Safari rendering problem (overlarge text)

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Level 1

6 points

Safari rendering problem (overlarge text)

Hi

On many websites, including Facebook.com and even this Apple support site, my Safari is rendering certain text sections much larger than they should be, causing the sites to look very strange or sometimes unreadable. It only happens in my Safari on Yosemite, not in any of the iPad or iPhones, and not in my Yosemite based Chrome.

Could someone please suggest which settings might be responsible for this? I already have the view set to actual size. After experimenting with "Zoom text only" I noticed that some text sections zoom, while others don't (or not so much). For example on Facebook.com the left column text seems to expand more than the main column text. Hopefully that is a clue to the solution.

Posted on Jul 30, 2015 7:51 AM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Jul 30, 2015 8:21 AM in response to garry232uk

From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions

Turn all extensions OFF and test. If the problem is resolved, turn extensions back ON and then disable them one or a few at a time until you find the culprit.

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Answer 2

garry232uk Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 30, 2015 8:59 AM in response to Linc Davis

I should have mentioned - no extensions installed. Any other ideas please?

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Jul 30, 2015 9:05 AM in response to garry232uk

Please post a screenshot that shows what you mean. Be careful not to include any private information.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

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Answer 4

garry232uk Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 31, 2015 7:08 AM in response to Linc Davis

Here are four screenshots which hopefully make the issue clear, and thanks for explaining how to add them!

The first site (one of mine) shows the issue most clearly, but I've included Facebook shots too so you can see it's not an HTML coding issue. Note in particular that Safari on the iOS devices renders these sites correctly, so I'm sure it's a problem with my Yosemite setup, however a colleague is experiencing the same issue so it's not just me, and I'd like to workout how many users are likely to experience my site messed up in this way:

PIBULJ.com in my Yosemite Safari:

PIBULJ.com in Chrome (and everything else, as it should look):

Facebook.com left sidebar in my Yosemite Safari:

Facebook.com left sidebar in Chrome (and everything else, as it should look):

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Jul 31, 2015 7:29 AM in response to garry232uk

Have you set a minimum font size in the Advanced tab of the preferences window?

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Answer 6

garry232uk Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 31, 2015 8:33 AM in response to Linc Davis

Yes that has solved it, thanks!

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Answer 7

Aug 24, 2015 2:58 AM in response to garry232uk

A solution I have done was enable developer tools in advanced settings. I then render these problem sites in Safari 7 mode and it fixed a lot of problems with rendering. I found several sites that Safari 8 when I signed in would not display the comment section of a page. Then I used developer mode and rendered in a older Safari version and they comment section came back. Gee, I felt like I was back using Internet Explorer trying to figure out how to display a web page. Does Safari need Compatibility view now? Not really Safari that's the problem but for the end user that is the perception.

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