A Full Guide on How to Inspect Elements on Your Browsers

If you're curious about how to layout and style a website, learning how to inspect elements in your browser is important. This feature allows you to examine the code that makes up a web page, test changes in real-time, and uncover hidden details without altering the actual website. 

This guide will take you through the fundamentals of how to inspect elements on popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. 

Without any further ado, let's start the discussion of how to inspect elements to understand a website's structure!

How to Use Inspect Element in Chrome

Checking elements in Chrome is a multi-purpose technique for web development and debugging, which provides insights into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

With this tool, you can inspect, edit, and test various aspects of a web page without affecting the original content, making it invaluable for developers, designers, and curious users. Here's a guide on how to use inspect element in Chrome:

1. Accessing the Inspect Tool

The first step in how to inspect an element in Chrome is to access the inspection too. Next, you can right-click on any part of the webpage and select “Inspect,” or use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows or Cmd+Opt+C on macOS. 

After that, you can also find this tool under the browser's three-dot menu in the upper right corner, then select “More Tools” > “Developer Tools.”

2. Placement and Positioning

The Inspect tool usually opens at the bottom of the browser window, but you can change its location by clicking the three-dot icon inside the panel. You can choose whether to have the tool docked to the side, bottom, or open in a separate window based on your preference.

3. Checking the HTML

The “Elements” tab lets you view the HTML structure of the page. Hovering over the code will highlight the corresponding part of the page, and the color indicates the element's border, padding, and margin. 

To find the code for a specific page element, click the cursor icon in the upper left corner of the panel, then select the element on the web page.

4. Editing Content

You can modify text or HTML elements within the Inspect tool. Right-clicking a piece of code will provide options such as “Edit as HTML,” which allows you to change the structure or add new elements. These changes only apply to your current session and will disappear when the page refreshes.

5. Customizing CSS

The “Styles” tab shows the CSS applied to the selected element. You can override CSS rules, change values, or add new styles. This is useful for exploring design customizations without changing the original site.

6. Testing Mobile View

Chrome's Inspect tool allows you to view web pages in different screen sizes. Then, click the “Toggle device toolbar” icon to simulate different devices and resolutions, allowing you to check responsiveness and design across platforms. 

After that, you can also simulate slower network conditions to assess performance.

How to Inspect Elements in Firefox

Firefox also provides great tools for inspecting and manipulating elements on a web page. 

These tools are essential for web developers, designers, and anyone interested in exploring the structure and behavior of web pages. Here's a guide on how to inspect elements in Firefox:

1. Opening Firefox's Inspector

To start inspecting elements in Firefox, you have a few options:

• Right-click any part of a web page and select "Inspect Element." This opens the inspector focused on the chosen element.
• From the top menu bar, go to "Tools" > "Web Developer" > "Inspector."
• Use the shortcut `Ctrl+Shift+C` on Windows or `Cmd+Opt+C` on macOS.

2. Navigating to a Web Page

The next step in how to inspect an element is navigating to a web page. Once you have the inspector open, navigate to the web page you'd like to inspect.

3. Changing the Inspector's Position

By default, the inspector appears at the bottom of the browser window. You can change its position by selecting the three-dot icon in the inspector's top right corner and choosing a new dock position (bottom, right, or separate window).

4. Exploring HTML

The inspector panel displays the HTML structure of the web page. Highlighting parts of the code reveals the corresponding elements on the page, with different colors representing content (blue), padding (purple), and margins (yellow). 

5. Selecting and Inspecting Elements

You can choose elements on the web page to reveal their underlying HTML in the inspector. To do this, click the cursor icon in the top-left corner of the inspector, then click on any element on the web page to view its source code.

6. Modifying Page Elements

In this step of how to inspect elements, Firefox's inspector allows you to change, add, or delete page elements. 
 

Next, double-clicking on a piece of text within the HTML lets you edit it. To add a new element, right-click and select "Edit as HTML" or "Create New Node." To delete an element, simply remove the corresponding HTML code.

7. Toggling CSS Styles

The inspector also includes a section to view and modify CSS styles. At the bottom of the inspector, you'll find the "Filter Styles" area. You can uncheck CSS declarations to deactivate them or add your own CSS rules to see their effect in real-time.

8. Previewing Mobile Views

Firefox has a "Responsive Design Mode" for testing how a web page appears on different devices and screen sizes. Click the "Responsive Design Mode" icon in the inspector's top right corner to activate it. 

In addition, you can choose from preset screen resolutions or set custom dimensions, and even simulate various connection speeds and device pixel ratios.

How to Inspect Elements in Safari

Safari, like Google Chrome, has a built-in tool for inspecting web elements, allowing developers and users to examine, edit, and test web page content. Here's a brief guide on how to inspect elements in Safari using its Web Inspector tool:

1. Enabling Safari's Developer Tools

Before you can inspect elements, you need to enable Safari's developer tools. Go to Safari's menu, select "Preferences," then "Advanced." Check the box for "Show Develop menu in the menu bar." This adds a "Develop" option to Safari's menu, providing access to developer features.

2. Opening Web Inspector

Once developer tools are enabled, navigate to a web page you wish to inspect. You can open Web Inspector in several ways:

• Right-click on any part of the page and select "Inspect Element."
• Use the Develop menu and choose "Show Web Inspector."
• Use the shortcut `Command-Option-I`.

3. Adjusting the Inspector Panel

By default, Safari's Web Inspector opens at the bottom of the window. You can change its position by clicking the icons next to the "X" in the top left corner. Options include docking to the right or opening in a separate window.

4. Exploring HTML and CSS

The Web Inspector panel has two primary sections. The left column shows the HTML structure of the page, while the right column displays the CSS rules applied to selected elements. 

Next, you need to hover over HTML lines to see corresponding highlights on the web page—blue for content, green for padding, and orange for margins.

5. Selecting and Inspecting Elements

Use the cursor icon in the top-left corner to select elements directly on the web page. This reveals the corresponding HTML code in the inspector, allowing you to explore and inspect specific page parts.

6. Editing Page Content

You can modify the page's content in real-time using Web Inspector. Right-click an HTML element and select "Edit" to change text or "Add" to insert new elements. Deleting elements or toggling visibility is also possible through right-click options.

7. Editing CSS Declarations

The next step in how to inspect elements in Safari is editing CSS declarations. The Styles column on the right allows you to change, activate, or deactivate CSS rules. You can test how different CSS changes affect the page's layout and appearance.

8. Testing Mobile Views

To see how a web page looks on mobile devices, select "Develop" from the menu bar and choose "Enter Responsive Design Mode." This mode lets you preview the page on various device layouts, including iPhone and iPad, and test your changes across different screen sizes.

3 Tools You Can Acess in Inspect Element

Inspecting Elements has so many tools for you to explore. These tools can help us change the look of our website in many different ways. For this section, we will focus on 3 main tools: Search, Elements, and Emulation. Here are 3 tools you can access through Inspect Element:

1. Search Tool

Purpose: The Search tool allows you to find specific text, CSS properties, JavaScript, or any other content across all files in a webpage.

Usage: Use keyboard shortcuts like “Ctrl + F` or `Command + F” to search within the Elements tab. 

To search across all files on a page, click the hamburger menu in the Developer Tools pane and select "Search." This tool helps find metadata, specific colors, SEO keywords, or other elements of interest.

2. Elements Tab

Purpose: The Elements tab is the core of Inspect Element, allowing you to view and modify the HTML and CSS of a webpage. It lets you experiment with temporary changes to text, styles, and page structure.

Usage: Click the "Select Element" icon in the top-left corner to choose elements on a page, then make changes in the Elements tab. Double-clicking an element allows you to edit text. You can also add or delete HTML nodes, change CSS properties, and manipulate the page's layout.

3. Emulation Tab

Purpose: Emulation simulates different devices, screen sizes, and network conditions, helping you test website responsiveness and performance in various environments.

Usage: Click the phone icon in the top-left corner of the Developer Tools pane to enter Responsive Design Mode. This mode allows you to select from various device presets or set custom dimensions. You can also simulate different network conditions and device sensors.

Conclusion

That was the full explanation of how to inspect elements for each browser. As you can see, Inspect Element is a great tool that offers insights into a website's structure, design, and functionality. 

Additionally, this tool also becomes a crucial part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), allowing you to verify metadata, check keyword placement, and ensure the correct implementation of SEO elements.

With the strategic SEOlutions, it will help you to gain visibility as it directly impacts search engine rankings and user traffic. 

To maximize the SEO strategy, you can consult with a professional SEO agency like cmlabs because we can assist you in optimizing your website for search engines, improving your site's performance, and attracting more visitors.

Try SEO Services by cmlabs to see how our professional team can help you reach your business goals and needs. Contact us now!