{"id":10237,"date":"2017-10-13T14:34:56","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T18:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/?p=10237"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:47:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:47:22","slug":"how-to-use-google-chrome-developer-tools-to-customize-css-in-boldgrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wordpress-tutorials\/how-to-use-google-chrome-developer-tools-to-customize-css-in-boldgrid\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Google Chrome Developer Tools to Customize CSS in BoldGrid"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<p>The Google Chrome browser includes <em>Developer Tools<\/em> to assist with the development of a website. For instance, by using its device toolbar you can easily preview websites as they would display on various mobile devices. There are also tools that allow you to Inspect Elements on a page and make edits to the CSS live (without affecting your website for other visitors). This can be useful in developing and previewing CSS modifications to your existing website prior to making those changes live in the BoldGrid CSS Editor. In this guide, you will learn <strong>how to use Google&rsquo;s DevTools to inspect an element, modify the CSS live, and add CSS changes to BoldGrid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"opening-chrome-developer-tools\">Opening Chrome Developer Tools<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/chrome\/answer\/95346?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10246\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/chrome-web-browser.png\" alt=\"Google Chrome Web Browser Details\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Open the Google Chrome browser. If your computer does not have this browser, you will need to <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/chrome\/answer\/95346?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">install Google Chrome<\/a> in order to utilize the DevTools included.&nbsp;\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/visit-example-website.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10252\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/visit-example-website.png\" alt=\"Example Site: Gallery Page\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Visit your website and navigate to a page that you want to make changes on.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>To open Google Developer Tools you can follow any of the steps below:\n<ul>\n<li>Press the <strong>F12<\/strong> key.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-developer-tools-from-settings-menu.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10254\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-developer-tools-from-settings-menu.png\" alt=\"Open Developer tools from More tools menu inside of Main Menu\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Select the <strong>Menu<\/strong> icon, hover over <strong>More Tools<\/strong>, and click on <strong>Developer tools<\/strong>.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>Press <strong>Ctrl + Shift + I<\/strong> (for Windows\/Linux) or <strong>Command + Option + I<\/strong> (for Mac).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-developer-tools-inspect-element.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10257\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-developer-tools-inspect-element.png\" alt=\"Open Developer tools using Inspect\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Right-click on an element on your website page and select <strong>Inspect<\/strong>.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now that you are familiar with accessing Google Developer Tools, you will be able to inspect CSS elements to modify them live.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inspect-an-element\">Inspect an Element<\/h2>\n<p>Inspecting an element helps to identify the code needed to modify a particular object on your website. Google Developer Tools simplifies this process by displaying and highlighting the specific code that renders the element being inspected.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-element-button.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10259\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-element-button.png\" alt=\"Developer tools Select Element button highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Open Google Developer Tools and click the <strong>Select Element<\/strong> icon from the top left.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\" alt=\"Page Title element inspected and code highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Now, as you hover over elements on your page, they will be highlighted. Click on any object (text, heading, image, etc) that you would like to customize. Notice the <em>Elements<\/em> tab displays and highlights the HTML for the element.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Inspecting an element is the first step to implementing the code needed to modify the object you want. However, DevTools also allows you to modify the code live.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"making-live-changes-to-css\">Making Live Changes to CSS<\/h2>\n<p>Google Chrome provides the ability to make changes to the CSS live from within the DevTools Console. This ensures that you are able to preview the changes yourself without affecting the appearance of your website for other visitors. There is no need to refresh your browser to see the changes, they are updated in real-time. In fact, if you refresh your browser after making changes in the Developer Tools console, your changes will be lost because the browser will reload the unmodified version of your website. Using Chrome for live CSS testing also ensures that your live website&rsquo;s actual code remains untouched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\"><b>NOTE:<\/b> In this tutorial, we will be modifying the color of the <em>Page Titles<\/em> displayed on certain pages. The code in this guide is unique to the website developed for the screenshots in our examples. You should use the unique code you find while inspecting an element to modify your CSS accordingly.<\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\" alt=\"Page Title element inspected and code highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Navigate to a page of your website that you would like to modify the CSS for and inspect an element.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/computed-tab.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10264\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/computed-tab.png\" alt=\"Computed tab displayed and highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click on the <strong>Computed<\/strong> tab. A list of attributes for the inspected element is displayed.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/color-attribute-selected.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/color-attribute-selected.png\" alt=\"Color attribute selected and highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Hover over an attribute and click on the arrow icon that appears next to its value. You will be navigated to the <strong>Styles<\/strong> tab and the attribute for the selected element will flash briefly.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-color-changed-live.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-color-changed-live.png\" alt=\"Page Title color attribute changed live and highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>To change an attribute, you can simply click on the value and type in the new value you want. In our example, since we are changing a color attribute, a box displaying the current color value is displayed. Clicking on the box opens a color chooser to easily select a color to preview.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"adding-changes-to-css-in-boldgrid\">Adding Changes to CSS in BoldGrid<\/h2>\n<p>BoldGrid Inspirations are a great way to create your website quickly. However, depending on your personalized content, you may want to customize it further. If you want to <strong>edit the CSS<\/strong> for an Inspiration you have already installed, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/boldgrid-themes\/how-to-use-the-custom-css-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BoldGrid&rsquo;s Custom CSS Editor<\/a>, located in the <i>Advanced<\/i> section of the <i>Customizer<\/i>.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/page-title-element-selected.png\" alt=\"Page Title element inspected and code highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Navigate to a page of your website that you would like to modify the CSS for and inspect an element.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/computed-tab.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10264\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/computed-tab.png\" alt=\"Computed tab displayed and highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click on the <strong>Computed<\/strong> tab. A list of attributes for the inspected element is displayed.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/color-attribute-selected.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/color-attribute-selected.png\" alt=\"Color attribute selected and highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Hover over an attribute and click on the arrow icon that appears next to its value. You will be navigated to the <strong>Styles<\/strong> tab and the attribute for the selected element will flash briefly.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/copy-color-attribute-code.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10274\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/copy-color-attribute-code.png\" alt=\"Color attribute code Copy menu option highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Highlight the code surrounding the attribute and value, right-click on it, and then select <strong>Copy<\/strong>.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/boldgrid-login-screen.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10111\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/boldgrid-login-screen.png\" alt=\"BoldGrid Username and Password fields and Login button highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/boldgrid-inspirations-plugin-product-guide\/logging-in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Log into your BoldGrid Administrative Dashboard<\/a>.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-customize-option.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10278\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/select-customize-option.png\" alt=\"Customize option highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click on <strong>Customize<\/strong> from the menu to the left.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/advanced-option-highlighted.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/advanced-option-highlighted.png\" alt=\"Advanced option highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click on <strong>Advanced<\/strong>.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/custom-js-css-highlighted.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/custom-js-css-highlighted.png\" alt=\"Custom JS CSS highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click to select the <strong>Custom JS &amp; CSS<\/strong> option.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-editor-button.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/open-editor-button.png\" alt=\"Open Editor button highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Under <em>Custom Theme CSS<\/em> click on the <strong>Open Editor<\/strong> button.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/css-editor-paste-code.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10285\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/css-editor-paste-code.png\" alt=\"CSS Editor paste code\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Press <strong>Ctrl + V<\/strong> (<strong>Command + V<\/strong> for Mac) to paste the code you copied, into the editor.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\"><b>NOTE:<\/b> It may be necessary to override the CSS by entering the following code:<br>\n<code>!important;<\/code><br>\nbefore the closing brace &ldquo;}&rdquo; of the code you copied\/pasted. For example:<br>\nBefore:<br>\n<code>.palette-primary a, .palette-primary .link-primary {<br>\ncolor: #337ab7;<br>\n}<\/code><br>\nAfter:<br>\n<code>.palette-primary a, .palette-primary .link-primary {<br>\ncolor: #337ab7;<br>\n!important;<br>\n}<\/code><\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<ol class=\"article_list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/close-css-editor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10286\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/close-css-editor.png\" alt=\"X Close CSS Editor button\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>Click the <strong>X<\/strong> from the top right corner of the CSS editor to close it.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/save-and-publish-button.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10287\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/save-and-publish-button.png\" alt=\"Save and Publish button highlighted\" width=\"200\" height=\"400\"><\/a>The page will update instantly with your customization(s) for you to preview. Once you are satisfied, click the <strong>Save &amp; Publish<\/strong> button to save your changes.\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\"><b>NOTE:<\/b> Be sure to check all your other pages and elements to preview the new appearance and check that the CSS modification did not change something unexpectedly.<\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<p class=\"\">Now that you are familiar with this neat tool found in your Google Chrome browser, you can unleash your CSS editing skills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Google Chrome browser includes Developer Tools to assist with the development of a website. For instance, by using its device toolbar you can easily preview websites as they would display on various mobile devices. There are also tools that allow you to Inspect Elements on a page and make edits to the CSS live [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[151],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wordpress-tutorials"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/215"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10237"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163355,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10237\/revisions\/163355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}