1714422 - [Linux] Firefox not respecting OS scrollbar width setting

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Core :: Widget: Gtk, defect, P3)

Description

[Ivan Boothe]

Attachment: Screenshot - Linux Mint scrollbar settings and Firefox's scrollbar

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux x86_64; rv:89.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/89.0

Steps to reproduce:

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux x86_64; rv:89.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/89.0
Build ID: 20210527174632
Distribution ID: mint
OS: Linux 5.4.0-73-generic #82-Ubuntu SMP Wed Apr 14 17:39:42 UTC 2021

After the upgrade to FF89.0, FF is not respecting the system OS scrollbar width setting.

This was addressed in https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1698783 for Windows, but doesn't seem to be addressed in Linux.

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1714039 may also be related.

Actual results:

Attached is a screenshot of Linux Mint's Theme Settings control panel; note the "Scrollbar width (px)" setting of 15px circled in red.

Other applications respect this setting. Included in the screenshot is an image of Firefox's scrollbar displaying quite a bit thinner than the OS setting.

Expected results:

For accessibility reasons, among others, Firefox should respect the OS setting for scrollbar width.

Comment 1

[Ivan Boothe]

Description:
The width of the scrollbar should provide a sufficiently-wide target area for all users, and for low-vision users should be adequately visible.

If the user has increased the scrollbar width at the OS level to improve the target size/visibility, Firefox should respect that.

As this was fixed in Windows (see bug linked in original post), it should also be fixed in Linux.

How do we test this?
In Linux, using theme settings (varies by Linux flavor and desktop environment e.g. Cinnamon, Mate, etc.) to adjust the scrollbar width system-wide. Open Firefox and observe if the scrollbar width matches the OS setting.

Please describe the accessibility guidelines you considered and what steps you've taken to address them:
This is related to the browser chrome and theming and isn't mentioned in the accessibility release guidelines, but is similar to the guidelines around Markup Languages > Form Controls.

Describe any areas of concern to which you want the accessibility team to give special attention:
Click and touch targets, low-vision needs.

Comment 2

[Andrei Purice]

Hey Ivan,
Can you test the issue while in Safe Mode? You can find helpful info here : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode .
Also a fresh new profile could help. You can find more about creating a new profile here : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-and-diagnose-firefox-problems#w_6-create-a-new-firefox-profile .
If possible, you can test this issue on the nightly build as well. Download the build from : https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/nightly/all/ .

Comment 3

[Ivan Boothe]

Andrei:

I've tested it in Safe Mode and with a new blank profile. It's the same experience.

I don't know if I can run a nightly build alongside my main install (which I use for work) but I'll see what I can do.

But it really seems like the default behavior.

Comment 4

[Andrei Purice]

Since this issue already has a component the dev team will take over from here and hopefully they will have a fix for it.

Comment 5

[James Teh [:Jamie]]

The a11y-review flag is intended for developers or designers implementing changes/features and requesting help from the accessibility team. That said, I've added the access keyword here so this is flagged as an accessibility issue and will be included as part of accessibility triage. Thanks.

Comment 6

[MarjaE]

In Fedora, default scrollbars are too narrow; Firefox scrollbars are even narrower.

Comment 7

[MarjaE]

In this case a workaround is to take widget.non-native-theme.scrollbar.size.override and set it to something reasonable; 25 or 30 seem good to me.

Comment 8

[Jer Hea]

Certainly, I'd be happy to help you with the issue you're facing in Linux with Firefox not respecting the OS scrollbar width setting.

If Firefox is not following the OS's scrollbar width setting, it could be due to various reasons. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

Check Firefox Version: Ensure that you are using the latest version of Firefox. Sometimes, these issues are fixed in newer releases.

Check System Settings: Verify that your OS's scrollbar width setting is correctly configured. Depending on the Linux distribution and desktop environment you're using, the steps to adjust the scrollbar width might vary. Generally, you can find these settings in the system's Appearance or Theme settings.

Extensions/Themes: If you are using any custom themes or extensions in Firefox, they might be affecting the scrollbar appearance. Try disabling any themes or extensions that modify Firefox's interface and see if the issue persists.

Safe Mode: Run Firefox in Safe Mode, which disables all extensions and uses the default theme. This can help you identify if any extensions or themes are causing the problem. You can start Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key while launching Firefox.

UserChrome.css: Firefox's userChrome.css file can be used to customize the browser's appearance. If you have made changes to this file in the past, they might be affecting the scrollbar width. Consider restoring the default userChrome.css file or adjusting your custom styles.

Reset Firefox: If none of the above steps work, you might consider resetting Firefox to its default settings. This will remove your extensions and customizations, but it can often fix interface-related issues. To reset Firefox, type "about:support" in the address bar, then click the "Refresh Firefox" button.

Bug Reporting: If the issue persists and seems to be a bug, you might want to report it to Mozilla, the organization behind Firefox. They can provide assistance and possibly fix the issue in future updates.

Alternate Browsers: As a temporary solution, you can also consider using an alternate browser until the issue with Firefox is resolved.

Remember to back up any important data or settings before making major changes to your browser configuration.

If you've tried these steps and the issue persists, consider seeking help from online forums or communities specific to your Linux distribution or Firefox. This can be a helpful resource for troubleshooting more complex issues.
https://www.granturismomovi.com/