Technology

Making your web browser more accessible

Summary: How to make the text larger in your web browser, without using any special software.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0
• Netscape 4.6
• Netscape 6.2, 7.0 and 8.1
• Mozilla Firefox 1.5
• Apple Safari 1.2 and 2.0
• More resources

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The two most popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape, although there now are other well used browsers such as Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to enlarging the text in your internet browser. If you have also changed the settings in your operating system and find that this does not magnify the text enough to be useful, then it is worth investigating screen magnification software.

These instructions are for use with the browser versions listed below, however they may also work with other versions of the same web browser.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0

• Open your Internet Explorer web browser
• Choose the drop down menu at the top of the window of the browser marked “view”
• A list of options will appear in the drop down menu, choose “text size”
• Next another drop down menu should appear with options including “small”, “medium”, “large”, “largest”
• Select “largest”.

The text in your browser window should now appear larger. If this is still too small for you then it may be that you need to look at other ways of enlarging the text on your screen, such as screen magnification software.

Netscape 4.6

• Open your Netscape web browser
• Choose the drop down menu at the top of the window marked “edit”
• A list of options will appear in the drop down menu, select “preferences”
• This will open a large window
• In a box on the left hand side of this window you will find a list of choices. At the top of this box you will see the word “appearance” and under that “fonts and colours”
• Select “fonts”
• Another window will appear called “fonts” and under it will be several boxes
• In the box will be the text “for the encoding” and a drop down box. In this box it will read “western”
• Underneath this there will be the text “variable width font” and a drop down box. Select the box and a drop down menu should appear. Now choose “Arial”
• In the box next to this there is the text “size”. Choose the drop down box and select “18”
• Underneath this there will be the text “fixed width font” and a drop down box. This should already be set by default to “Courier New”
• In the box next to this there is the text “size”. Choose the drop down box and select “18”
• Underneath these boxes there is the text “Sometimes a document will produce its own fonts”
• Beneath this there are three choices. The top choice is “Use my default fonts overriding document specified fonts”
• Choose this option by selecting the circle next to this sentence
• Now select “OK”
• The text should now appear larger in the window of your browser.

If the text is still not large enough for you then repeat the instruction and when you select “size” and make the text larger than 18. If this is still too small for you then it may be that you need to look at other ways of enlarging the text on your screen, such as screen magnification software.

Netscape 6.2, 7.0 and 8.1

• Open your Netscape browser
• Hold down the Ctrl button on your keyboard and press the plus (+) key
• You will find that this will enlarge the text, to enlarge again repeat the procedure
• Keep repeating until the text is enlarged to your requirements
• If you need to make the text smaller press ctrl on your keyboard and the minus ( - ) key

The text in your browser window should now appear larger. If this is still too small for you then it may be that you need to look at other ways of enlarging the text on your screen, such as screen magnification software.

Mozilla Firefox 1.5

• Open your Firefox browser
• Hold down the Ctrl button on your keyboard and press the plus (+) key
• You will find that this will enlarge the text, to enlarge again repeat the procedure
• Keep repeating until the text is enlarged to your requirements
• If you need to make the text smaller press ctrl on your keyboard and the minus ( - ) key

The text in your browser window should now appear larger. If this is still too small for you then it may be that you need to look at other ways of enlarging the text on your screen, such as screen magnification software.

Apple Safari 1.2 and 2.0

• Open your Apple Safari browser
• Hold down the Apple Key and press the (+) key
• You will find that this will enlarge the text, to enlarge again repeat the procedure
• Keep repeating until the text is enlarged to your requirements
• If you need to make the text smaller press the Apple Key on your keyboard and press the (-) key

The text in your browser window should now appear larger. If this is still too small for you then it may be that you need to look at other ways of enlarging the text on your screen, such as using the Zoom facility in the Apple Operating System.

More resources

More detailed information about how to change the fonts and font sizes in your operating system and in various other browsers is available online at BBC My Web My Way.

This comprehensive site also includes information about changing the colours in your operating system and web browser, changing the mouse pointer and using the keyboard instead of the mouse.

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Content author: technology@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 06/03/2008 15:41