How to Enlarge Font Size on the Internet

If you're having trouble seeing Web pages, you may not need new glasses -- you may just need to enlarge the font. The good news: It's easy to do, no matter which browser you're using.

Though you can reduce the screen resolution to increase the font size, this will also limit how much you can see on your monitor. And since changing the font size is so easy, do this instead.

You can change the font size on almost all browsers using either of these easy methods, both of which are ideal for quickly changing it and then switching back to the default size:

1. Press the Ctrl key and at the same time press the = key (that is, the + key). Keep clicking the = key until it's the right size for you. To decrease the font size, press the Ctrl key and at the same time press the - key. Keep pressing the - key until it's the right size for you.

2. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, press down the Ctrl key and use the scroll wheel to increase or decrease font size.

And after you have made the type bigger and smaller and bigger again, you can go back to the default setting with one easy move: Press the Ctrl key and at the same time press the 0 (the number zero) key.

Here are other ways to adjust the font size, depending on which browser you're using:

Internet Explorer
Click on View, select Text Size and choose from smallest, smaller, medium, larger or largest. Medium is the installed default.


Firefox 3.5 or 3.6
Click on Tools, select Options and choose Content. Change the font size to the one that is most comfortable for you. The default is 16.


Firefox (Earlier Versions)
Click on View and select the "Increase text size" option.

Netscape and Mozilla
Click on View, select Text Zoom and then choose smaller, larger or a predefined percentage value. The installed default is 100 percent.

Opera
Click on View, select Zoom and choose from the predefined percentage values or percentage changes. The installed default is 100 percent.

Safari
Click on Preferences, select Advanced and select the checkbox to "never use fonts smaller than the selected size." Choose a font size from the pop-up menu.

Hopefully these techniques will help save your eyes, or at least save you a trip to the optometrist!