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UI fonts (toolbar, menus, etc.) "wrong" until I disable OR enable Theme Font & Size Changer

  • 2 replies
  • 4 have this problem
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  • Last reply by Morgan19

Morgan19
Morgan19
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Hopefully I can explain this correctly...

A week or two ago, I was running an older version of Firefox--maybe v48 or so. I updated to v51 or v52 and suddenly noticed that my UI fonts were, for lack of a better word, "wrong". Not webpage fonts, but Firefox's itself: the menu bar (File, Edit, etc.), my bookmarks bar, dialog windows, and so on all had weird kerning, too-tight or too-loose spacing between letters, etc. enough that I noticed immediately.

Attempting to remedy this, I installed the Theme Font Size & Changer, specified my UI font to MS Sans Serif (what I'd been using prior to the update), and everything looked fine. The next time I restarted Firefox, though, I noticed the same issues with spacing and the UI fonts looking off again. I double-checked my add-ons and the Font Size Changer was on; I disabled it, and suddenly the fonts jumped back to normal.

So what I've discovered is that EVERY time I start FF now, UI fonts look wrong, and the only fix is either disabling or enabling the Changer add-on: basically making it the opposite of how it was at FF's startup. So it's not turning the Changer ON that fixes the problem, it's simply reversing its state (at least until the next restart, when I have to repeat it).

In addition, I've tried starting FF in safe mode, disabling all add-ons, and installing the 64-bit version (I'd been running 32), all to no avail. UI fonts still look goofy until I enable or disable the Changer add-on.

Does anyone have ANY idea what's going on? This is driving me nuts...

Hopefully I can explain this correctly... A week or two ago, I was running an older version of Firefox--maybe v48 or so. I updated to v51 or v52 and suddenly noticed that my UI fonts were, for lack of a better word, "wrong". Not webpage fonts, but Firefox's itself: the menu bar (File, Edit, etc.), my bookmarks bar, dialog windows, and so on all had weird kerning, too-tight or too-loose spacing between letters, etc. enough that I noticed immediately. Attempting to remedy this, I installed the Theme Font Size & Changer, specified my UI font to MS Sans Serif (what I'd been using prior to the update), and everything looked fine. The next time I restarted Firefox, though, I noticed the same issues with spacing and the UI fonts looking off again. I double-checked my add-ons and the Font Size Changer was on; I disabled it, and suddenly the fonts jumped back to normal. So what I've discovered is that EVERY time I start FF now, UI fonts look wrong, and the only fix is either disabling or enabling the Changer add-on: basically making it the opposite of how it was at FF's startup. So it's not turning the Changer ON that fixes the problem, it's simply reversing its state (at least until the next restart, when I have to repeat it). In addition, I've tried starting FF in safe mode, disabling all add-ons, and installing the 64-bit version (I'd been running 32), all to no avail. UI fonts still look goofy until I enable or disable the Changer add-on. Does anyone have ANY idea what's going on? This is driving me nuts...

All Replies (2)

Scribe
Scribe
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Hi, I think Theme Font & Size Changer is just confusing the issue, bcause you shouldn't need it.

I'm going to suggest that you try Refresh, but before you do it, since it can very occasionally cause issues of its own - to be on the safe side, I would backup your bookmarks: Open bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Backup. Or, Export Bookmarks to HTML, and save them to somewhere convenient on your computer. Note that Backup will overwrite any existing bookmarks when you restore them. For extra safety, I'd suggest making both a Backup - which creates a JSON file, and an HTML file. You can instead backup all your data by copying your Profile, but this requires some technical expertise - Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles.

The Refresh feature (called "Reset" in older Firefox versions) can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your bookmarks, history, passwords, cookies, and other essential information.

Note: When you use this feature, you will lose any extensions, toolbar customizations, and some preferences. See the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article for more information. You might want to make a note of your add-ons!

To Refresh Firefox:

  1. Open the Troubleshooting Information page using one of these methods:
    • Click the menu button New Fx Menu, click help Help-29 and select Troubleshooting Information. A new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.
    • If you're unable to access the Help menu, type about:support in your address bar to bring up the Troubleshooting Information page.
  2. At the top right corner of the page, you should see a button that says "Refresh Firefox" ("Reset Firefox" in older Firefox versions). Click on it.
  3. Firefox will close. After the refresh process is completed, Firefox will show a window with the information that is imported.
  4. Click Finish and Firefox will reopen.

Did this fix the problem? Please report back to us!

Thank you.

Morgan19
Morgan19 Question owner
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Hi Scribe,

Thank you so much for the suggestion(s). After dilligently backing up my bookmarks and profile, and taking screenshots of my add-ons, I ran the refresh. After a few minutes of getting things set up properly again, and a few restarts, it looks like my UI fonts are back to normal. Fingers crossed they stay that way. :)