Websites look wrong or appear differently than they should

Firefox Firefox Last updated: 25% of users voted this helpful

This article explains how to fix problems with websites that display incorrectly in Firefox or don't work the way they should.

Clear the cookies and cache

Firefox caches websites, which means it saves some files on your machine so that it doesn't have to re-download everything when you visit sites. If a website has updated their code, Firefox may still be using some of the old code along with some of the new, which can make a web page display incorrectly. To fix this, you need to clear the cookies and cache:

  1. Click the menu button Fx89menuButton to open the menu panel.
  2. Click History and select Clear recent history…
  3. In the Time range to clear: drop-down, select Everything.
  4. Below the drop-down menu, select both Cookies and Cache. Make sure other items you want to keep are not selected.
  5. Click Clear Now.
  1. Click the menu button Fx89menuButton to open the menu panel.
  2. Click History and select Clear recent history…
  3. In the When: drop-down, select Everything.
  4. Below the drop-down menu, select both Cookies and site data and Temporary cached files and pages. Make sure other items you want to keep are not selected.
  5. Click Clear.
Now that your cookies and cache are cleared, visit the website again to see if the problem is solved.

Reset Zoom

Some websites may not look right at different zoom levels. To reset Zoom setting, for the site, press Ctrl + 0command + 0 and for all sites, see the documentation about the Zoom add-on you use.

Reset the minimum font size

Some sites do not display properly with a minimum font size. To reset the minimum font size:

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. Select the General panel and navigate to Language and Appearance.
  3. In the Fonts & Colors section, click Advanced….
  4. Change the Minimum font size to None.

Reset the page style

You may have inadvertently set the page style to No Style. To ensure Firefox is set to use the page's default style:

  • Press the Alt key (or the AltGr key) to temporarily bring up the Firefox Menu barOn the menu bar at the top of the Firefox window, click on the View menu, then select Page Style and click Basic Page Style.

Now that the page is using its default style, it may be displayed correctly.

Check that JavaScript is not blocked

You should check whether you have an extension (such as NoScript) or Internet security program (such as a firewall, antivirus, or anti-spyware program) that can block JavaScript. To learn more, see JavaScript settings and preferences for interactive web pages.

Check that your system clock is set correctly

In some instances the loading and verification of secure web content will be time-dependent, so you should check that date, time and timezone are set correctly on your system.

Disable problematic extensions or hardware acceleration

Some extensions may interfere with the way websites are displayed, or your graphics card and drivers don't display some web content correctly when hardware acceleration is turned on. Follow the instructions in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to see if one of these is causing the problem.

Check if Firefox has blocked insecure content

Firefox blocks potentially harmful, insecure content on web pages that are supposed to be secure. Click the padlock icon Fx89Padlock in the address bar to see if Firefox has blocked insecure parts of the page. See Mixed content blocking in Firefox for details.

Turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection for the website

If a site seems broken, disabling Enhanced Tracking Protection might fix the issue by allowing trackers on just that site. It allows trackers to load on that site only. Enhanced Tracking Protection will still prevent trackers on other sites. To disable it:

  1. Visit the website.
  2. At the left of the address bar, click the Fx89ShieldIcon shield icon.
  3. At the top right of the panel, toggle off the Enhanced Tracking Protection switch Fx91ETPbluetoggle. This will disable Enhanced Tracking Protection for the site, causing the page to automatically reload and enable trackers.
    Protection panel

Follow the same process to turn Enhanced Tracking Protection back on.

If the issue persists, consider reporting it by submitting a Broken Site Report. This allows the Webcompat team to examine the problem. For more information, see How do I report a broken site in Firefox desktop?

Report the website

If turning off Enhanced Tracking Protection allows a page to display and work correctly, you can report the website to help improve Firefox. See the How do I report a broken site in Firefox desktop? article for more information.

Occasionally, you may come across a page that simply doesn't work in Firefox, even when Enhanced Tracking Protection is turned off. If the same page works in another browser, please report the problem with our desktop reporting tool, or by visiting Webcompat.com.

Related links




Based on information from Websites look wrong (mozillaZine KB)

Was this article helpful?

Please wait...

These fine people helped write this article:

Illustration of hands

Volunteer

Grow and share your expertise with others. Answer questions and improve our knowledge base.

Learn More