox shortcut:
Press the Alt key to show the traditional menu at the top left corner.
Click View, hover over Zoom, then click Zoom Text Only.
Reverse the process to return to normal text size.
Using the settings menu to set a minimum size text:
Click the menu button , then click Options.
Select the Content panel, in Fonts & Colors, click Advanced.
Click on the menu button in Minimum font size and choose the minimum size font you want Firefox to display. Click OK to save.
You’ll see other settings in the menus, including setting preferred fonts and other assistive features. Note that some websites won’t cooperate with your preferences, and that browsers change and might show things a bit differently than you expect. All of these browsers are free, so experiment to find the one that offers the best viewing experience for you!
