Columns

Read your websites more relaxed with automatic columns for wide content.
What is Columns?
Columns is a Chrome extension that automatically converts big text blocks in websites into columns, making them easier and more relaxed to read. It increases the text size to 16px, follows w3c recommendations, and works without reloading the page.

Extension stats

Users: 422 ▲ 15
Rating: 3.13 (16)
Version: 1.19 (Last updated: 2023-12-05)
Creation date: 2015-02-03
Risk impact: Moderate risk impact
Risk likelihood: Very low risk likelihood
Manifest version: 3
Permissions:
  • storage
Host permissions:
  • http://*/*
  • https://*/*
Size: 15.59K

Other platforms

Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge
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Extension summary

Are you tired of big walls of text in articles ? Wait no more! Here comes the auto formatter for wide columns. It automatically converts big text blocks in websites into columns, which are easier and more relaxed to read. Text size is increased to 16px, which is the recommendation of w3c and designers as default font size of normal text. If a page does not display correctly because of fancy css in the design of some pages, you can always disable and enable the extension/columns by clicking on the button in the toolbar. it works without reloading the page.

you can turn off the badge-number in the options menu of the extension.

v1.19: cleanup code. removed customization of stylesheet, use another extension if you want to do this. v1.18 : migrate to manifest v3 v1.16 : small bugfix

More details:

This plugin uses latest css3 column-width property to layout the blobs of text in paragraphs as nicely readable columns. Works with all websites, best on long boring text, eg. news articles. Screenshot of wikipedia is only one example.

The plugin has an icon to toggle the state, and keeps your current format-style for all open pages. The plugin is smart enough to detect which paragraphs to convert, eg. 1 or 2 liners are kept, if images or video/iframe (youtube) embeds are detected also the original format is kept, this way the layout looks best.

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User reviews

I appreciate this because it got me thinking of possibilities, but it could use simpler feature options for the layman, like characters or word per line.. that kind of thing.
by Pat MySecret, 2021-10-18

It makes reading easier. Thank u.
by success actions, 2020-08-28

okay for Wikipedia. However is there a way to make it work on the google.com search results? I could not find a way to do that.
by First Last, 2019-05-06
View all user reviews

Extension safety

Risk impact

Columns requires a few sensitive permissions. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

Columns has earned a good reputation and can be trusted.

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Promo images

Columns small promo image
Small promo image

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