How to Use the Line Focus on Any Website

Learn how to use line focus on any website. Highlight one line at a time for better reading Support accessibility for everyone. Learn how to use Helperbird's Line Focus feature to highlight one line of text while dimming everything else. This helps you concentrate on reading without distractions.

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What is Line Focus?

Line Focus (also called Focus Ruler) creates a spotlight effect on the line you are reading. It dims everything on the page except for one strip of text, making it much easier to concentrate.

Think of it like shining a flashlight on just one line while the rest of the page fades into the background. This helps reduce visual clutter and keeps your attention on the text you are reading.


Who is This For?

This feature is helpful for:

  • People with dyslexia who get distracted by surrounding text
  • Anyone with ADHD or attention difficulties
  • People who find busy web pages overwhelming
  • Students who need to focus while studying
  • Anyone who wants to reduce visual distractions while reading

Step 1: Open Helperbird

Click the Helperbird icon in your browser toolbar. It looks like a small owl and is usually in the top-right corner of your browser.

This will open the Helperbird menu.


Step 2: Open the All Features Section

Scroll down to the bottom of the Helperbird menu. You will see a section called All Features.

Click the arrow next to All Features to expand it and show all available features.


Step 3: Find Dyslexia Support

Look through the list of features until you see Dyslexia support.

It has a purple icon with a brain symbol on it.


Step 4: Open Dyslexia Support

Click on Dyslexia support to open it.

A panel will appear with three toggles — Dyslexia ruler, Focus ruler, and Reading guide — with a Settings section below them.

The Focus ruler toggle is the one you need for Line Focus.


Step 5: Turn on Line Focus

In the panel, look for Focus ruler (also called Line Focus).

Click the toggle switch next to it to turn it on. The toggle will turn green when it is enabled.

The page will immediately dim except for a strip of text where you can focus.


Step 6: Customize the Focus

To adjust how the line focus looks, scroll to the Settings section below the toggles in the same panel.

Here you can change the size, color, and opacity of the focus area.


Focus Settings

In the Settings section, you can customize the following:

  • Height – Adjust how tall the focused reading area is. Make it taller to see more lines or shorter to focus on just one line.

  • Color – Choose the color of the dimmed area around your focus strip. Darker colors create more contrast.

  • Opacity – Adjust how dark the dimmed area is. Higher opacity makes the surrounding area darker.

Tip: For the best reading experience, use a dark mask color with a higher opacity. The focus area follows your mouse automatically, creating a spotlight effect as you read down the page.


Video Tutorial


Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please contact the Helperbird support team. You can reach us at Helperbird support. We are happy to help you get the most out of Helperbird.

What People Are Saying

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I've been meaning to write this review for a while now. My daughter is newly diagnosed with dyslexia and I heard an interview with Robert on a Newstalk podcast and sought it out. I wasn't sure if I had it installed correctly on her laptop and Robert was on straight away to help. He was amazing. This app has changed everything for my daughter. Everything is accessible to her and everyday tasks and schoolwork are so much easier. She also has visual stress so the coloured overlay feature is a game changer for her. I would highly recommend this app to anyone, she couldn't be without it now!

James Summer

James Summer

Helperbird user

My son has dyslexia and has been struggling with parts of distant learning over the last year. We recently discovered this software and he is loving everything about it, especially with the ease of following directions and completing his assignments! We have used several other tools but this has everything a dyslexia person needs all in one bundle! The upgrade is definitely worth it to make our daily struggles, on the computer, run much smoother. I also greatly appreciate customer support (helpdesk). They went above and beyond to make sure we were all set up on the computer for my son to most successful.

Melissa Motz

Melissa Motz

Teacher

Amazing in eliminating embarrassing mistakes. Am one happy kid here!

Brian Borland

Brian Borland

Helperbird user

Amazing Extensions in chrome. I Installed in my parents computer, because my dad have a poor vision, due to bad eye surgery. this extension really helps to have able to manipulate the font and font size for more comfortable use instead of chrome zoom feature. Because the chrome zoom feature is its overly zoom will cause the page looking super weird.

Kai Tam

Kai Tam

Helperbird user

Love the new ruler. Thank you so much and cant wait for the Google docs add on.

A Google User

A Google User

Helperbird user

Talking to the Helperbird support team during their live stream was a great experience. They gave me a preview of what's coming to Helperbird for Firefox, and I'm really excited about it. I'd give a 5/5 rating for the current features and the sneak peek.

Herchel Pur

Herchel Pur

Firefox user

Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

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