Font size and zoom - increase the size of web pages

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  • Revision id: 202647
  • Created:
  • Creator: Scribe
  • Comment: Minor edit to correct misaligned bullet
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: AliceWyman
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
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The zoom controls allow you to increase or decrease either the size of a whole web page or just the size of all the text in order to improve readability. We'll explain how it works.

Zoom in and out of a website

Here's how you can zoom in and out of individual websites.

  1. Click the menu button Fx57Menu on the right. The customization menu will open and you will see the zoom controls at the top.
    font controls 57
  2. Use the + button to zoom in, and the - button to zoom out. The number in the middle is the current zoom level - click it to reset the zoom to 100%. You can also see the current zoom level in the address bar:
zoom level in ab 57
Keyboard shortcuts: You can also use the zoom controls without a mouse. Press and hold commandCtrl while pressing &#43 to zoom in, - to zoom out, or 0 to reset.
Tip: To set the default zoom level for all websites, you can try an add-on such as Fixed Zoom or Zoom Page WE

How to only change the size of the text

Instead of changing the size of everything, you can just change the size of the text.

  1. Press the Alt key to temporarily bring up the traditional Firefox menus. On the menu at the top, click View, then go to Zoom.
  2. Select Zoom Text Only. This makes the controls only change the size of text; not images.

Set a default zoom level for all websites

You can enlarge or reduce the size of all web content, as follows:

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Settings (select Preferences on older macOS versions).Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. In the General panel, go to the Language and Appearance section.
  3. Under Zoom, use the drop-down menu for Default zoom to select a zoom level for all pages. Firefox will still remember individual site zoom levels you set.
    Fx73settings-LanguageAndAppearance
    • To set a zoom level for text only, select the Zoom text only checkbox.
  4. Close the Settings page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.

Set a minimum text size

You can set Firefox to automatically display all text at a minimum font size. If a web page contains text that is smaller, Firefox increases the font size of the text to this minimum.

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Settings (select Preferences on older macOS versions).Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. In the General panel, go to the Language and Appearance section.
  3. Under Fonts and Colors, click Advanced….
  4. In the Minimum Font Size drop-down, select the minimum size in pixels in which all text must be displayed.
    minimum font fx38
  5. Click OK to save your changes.

See Change the fonts and colors websites use for more information.