by Greg Schwartz

Created on: August 06, 2009   Last Updated: March 20, 2010

Firefox is a very customizable browser, and there are a couple of different ways you can change the text size (or even the font) on web sites.  However, all websites are coded differently, and the changes may take effect differently on different sites.

- Zoom

One way to change the text size is by zooming.  With Firefox, you can zoom in or out on a web page at will just by using the keyboard.  Hold down the CTRL key and press "+" to zoom in (make everything bigger), or "-" to zoom out (make everything smaller).  To reset the page to its normal default, hold down CTRL and press the "0" (zero) key.  All of these commands can also be accessed from the Zoom menu, found under View on the menu bar.

- Zoom text only

Firefox has an additional feature called "Zoom text only."  If you select this option (found under the Zoom menu) pressing <CTRL><+> or <CTRL><-> (as described above) will make any text on a web site larger or smaller.  Unlike with the normal Zoom option, only the text size will be affected - graphics, logos, and videos will all stay the same size.  The zoomed text can also be reset by pressing <CTRL><0>.  This option can be turned on or off as desired.

- Change text and font

You can also change the text size manually in Firefox.  Under the Tools menu, click Options, and go to the Content tab.  In the middle of the screen will be a section titled "Fonts & Colors."  Here you can set the default text size to anything you want, from 9 to 72.  You can also change the font, if a specific font is easier on your eyes than other ones.

By clicking on the Advanced button, you'll be presented with more options.  One of these options is "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above."  This box is checked by default, so your selections will be overridden if the website is coded to use a specific font and text size.  By unchecking this box, Firefox will apply your changes to every website it can.  (Some websites, because of the way they are coded, will not heed these changes.)

Firefox will keep your settings until you go back in and change them again, so if you close Firefox and reopen it, it will remember your font and size preferences.

Back in the main Options screen, there is a Colors button under where you clicked Advanced.  Clicking this button brings up the Colors screen, which allows you to change text and background colors, as well as visited and unvisited link colors.  Similarly to the Fonts settings, you can choose whether or not Firefox applies your settings universally.  (The "Allow pages to choose their own colors, instead of my selections above" box is checked by default.)

With all of these options, you can customize Firefox for a more visually appealing web experience and make reading text online easier on your eyes.  (To download the latest version of Firefox, visit Mozilla.com.)

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