# why doesnt the \[size\] tag work?---- **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 25, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880 "2006-03-25T20:09:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/1 "2006-03-25T20:09:21Z")
when I post something with the size tag it usually is screwed up like this: 1:this should be twice as big, and is using the tag: size=+2 2:[size =-2]but this should be half as big, and isn’t!![/size] using size=-2 so how do I type a sentence in smaller than usual size? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/2 "2006-03-25T20:23:31Z")
I’m guessing you are using Internet Explorer, as I am. I had the same problem, and here’s the deal. Go to “View” at the top of the screen. On the drop-down menu, find Text Size. When that box pops up, make sure you select Medium. All the size coding hinges on that Medium setting. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/3 "2006-03-26T00:31:04Z")
This is tiny, right? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/4 "2006-03-26T00:32:25Z")
Okay, since mine worked (for me, anyway)… I used (size=1). I’m not sure why, but your (size=-2) didn’t parse at all for me, just had the vB commands on either side of the text you wanted to shrink. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/5 "2006-03-26T00:45:52Z")
Negative numbers are not supported in the [size] tag. The smallest text size is , the largest is [size=7]. Values smaller than 0 will render as normal size, 0 renders as [size=1], while those larger than 7 will render as [size=7]. [size=-2]=[size=-2]test =[size=-1]test =[size=0]test =[size=1]test =[size=2]test =[size=6]test =[size=7]test =[size=8]test ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/6 "2006-03-26T00:48:18Z")
Huh. -2 showed up as normal size in preview, but half size when I posted it. Let’s try -3: test Same as 1 in preview. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/7 "2006-03-27T13:09:34Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > when I post something with the size tag it usually is screwed up like this: > 1:this should be twice as big, and is using the tag: size=+2 > 2:but this should be half as big, and isn’t!! using size=-2 > so how do I type a sentence in smaller than usual size? I’ve removed the space from your [size=-2], now how does it look? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-size-tag-work/349880/8 "2006-03-27T13:16:40Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Go to “View” at the top of the screen. On the drop-down menu, find Text Size. When that box pops up, make sure you select Medium. All the size coding hinges on that Medium setting. Thank you! I’ve never known why I got the size differences at work but not at home.