There are several ways to adjust text size in a web browser. The method you choose depends on whether you want to enlarge text on one website, make text larger on every website, or enlarge the entire page.
1. Quickly enlarge or reduce a webpage
This is the easiest method and works in most browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
| Action | Keyboard shortcut (Linux/Windows) |
|---|---|
| Enlarge text and page | Ctrl + + |
| Reduce text and page | Ctrl + - |
| Return to default size | Ctrl + 0 |
On some keyboards, you may need to press Ctrl + Shift + = to produce the + sign.
You can also open the browser’s menu (usually the three dots or three horizontal lines) and use the Zoom controls, typically displayed as − 100% +.
Note: Zoom enlarges or reduces the entire webpage, including images and other elements, rather than just the text. Browsers generally remember the zoom setting separately for each website.
2. Set a larger default font size
If you consistently find website text too small, you can change the browser’s default font size.
Google Chrome
- Open the three-dot menu.
- Select Settings → Appearance.
- Find Font size.
- Choose Medium, Large, or Very large, or customize the font size through the font settings.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open the menu and select Settings.
- Under General, find Language and Appearance.
- Adjust the Default font size.
- Use Advanced to configure minimum font size if needed.
Microsoft Edge
- Open the three-dot menu.
- Select Settings → Appearance.
- Find the Fonts section.
- Adjust the font size and, if needed, the minimum font size.
Menu wording may vary slightly between browser versions.
3. Change the minimum font size
Firefox and some other browsers provide a minimum font size setting. This can be especially useful if a website specifies text that is too small to read comfortably.
For example, setting a minimum size of 16 pixels can prevent many websites from displaying smaller text. However, it may affect page layouts, so some pages may look crowded or require more scrolling.
4. Change the overall size of everything on the screen
If not just websites but also menus, application controls, and other interface elements are too small, consider changing the operating system’s display scaling or text-size settings.
On Linux desktops, including LXQt, the available controls depend on the desktop configuration and display server. Browser zoom is often the simplest solution when the problem is limited to websites.
My recommendation: Start with Ctrl + + to find a comfortable reading size. If you repeatedly have to enlarge text on different websites, change the browser’s default font size instead. If only certain sites are difficult to read, use zoom on those sites individually.