You are reading a long article on your laptop and your eyes start to hurt. The text is small, the lines are long, and the page has a bright white background that feels like staring at a light bulb. You want to keep reading, but it is physically uncomfortable.
Screen reading is harder on your eyes than reading on paper. The text is made of light, not ink, and screens are often brighter than their surroundings. A few small adjustments can make a big difference.
Increase the text size
The simplest way to make text easier to read is to make it bigger. Most browsers let you zoom in on a page.
In any browser: Press Ctrl+ (Cmd+ on Mac) to zoom in. Press Ctrl- (Cmd- on Mac) to zoom out. Press Ctrl+0 (Cmd+0 on Mac) to return to the default size.
On a phone or tablet: Pinch outward on the screen to zoom in. Some browsers have a text size setting in their menu that lets you set a default size for all pages.
If you find yourself zooming in on every page, you can change your browser’s default font size. In Chrome, go to Settings > Appearance > Font size. In Firefox, go to Settings > General > Fonts. In Safari, go to Preferences > Websites > Page Zoom.
Use reader mode
Many browsers have a “reader mode” that strips away everything except the main text of an article. This removes ads, sidebars, navigation menus, and other distractions. The result is a clean, simple page that is much easier to read.
Safari: Click the reader icon in the address bar (it looks like a small page with lines). If you do not see it, the page might not support reader mode.
Firefox: Click the reader view icon in the address bar. It looks like an open book.
Chrome: Chrome does not have a built-in reader mode, but you can install an extension like “Reader View” from the Chrome Web Store.
Reader mode is especially useful for long articles, blog posts, and news stories. It does not work well on pages that are mostly images, videos, or interactive content.
Adjust your screen brightness
If your screen is much brighter than the room around you, your eyes have to work harder to focus. A few adjustments can help:
Lower your screen brightness. On most laptops, you can adjust brightness with function keys (usually F1 and F2, or a sun icon). On a phone, swipe down from the top of the screen to access the brightness slider.
Use dark mode if available. Many websites and apps offer a dark mode that uses light text on a dark background. This can be easier on the eyes in low-light conditions. Check your browser or operating system settings for a dark mode option.
Reduce blue light. Some devices have a “night mode” or “night shift” feature that makes the screen warmer (more yellow) in the evening. This can reduce eye strain, especially if you are reading before bed.
Adjust the page width
Long lines of text are harder to read than shorter ones. If a web page stretches text across the entire width of your screen, your eyes have to travel a long distance from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.
A comfortable line length for reading is about 50–75 characters per line. Most web pages are designed to be readable, but some stretch text too wide, especially on large monitors.
To fix this, you can:
Resize your browser window. Make the window narrower so the text wraps at a more comfortable width. This is the simplest solution.
Use a browser extension. Extensions like “Readability” or “Just Read” let you customize the width and font size of web pages.
Use reader mode. As mentioned above, reader mode usually sets a comfortable width automatically.
Change the zoom level
If you are reading a document (not a web page), you can often adjust the zoom level in the app you are using. In most document viewers and word processors, the zoom slider is in the bottom-right corner or under the View menu.
A zoom level of 125% or 150% is often more comfortable than the default 100% for reading on screen. You can always zoom back out when you need to see the full page.
When to save as PDF and read later
Sometimes a web page is just not comfortable to read on screen — the font is too small, the layout is too wide, or the page has too many distractions. In these cases, save the page as a PDF and read it later.
Saving as PDF lets you:
- Read offline without distractions
- Print the page on paper if you prefer
- Adjust the font size and layout before reading
- Read on a different device (like a tablet) that might be more comfortable
To save a page as a PDF, press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) and select “Save as PDF” as the destination. See the guide below for more details.
Related guides
- How to Save a Web Page as a PDF — saving a copy of a page to read offline
- How to Bookmark Important Web Pages — saving links to pages you want to return to
- How to Manage Too Many Browser Tabs — reducing clutter in your browser