Websites look wrong

A website may look wrong for many reasons. The website may not follow Web standards or the problem may be related to your browser settings or configuration, a Firefox/Mozilla Suite bug, or extensions or programs that are blocking web content. If you don't find an answer below, look through all articles related to web page display, listed here.

These articles provide more information and contain solutions to common website problems:

• Images or animations don't load or look wrong
• Website colors are wrong
• Problematic extensions
• Error loading some websites

Other solutions:

• In Firefox, go to Go to "View -> Page style" and change "No Style" (in Mozilla Suite, "View -> Use Style" and change "Basic Page Style") to whatever is there if it's not already checked. Conversely, websites designed with faulty CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) can cause page display problems with things like font, color and layout. In such cases, using the "No Style" or basic setting may allow page content not otherwise viewable to be displayed, using only the HTML layout [1].
• Sometimes incremental reflow bugs or layout problems on a specific page can be fixed by forcing a page reflow. This can be as simple as changing the font size of the page, resizing the window, toggling the page style or reloading the page. (A common example, the bottom portion of some Microsoft kb articles are cut off [2])
• Clear your cache and cookies in Firefox "Privacy" options (under "Cache" and "Cookies" ) or in Mozilla Suite preferences (under "Advanced -> Cache" and "Privacy & Security -> Cookies -> Cookie Manager").
• The page may require cookies or popup windows. Enable these features in Firefox options under Content (Web Features in 1.0.x) or in Mozilla Suite's preference settings under "Privacy & Security -> "Popup Windows" and "Cookies". Also check for related settings in your internet security software.
• Many websites need JavaScript to work correctly and some require Java. Make sure these features are enabled in your browser settings and are not being blocked by an extension or by your internet security software.
• Install a user agent spoofer, such as the User Agent Switcher extension, to make the web site think you are using a different browser.

If the website doesn't work in Firefox or Mozilla Suite by design, the best long term solution is to respectfully ask the website developer if they can make their page work in Firefox/Mozilla Suite. For help on doing this, see the Tech Evangelism project page.

Possible solutions for website developers

• Ensure your code completely or nearly validates to W3 specifications. Use the HTML Validator and the CSS Validator to find errors in your website.
• Check the JavaScript Console for errors and warnings.
• Post in the Web Development forum at mozillaZine to get help with your site.