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How to Use Browser Developer Tools to Inspect Elements and Modify CSS

When customizing your WordPress site, you may need to tweak the appearance of certain elements using CSS. Every modern browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, comes with built-in Developer Tools that allow you to inspect HTML elements and modify their styles live.

This tutorial will walk you through how to use Developer Tools to inspect elements and make CSS modifications effectively.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Open Developer Tools in Your Browser

Each browser has built-in developer tools that let you inspect elements and test CSS changes live. Below are the shortcuts to open Developer Tools:

  • Google Chrome & Edge: Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Cmd + Option + I on Mac)
  • Firefox: Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Cmd + Option + I on Mac)
  • Safari: Enable Developer Menu first (Safari > Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar), then press Cmd + Option + I

Alternatively, you can right-click on any element on your webpage and select “Inspect” (or “Inspect Element” in Firefox).

Step 2: Inspecting an HTML Element

  1. Once Developer Tools is open, you’ll see the Elements (or Inspector) tab.
  2. Move your cursor over the HTML structure and hover over different elements to highlight them on your page.
  3. When you click on an element, you will see its CSS styles displayed in the Styles pane.

Example:
If you want to modify a button, right-click on it, select Inspect, and you will see its HTML structure along with the associated CSS styles.

Step 3: Modifying CSS in Developer Tools

You can test CSS changes live before applying them to your website.

  1. Locate the Styles tab inside Developer Tools.
  2. Find the CSS rules associated with the selected element.
  3. Modify the CSS values directly and see the changes in real-time.

Example:
Let’s say you want to change the button’s background color. If you find this CSS:

.button {
    background-color: #0088cc;
    color: #ffffff;
}

You can edit it directly in Developer Tools and change the color to red:

.button {
    background-color: red;
}

Note: These changes are temporary and will be lost once you refresh the page.

Step 4: Applying CSS Changes to Your Site

After testing the changes in Developer Tools, you need to apply them permanently.

  1. Copy the modified CSS from Developer Tools.
  2. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
  3. Navigate to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS.
  4. Paste the CSS code and click Publish.

Alternatively, if you are using a custom style.css file, you can add the CSS there.

Bonus: Finding CSS Selectors Easily

If you’re unsure which CSS selector to use, follow these steps:

  • Look for class or id attributes in the Elements tab.
  • Class selectors start with a dot (.), e.g., .button
  • ID selectors start with a hash (#), e.g., #submit-button
  • You can combine selectors for more specific targeting, e.g.:
#membership-form .button {
    background-color: green;
}