Changing colours, fonts and text size in your browser
You can change features on your browser and control the way in which web pages appear. This is particularly useful if you have low vision, need larger fonts, or need high-contrast or different colours from the ones set. Using options available in your browser, you can change:
You can change features on your browser and control the way in which web pages appear. This is particularly useful if you have low vision, need larger fonts, or need high-contrast or different colours from the ones set. Using options available in your browser, you can change:
- the size, style and colour of fonts
- the background colours of web pages
- the colour used to indicate hyperlinks, active web links and visited web links
How you do this depends on what browser you use. Below are the steps for making these features change in Internet Explorer and Netscape.
PC, Internet Explorer 5.x and 6
PC, Internet Explorer 4
Apple Mac, Internet Explorer 5.x and 6
Netscape
Netscape 8.1
Mozilla 2.0
Opera 9.00
- Select Tools from the browser menu options
- Select Internet options
- In the General tab, select the Colours button at the bottom of the pop-up screen
- Choose the colour options that you find best, then select OK to save the changes
- Select Tools from the browser menu options
- Select Internet options
- In the General tab, select the Fonts button at the bottom of the pop-up screen
- Choose the font options that you find best, then select OK to save the changes
- Select View from the browser menu options
- Select Text size, and choose the option that is best for you
- Select Tools from the browser menu options
- Select Internet options
- In the General tab, select the Accessibility button at the bottom of the pop-up screen
- Tick any of the options that you want to over-ride and select OK to save the changes
- The options can be accessed by selecting View from the browser menu options
- Select Edit from the browser menu options
- From the options menu which appears, select Preferences
- Select Web content
- Deselect the button marked Show style sheets
- Return to the list of preferences
- Select Web browser
- Select Language/fonts
- Select the font size you require
- Select Edit from the browser menu options
- Select Preferences
- Open the Appearance group of options
To edit colours
- Select Colours
- Choose the colours that you want for text, background, visited and unvisited links
- To override the colours used by the designer of the web page, select Always use my colours, overriding document'
- Select OK to save changes
To edit fonts & font size
- Select Fonts
- Next to For the encoding should read ‘Western’, to tell the computer which types of letters and symbols to use
- From Size select the size of font that suits you (for example, 18)
- From the drop-down box next to the Variable Width Font field, select Ariel
- The Fixed Width Font box should already read 'Courier New'. From 'Size' select 18
- To override the fonts used by the designer of the web page, select Use my default fonts overriding document specified fonts
- Select OK to save changes
Netscape 8.1
Set fonts and colors:
Tools/Options/General/Fonts and colors
Amend fonts to your preference, amend background color to your preference and make sure that "Use system colors" is unticked and make sure that:
"Always use my: Fonts Colors" are both ticked.
Mozilla 2.0
1) to set your fonts:
Tools/Options/Content (tab)/Advanced, choose the fonts you wish to use and make sure "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above" is not ticked.
2) set background colour:
Tools/Options/Content (tab)/Colours, choose Background Colour and make sure "Allow pages to choose their own colours, instead of my selections above" is not ticked.
Make sure that "Use system colours" is also not ticked.
Opera 9.00
Whilst you can change colours etc in Opera, Opera has a pre-built in Accessibility layout which automatically puts in a light green background and is worth checking out:
View/Style/Accessibility layout.
You can change the font size just by holding the Ctrl key down and using the mouse wheel (if you have one).
You can also zoom into a page as well.
Set fonts and colors:
Tools/Options/General/Fonts and colors
Amend fonts to your preference, amend background color to your preference and make sure that "Use system colors" is unticked and make sure that:
"Always use my: Fonts Colors" are both ticked.
Mozilla 2.0
1) to set your fonts:
Tools/Options/Content (tab)/Advanced, choose the fonts you wish to use and make sure "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above" is not ticked.
2) set background colour:
Tools/Options/Content (tab)/Colours, choose Background Colour and make sure "Allow pages to choose their own colours, instead of my selections above" is not ticked.
Make sure that "Use system colours" is also not ticked.
Opera 9.00
Whilst you can change colours etc in Opera, Opera has a pre-built in Accessibility layout which automatically puts in a light green background and is worth checking out:
View/Style/Accessibility layout.
You can change the font size just by holding the Ctrl key down and using the mouse wheel (if you have one).
You can also zoom into a page as well.
