Thunderbird Readability in Windows
Categories
(Thunderbird :: Disability Access, defect)
Tracking
(Not tracked)
People
(Reporter: erwinm, Unassigned)
References
Details
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:143.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/143.0
Steps to reproduce:
- I am trying to set up Thunderbird on Windows.
Actual results:
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I have visual issues, and thin Windows-style font rendering gives me severe migraines and nausea. Yes, this is a system-wide issue, and no, I have not found a system-wide solution. The usual suggestions are to adjust text scaling, screen scaling, screen resolution, Cleartype, contrast, gamma, etc. and some of these help but none of these are enough.
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Thunderbird imitates this font rendering.
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It's painfully hard to read the settings. If there are settings which can make this readable, people need to be able to find them.
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Changing the font in Settings doesn't seeem to affect Message Lists or Settings. I assume this is because users could choose an inappropriate font and make it unreadable, but the default font makes these almost unreadable anyway.
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Changing the font in Settings does affect message text, but it requires extreme fonts -- such as Bahnschrift or Impact -- to get readable font weights.
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Changing the font using (unsupported) userChrome.css affects the message lists, but not message contents, or Settings.
Expected results:
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In my opinion, the default font should be something bolder and easier to read.
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It should be clearer which parts oof the font settings are supposed to fix which parts of Thunderbird.
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There should be a way to set minimum and maximum font weight in the messages, message list, etc. and minimum and maximum font size, so:
10a. Users can make things as readable as they need, and,
10b. Users can avoid the cacaphony of wildly-varying fonts, font sizes, font weights, etc.
10c. So far hunderbird supports minimum font size, but not the rest.
P.S.
6a. and 8a. Consolas works reasonably well, at moderate/large sizes.
- For users with smaller screens, and/or reduced resolution, it can help to increase font sizes and increase message list density. But the standard density options only go so far. I end up having to specify at least 16 points under Settings > (searches) > Fonts > Advanced and only 14 px under the drop-down which controls density. I think a "Very Compact" and perhaps a "Very Relaxed" option would be useful.
See bug 1843078 for density.
I have no problems altering font/font size.
But I do come across people who get confused or in some cases create settings that conflict with each other. eg: Setting a minimum font much larger than the font size set up in all other locations.
Windows OS offers different screen resolutions and scale options for those with more extreme sight issues. That will increase the size of a pixel, so a font size of 16 can appear larger or smaller based on that OS setting. This will effect everything on your computer.
But if it set to scale 100%....
I suggest you try the following as it works very well for me on a Windows OS. I've suggested 18px as an examlpe but you can use whatever you prefer.
Use this to set font size used generically in UI - Folder Pane, Message Lists, Menus etc eg: 18
- Menu app icon > Font Size > 18px
Set Density to effect the spacing in Folder PAne, Message List
- Menu app icon > Density = Default (works better with a larger pixel)
Use the following setting to force the font and font size used when reading emails and composing new mail. This is a separate setting which can be used to control the font and font size of emails received as you may prefere a different size to the general UI or more control over the formatting.
- Settings > General
- Language & Fonts
- Advanced
- Advised you set up identical settings for both of the following - Fonts for: 'Latin' and 'Other Writing systems'
This sets up the Font used to display emails and Font Size, so you can set a larger font size for received and composing emails eg: 18
This is also where you can force minimum font size in received emails and composing of emails eg: 14 to prevent silly sized small fonts.
You can also force received emails to not display using other fonts.
This setting effects the emails you read and the emails you compose.
If 18 is set as Font Size in the above setting then this will equate to 'Medium' for composing emails
Settings > Composition > HTML Style
Ideally, you should be using Font = 'Variable width' and 'size' = Medium so that your personal preferences are not forced onto your recipient.
It's also the size used in the Formatting Toolbar for Medium when creating email.
To effect the Font family used in Thunderbird in general UI eg: Folder Pane
You could use the following in a 'userChrome.css' file and also in a 'userContent.css' both files saved in a 'chrome' folder in your profile name folder. Example uses Bahnschrift.
- {
font-family: Bahnschrift !important;
}
/* You may want to add the following as it does work in some areas not otherwise covered, such as the Troubleshooting Information area, but generally the size is already controlled by the App menu > Font Size option.*/
body, tbody {
font-size: 18px !important;
}
These settings also increase font etc in Notification pop up.
So far, I've discovered the only area it's not working is the titlebars.
I find the default font used in Thunderbird is already perfectly ok. You will always find that some people prefer something different or need a different set up.
Maybe we could look at improving a Help Article on this topic.
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Comment 4•6 months ago
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Hi Marjae,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed description of the problem. I’m sorry that the default fonts and settings aren’t meeting your needs. We work hard to provide defaults that are usable for most people, but inevitably there are cases where the options we offer fall short. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of those situations.
Our reliance on operating system styling is intentional. The fonts, colors, and styles provided by the OS are chosen because they’ve been tested and optimized for legibility in that environment—particularly on Windows, where the system font was selected specifically for readability.
We also try to be careful about how many additional settings we introduce. While extra options can sometimes help, too many can create contradictions, overlap, or confusion for users, which can make Thunderbird harder to use overall. That’s why we lean on OS defaults and aim for a balanced set of Thunderbird settings rather than covering every possible case directly.
For situations like yours, where more significant adjustments are needed, the best solution will likely be a custom theme. Custom themes allow you to define fonts, colors, and styles in a way that best meets your needs. You can find documentation on creating your own theme here:
https://developer.thunderbird.net/add-ons/web-extension-themes
You may also want to explore the available themes and add-ons here:
https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/
There’s a chance you’ll find an existing theme that already provides the adjustments you’re looking for.
Thanks again for raising this—your feedback helps us see where our defaults don’t go far enough.
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Comment 5•6 months ago
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Closing per comment 4.
Bug 1860312 may be related.
The fonts, colors, and styles provided by the OS are chosen because they’ve been tested and optimized for legibility in that environment—particularly on Windows, where the system font was selected specifically for readability.
For me, in some places, such as Windows File Explorer, and especially the "Home" "Gallery" and "Personal" folders, the text is painfully unreadable and causes sharp stabby headaches.
I can't read the developer page either; writing a bug report for that github.
I haven't been able to search add-ons. I can't tell which results might be relevant by the little previews.
(In reply to MarjaE from comment #6)
Bug 1860312 may be related.
The fonts, colors, and styles provided by the OS are chosen because they’ve been tested and optimized for legibility in that environment—particularly on Windows, where the system font was selected specifically for readability.
For me, in some places, such as Windows File Explorer, and especially the "Home" "Gallery" and "Personal" folders, the text is painfully unreadable and causes sharp stabby headaches.
I can't read the developer page either; writing a bug report for that github.
I haven't been able to search add-ons. I can't tell which results might be relevant by the little previews.
You are talking about Windows OS settings. This is not something Thunderbird has control over nor can fix. All the issues you are experiencing may be due to your computer settings, so you would be advised to sort that out first.
You may find better info on this at a microsoft help website. But I would start by ensuring your graphics driver is up to date and make sure 'clear type' is enabled. Unfortunately this Bugzilla site is not the location for an in depth solution on Windows OS settings.
Description
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