How to Change Fonts and Colors on the Web Pages You View

Change the text sizes and colors on Web pages you visit for easier reading.

Web pages are viewed with an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. Text settings are written directly into these pages with common screen sizes in mind. However, screen sizes vary dramatically from small to very large for each individual. Many times, a Web page can look too small or large on your screen, which may cause constant squinting or cause you to back away from the computer to read it. To change text type, color and size, use the "Tools" section of your browser to override the current selection and make the page easier to read.

Instructions

Internet Explorer

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. Click "Tools" on the main menu, and choose "Internet Options."

3. Click the "General" tab, and then click the "Accessibility" button on the bottom of the dialog box.

4. Add a check mark to each of the three options: "Ignore Colors Specified on Webpages," "Ignore Font Styles Specified on Webpages" and "Ignore Font Sizes Specified on Webpages" as desired, and then choose the "OK" button.

5. Click the "Colors" button in the "Appearance" section at the bottom of the "Internet Options" dialog box that is still open. Remove the check mark next to "Use Windows Colors" by clicking in the box. In the four remaining boxes: "Text," "Background," "Visited" and "Unvisited," choose your desired color for viewing Web pages, and then click the "OK" button.

6. Click the "Fonts" button in the "Appearance" section at the bottom of the "Internet Options" dialog box that is still open. Choose the "Webpage Font" and "Plain Text Font" as desired, and click the "OK" button twice to accept changes and close both dialog boxes.

7. Click the "Page" drop-down button from the "Command Bar," or use the keyboard shortcut "Alt+P" to open the "Page" drop down list. Highlight "Text Size," and then choose the desired size of text.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Firefox.

2. Click "Tools" on the menu, and then select "Options."

3. Click on the "Content" button at the top if it is not already selected. Under the "Fonts & Colors" section, click the "Advanced" button.

4. Click the "Allow Pages to Choose Their Own Fonts" check box to remove the check mark. Choose your desired fonts and font sizes in each of the four font boxes. Click the "OK" button.

5. Click the "Colors" button in the "Content" dialog box that is still open. Click the "Allow Pages to Choose Their Own Colors" check box to remove the check mark. Choose your desired colors for links, text and background, and then click the "OK" button twice to accept changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the Internet Explorer Zoom option rather than "Text Size" to change any Web page's size for easier readability by clicking the magnifying glass on the bottom right corner of the browser. This option will retain the look of the Web page without moving text, moving images and making some items on the page look skewed.

• Click the "Ctrl" key along with the "+" or the "Ctrl" key along with the "-" key to change font size quickly in Mozilla Firefox.

• Changes made to the Internet Explorer fonts and font colors will also change fonts and colors in Help Topics.

• Overriding a Web page's intended fonts and colors can make a page harder to read in some cases and/or move images and text out of sight.

References

• Microsoft: Choose Fonts Used on Web Pages
• Microsoft: Change Text Size on Web Pages
• Microsoft: Choose Accessibility Settings for Web Pages
• Firefox: Accessibility | How To Fonts and Colors