Why is Firefox is resizing websites?
Since the last update (version 22) my browser seems to be randomly resizing websites to show much larger than their native resolution. I have two websites of my own and they look dreadful when re-sized. I spent hours refining them and getting them just the way I want them so my concern is that the viewing public aren't seeing them the way that I intended if this is a common issue.
I can zoom back out so they look as they should but as soon as I restart the browser the problem re-appears. This never happened with the previous version, why is it doing it now?
All Replies (12)
Hello,
Firefox on Windows is now following display scaling options which may render text larger on high resolution displays. You can adjust your screen resolution. To modify it do the following:
- Type about:config into the Firefox address bar and tap on the Enter key.
- If the warning This might void your warranty appears, click I'll be careful, I promise.
- Search for layout.css.devPixelsPerPx
- Double-click on layout.css.devPixelsPerPx to modify its value. The default is -1.0 in Firefox 22 and above. Change it to 1.0 to make it work like in previous Firefox versions.
If necessary, further adjust the value in 0.1 or 0.05 steps. Use values between 1.0 and about 0.5 to reduce elements in size. Use values greater than 1.0 to increase size. For example, a value of 1.25 will increase font size to 125% to accommodate the default DPI setting in Windows 8. Double check the value that you enter. Setting a too small value will make everything disappear and a too large value will blow things up.
If web pages still need to be adjusted then you can look at the Default FullZoom Level or NoSquint extension.
To adjust the font size for the user interface, you can use the Theme Font & Size Changer extension.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.
thanks for your reply. This is extremely worrying. Are you basically saying that all users of Firefox are now going to view my websites larger than I originally intended?
This would mean my carefully thought out graphics will now be enlarged so they pixelate and text shows larger than I intended it to. This really is totally unacceptable, surely this can't be the case??
You can also see if its just you by hitting Ctrl + 0
Hi, I'm afraid you're missing the point. If you're saying that this is something that Firefox automatically does from this version on, I'm worried that all my hard work in getting my own websites (i.e. websites I created to advertise my business) to display just the way I want them too at their native resolution is going to be over-ridden by Firefox deciding to resize them on a seemingly random basis.
Do you know if this is the case or is the problem only with my browser?
Only for users who have changed their DPI settings through the windows control panel (low vision or very high resolution screens).
Slightly confused. I haven't changed any display resolution settings on my computer but I'm getting the problem. From doing a quick search I see I'm not alone.
Surely the easiest thing is for Firefox to change it back so the browser only shows websites at their native resolution?
You can try my solutions above though.
Not really getting anywhere with this. Thanks for your help but my issue is with Firefox seemingly creating a solution to a problem that didn't exist in the first place.
Why don't you post a link to your 2 websites so that we can see how they look in Firefox on our PCs.
Sorry if it is causing you problems. It certainly seems to have caught a few users by surprise. I have not looked at the input feed back but I can see quite a few threads in this forum relating to the change.
I am not a web designer, but presumably it must be realised that content will be viewed on a variety of devices and sizes of screen. One then may also need to take into account what zoom factors may be used.
When using Firefox it will try to remember the Firefox zoom setting on a per site basis, so normally if a user does need to zoom a site they will automatically see the same on a repeat visit.
Note Firefox now has a built in tool that will allow you to see how a site looks in different screen resolutions and rotated landscape/portrait.
- use FirefoxButton -> Tools -> Web Developer -> Responsive Design View
- see https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Tools/Responsive_Design_View
I understand this change may have been made to ensure Firefox remains compatible with Hi Resolution displays now supported by modern OS es (Bug 816709 - (metro-hidpi) enable HiDPI for content and chrome in metrofx )
Incidentally this is a support site and tries to provide solutions to problems, but is not for discussing development issues and development decisions other than as necessary to help Firefox users resolve problems. You will not get developer attention by posting here.
You could provide feedback using
Or you could try to find a forum where development is discussed
Thanks for your replies.
My websites for information are:
www.chrishumphreys.net www.chp-architecturalphotography.com
I guess I'm just surprised and slightly annoyed that this has happened. My sites were showing just fine on all formats before the change and now seem to be getting randomly enlarged. I spent a lot of time on the graphics so don't really want a third party deciding to zoom my site for the sake of it.
It is extremely annoying. I to correct my page get it to where I want it then when close and reopen it's back to where it was.