Many websites (including this one) have sidebars, overlays, autoplaying video, and other distractions—as well as text in a size you may find too small to read. Reader View is Safari’s way to override the parameters most sites have set to produce a simplified stream of text for which you can adjust the size.
You can enable Reader View easily enough:
In macOS, if Reader View is available, a paragraph icon appears at the far left of the Location Bar. Click it.
In iOS and iPadOS, a little A/big A icon appears at the far left of the location bar. Long press it to enable Reader View.
IDGiOS’s Reader View button combines all the controls into one menu.
But you can also configure Reader View as a choice for a website.
In macOS, right-click the Reader View icon, and then select “Use Reader View Automatically on ‘site name.’” You can also select Reader Websites Preferences, which opens Safari’s preferences dialog to the Websites tab and selects Reader in the left-hand features list. For any currently open or previously specified site, you can change the Reader behavior via a pop-up menu. With any open sites, the pop-up menu choice immediately enables or disables Reader View in all tabs based on your selection.
In iOS and iPadOS, tap the Reader View icon and then choose Website Settings. This site-specific menu lets you configure multiple settings for the website, including turning on use Reader Automatically.
No matter how you engage Reader View, you can control the viewing size and other display parameters.
IDGSafari for macOS let you select Reader View with a click and apply settings from the Location bar.
In macOS, with Reader View enabled, click the small A/large A icon at the far right of the Location bar to choose a background color and typefaces from several options. (With Reader View disabled, you can use the normal Command-plus (+) and Command-minus (-) keystrokes to enlarge or reduce the type size proportionately along with graphics. Press Command-zero (0) to return to the default.)
In iOS and iPadOS, tap the Reader View icon and tap the small A or large A to vary type size. This works for normal page view and in Reader View. In Reader View, you can also choose among typefaces and background colors.
IDGYou can change settings all at once for Reader View in Safari for macOS’s Preferences.
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Author: Glenn Fleishman, Senior Contributor
Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.