Choosing a sans-serif font and enlarging the font size are simple ways to enhance readability. Have you noticed that some fonts are easier to read than others? Sans-serif fonts, which lack decorative strokes, are recommended for reducing eye strain due to their clean design. You can easily personalize your settings in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and your web browsers to ensure content displays in your preferred style. Additionally, increasing the font size further boosts visibility. In this article, we’ll explore how to make these adjustments for a more enjoyable reading experience using your free Microsoft and Google accounts. Let’s get started!
The benefits of changing the font type and size:
- Improves readability
- Reduces eye strain
- Enhances visual appeal when the font matches your preference
Microsoft
Document Text Preferences
Note: You cannot customize the default text styles in the free Word Online. That option is available in the paid version of Word. Nevertheless, you can quickly adjust the text preferences in the Immersive Reader feature of Word Online.
- Open a document in Word Online.
- Select the View tab.
- Click Immersive Reader in the ribbon under the menu.
- Press the Text Preferences icon (AA icon) in the top right of the page.
- Choose to enlarge the Text Size and change the Font.
- The customized settings will save. Now, every document you open in Immersive Reader can be viewed with your personal preferences.
- Press the back arrow to return to the original formatting of the document.
Microsoft Support article: Learning Tools in Word
Webpage Text Preferences
- Open the Edge web browser (Mac or Windows).
- Go to a website that is mostly text.
- In the address bar at the top, press the Immersive Reader icon (book and speaker icon).
- The website view is simplified. Advertisements disappear.
- Press the Text Preferences icon (AA icon) on the top right of the page.
- Choose to enlarge the Text Size and change the Font to your preference.
- The customized settings will save. Now, every webpage you open in Immersive Reader will be viewed with your personal preferences.
Tip: Immersive Reader is available in the following free Microsoft applications: Word Online, OneNote Online, Outlook Online, Microsoft Teams, Edge web browser, and the Microsoft Lens app. Read the article Where is Immersive Reader?
Customize the default font settings in Edge
- Open the Edge web browser (Mac or Windows).
- Click More (three dots next to your profile picture).
- Select Settings.
- Choose Appearance under settings.
- Under the Fonts heading, pick your preferences for font size and font types.
- Close Settings.
- Now, each time you open a website the content may be displayed to your liking.*
*Your preferences for font type may or may not be viewed on the search results page or certain web sites. Many website will have specified a font family for viewing the web pages. In that case, your preferences will be overridden. If a website has not defined a font family, your preferences will then be utilized.
Microsoft Support articles: Increase default text size in Microsoft Edge
Customize the default font settings in Google Docs
- Open a document in Google Docs.
- Select text.
- Click the Font drop down in the ribbon under the menu.
- Choose a preferred font type or click More fonts and choose a preferred font type.
- Next, press the plus or minus button to select a preferred font Size.
- Then, click the Normal Text drop down. Place cursor over Normal Text. Select Update Normal Text to Match.
- Now, select the Format tab. Place cursor over Paragraph styles. Place cursor over Options. Click Save as my default styles.
- New documents will now use your preferred font type and font size.
- To reset the default style to Arial 11 pt, repeat step 7 and choose Reset styles.
Google Help article: Change how paragraphs & fonts Look for Google Docs. Read under “Choose a default font.”
Tip: Google Docs has included extra fonts to improve readability. For example, check out the Lexend font family (under More fonts) that has increased spacing between characters.
Customize the default font setting in Chrome
As you will notice, these Google Chrome instructions are almost identical to the the Microsoft Edge instructions.
- Open the Chrome web browser (Mac or Windows or Chromebook).
- Click More (three dots next to your profile picture)
- Press Settings.
- Choose Appearance under settings.
- Under the Appearance heading, choose a Font Size.
- Select the right arrow across from Customize Fonts.
- Use the slider to adjust the Font Size and Minimum Font Size.
- Next, customize the font types using the drop down menus.
- Now, each time you open a website the content may be displayed to your liking.*
*Just like the Edge browser, your preferences for font type may or may not be viewed on the search results page or certain web sites. Again, many websites will have specified a font family for viewing the web pages. Thus, your preferences will be overridden. If a website has not defined a font family, your preferences will then be granted.
Google Help article: Change text, image, and video sizes (zoom) under “Set page or font size for all webpages”
Additional tools for seeing text more clearly
There are 5 more ways to improve the visibility of text and make reading online easier.
- Increase spacing between words, letter, or lines
- High contrast theme, dark mode, or different background color
- Zoom tool
- Magnification tools
- Adjust screen brightness
Resource
My Computer My Way – Vision – This resource by AbilityNet provides step-by-step instructions for accessing accessibility features that help you see websites and applications more clearly. Use the operating system drop down to find directions for your specific device.
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