To make Web pages easier to read or to make them display more quickly, you can specify how you want Web pages to appear in Microsoft Internet Explorer. For example, you can specify default fonts and colors, and you can specify which page elements — such as pictures, animations, and sounds — you want to see.
In Internet Explorer, you can specify these Web content settings:
- Fonts and colors When Web authors and designers create Web pages, they often specify a page’s background color, as well as the font, style, color, and size of text on the page. They can specify these and other attributes individually or by using a style sheet.
You can override a Web page’s font, color, and style sheet formatting to make pages easier to scan or read. For text, backgrounds, and links that do not have a color specified, you can also specify the default fonts and colors you want to see.
- Page elements You can specify which elements you want to see on Web pages. For example, you can hide pictures, animations, and sounds. When you hide some page elements, Internet Explorer can display pages that include those elements more quickly. You can also turn off Java applets and active content, which are Web page elements that require a plug-in or a script.
- Preferred language Some Web sites offer their content in several languages, so their Web pages include information that tells the browser which character set to use. You can create a list of your preferred languages in order of preference.
- Screen resolution You can specify the screen resolution setting, measured in dots per inch (dpi), you want Internet Explorer to use to display Web pages.
Related topics
Changing default colors
Changing default fonts
Changing the default size of text
Showing or hiding page elements
Changing the resolution setting
Specifying your preferred language
About Java and active content

Change default colors
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Web Content.
- In the Page & Link area, select the colors you want.
- To always use the colors you select, in the Page Content area, clear the Allow page to specify colors check box.
Related topics
Changing default fonts
Changing the default size of text

Change default fonts
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Language/Fonts.
- In the Fonts and Size area, select the fonts you want.
- To always use the fonts you select, under Web Browser, click Web Content, and then clear the Allow page to specify fonts check box.
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Microsoft Internet Explorer does not install a cursive font. |
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To add a font to Internet Explorer, drag the font file your System Folder.
When a message asks if you want to put the file in the Fonts folder, click OK. |
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Related topics
Changing the default size of text
Changing the default character set

Change the default size of text
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Language/Fonts.
- In the Fonts and Size area, click the size you want on the Size pop-up menu.
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To change the size of text on the current Web page only, on the View menu, point to Text
Zoom, and then click the size you want. |
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Related topics
Changing the resolution setting
Changing default fonts

Show or hide page elements
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Web Content.
- In the Page Content area, select or clear the check boxes next to the page elements you want to show or hide.
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If you hide pictures, you can still choose to show them on individual Web pages. To show all pictures, click Load Images on the View menu. To show a specific picture, point to where the picture should appear, hold down the mouse button, and then click Load Image on the contextual menu. |
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If pictures still appear after you clear the Show pictures check box, they’re probably animations. To hide animations, clear the Animate GIFs check box. |
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Related topics
Allowing or preventing animations from repeating
Displaying Web pages using your own style sheet
About Java and active content

Allow or prevent animations from repeating
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Web Content.
- In the Page Content area, select the Animate GIFs check box, and then select or clear the Allow
Looping check box.
Related topics
Showing or hiding page elements
About Java and active content

Display Web pages using your own style sheet
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Web Content.
- Select the Show style sheets check box.
- Select the Use my style sheet check box, and then select the style sheet you want to use.
Related topics
Changing default colors
Changing default fonts
Changing the default size of text

Change the resolution setting
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Language/Fonts.
- On the Resolution pop-up menu, click the resolution you want.
Related topics
Changing the default size of text
Changing default fonts

Specify your preferred language
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Language/Fonts.
- In the Language area, do one or more of the following:
- To add a language, click Add, and then click the language you want to add.
- To move a language to a higher or lower priority, click the language you want to move, and then click Move Up or Move Down.
- To delete a language, click the language you want to delete, and then click Delete.
Related topics
Changing the default character set

Change the default character set
- On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
- Under Web Browser, click Language/Fonts.
- On the Default Character set pop-up menu, click the character set you want.
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To change the character set for the current Web page only, on the View menu, point to Character Set, and then click the character set you want. |
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Related topics
Specifying your preferred language
Changing default fonts
Changing the default size of text
