Technology Tips: Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts - Enlarge Font

Make sure you do the GoogleDocs Tech Tip first, before you do any other tips this semester.

There are all kinds of keyboard shortcuts you can use with Firefox to make better use of the Internet. Here is a list of the Firefox keyboard shortcuts - you can click on the WIndows or Mac link in order to see the specific list of shortcuts for your computer operating system. (There are similar shortcuts for other browsers, too, of course - just check the "Help" menu in whatever browser you are using.)

The short-cut I probably use the most is making the font larger on a webpage. So many webpages have fonts that are just too small for me to read comfortably (yes, I am old... and VERY near-sighted, too!). For this Tech Tip, you will learn how to instantly make the font larger on a webpage.

STEP ONE: Choose page. Find a webpage which contains text. Pick some webpage that you are looking at with a small text size. For example, this webpage - the one you are reading right now! - has a very small default font size.

STEP TWO: Zoom font. To enlarge the font on a Windows machine, click on Control·+ (which is really Control·Shift·=). For a Macintosh computer, click on Command·+ (which is really Command·Shift·=). Press as many times as you want to keep enlarging the font.

If you want to decrease the font size, click on Control·- for a Windows machine, or Command·- for a Macintosh.

Here is what you will see if you enlarge this page several times, for example:

For this assigment, please make sure you know how to enlarge and decrease the font size, using the keyboard shortcut.

STEP THREE: Look for other useful shortcuts. Now that you have learned my favorite browser keyboard shortcut, browse through the list of Firefox keyboard shortcuts and see if there are any shortcuts you think you might want to start using.

When you are done, send me an email in which you let me know that you are able to increase/decrease the font size in your browser, PLUS let me know if there are any other browser keyboard shortcuts you use frequently already and/or if you have found a new browser keyboard shortcut that you think will be useful to you. Make sure you use this subject line for the email: TechTip Firefox Font Size.

When you have sent in the email, you can enter this tip on your GoogleDocs Checklist and then do the Gradebook Declaration for Extra Credit. Here is the text of the Gradebook Declaration you will complete: