News sites and Medium with migraine: Reading mode and fewer ads

Updated 2026-11-02

Quick answerNews sites and blogs like Medium mix text with moving ads and autoplay video. Chrome's Reading mode opens the article in the side panel with your own font, size, color theme and spacing. Mute noisy sites in Chrome site settings, zoom in for bigger text, and block autoplay to stop videos starting.

Reading mode

  1. Open the article in Chrome.
  2. Right-click and choose Open in reading mode (or use the side panel menu).
  3. Choose a dark color theme, larger font and wider line spacing.

Mute a site

  1. Click the icon left of the address, then Site settings.
  2. Set Sound to Mute.

Good to know

  • Reading mode isn't available on every website.
  • Migraine Mode adds what the site lacks: dimming, a soft-green tint, smart dark mode, frozen GIFs and blocked autoplay, all with one switch.

FAQ

Can Chrome remove clutter from articles?

Yes. Reading mode shows the main text in the side panel.

How do I stop a news site playing sound?

Set Sound to Mute in that site's Chrome site settings.

Sources

  • Google Chrome Help: Use Reading mode in the side panel. Link
  • Google Chrome Help: Change site settings permissions (including Sound). Link
  • Google Chrome Help: Change text, image and video sizes (zoom). Link
  • Wilkins AJ, Nimmo-Smith MI. The clarity and comfort of printed text. Ergonomics 1987;30(12):1705–1720. Link

Not a medical device and not medical advice. Migraine Mode is a screen-comfort tool: it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine or any other condition, and it does not replace a doctor. Its settings are based on studies of light, colour, flicker, patterns and motion; the extension itself has not been clinically tested. When to see a doctor.