topic Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:48:20 GMT

I have spent quite some time this afternoon, going through all the settings and configurations that I can think of ( and used before ) to adjust the screen sizes of fonts and other displays.

I have a problem with Open Office, that I have not had in the past 20 odd years of using it !.

Suddenly, the MENU font ( on the top of the page - File Edit View Insert.... etc etc etc ) . has shrunk to size 8... and the drop down menu`s from there, have also shrunk !...

Can anyone advise me, please, on how to restore the menu text size to a reasonable level, so I do not have to lean forward to within 6 inchs of the screen to be able to read it ! or employ a hand held magnifying glass !.

here is a screen grab to show what it looks like ..

This is a photo...and has been cropped...which tends to make the font size look larger than it is...

Here are a couple of "normal" menu size texts...

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

jab1 — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:51:59 GMT

@shutter Has there been a recent OO program update?

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:03:12 GMT

@jab1 Dunno ! ... if there was... just seems strange that they ( whowever makes these updates ) would want to change the font size on the menu`s... would not have thought that it was a "worthwhile" thing to spend time doing.

running Open Office 4.1.15... which I think is the latest..

running Linux Mint 22.1

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

jab1 — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:03:47 GMT

Just a thought, @shutter , if that is the only program affected. Can you not check the install date of the current version?

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:21:33 GMT

@jab1 done a google on it...

The latest version of Apache OpenOffice is 4.1.15, released on December 22, 2023.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Version: 4.1.15
Release Date: December 22, 2023

as a direct answer to your question... about a month ago...fresh download...

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

Penny — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:24:30 GMT

@shutter wrote:

I have spent quite some time this afternoon, going through all the settings and configurations that I can think of ( and used before ) to adjust the screen sizes of fonts and other displays.

I have a problem with Open Office, that I have not had in the past 20 odd years of using it !.

Suddenly, the MENU font ( on the top of the page - File Edit View Insert.... etc etc etc ) . has shrunk to size 8... and the drop down menu`s from there, have also shrunk !...

Can anyone advise me, please, on how to restore the menu text size to a reasonable level, so I do not have to lean forward to within 6 inchs of the screen to be able to read it ! or employ a hand held magnifying glass !.

I well remember the days of having to get very close to the screen to be able to read stuff (pre cataract ops back in 2012) so I know how disconcerting that can be. Hope you get this sorted soon !!

Don't have Open Office here (nor the type of technical set-up that you have) but did go look on line in case there were reports of others experiencing similar issues.

There did seem to be quite a lot, over a number of years - page at https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47013 - "Font too small in all dialog boxes" - no idea if any of the supposed 'solutions' will help solve your issue, but thought might be worth a try, anyway.

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

jab1 — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:29:35 GMT

OK, so it isn't due to a program update then. When did you first notice the font size reduction? The only other thing I can think of is a possible update to Mint, but I don't know - I'm not that technical, and haven't used OO for longer than I can remember - I switched to Libre Office not long after it was released, and as it is the default 'office' program on Zorin anyway, that is what I use.

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:13:37 GMT

@Penny thanks for the linky...unfortunately,..I am not a geek, like the people on that forum. ! ! so I was totally lost trying to figure out what they were on about... ( worth a try though... thanks )

@jab1 Yes its the only program that has this problem....at the moment.... so I thought I would remove current version and download a new copy.. ( although it was a new copy just 4 weeks ago ! ) .. and I have done a new install of openoffice 4.1.15

but the font size is still the same.

It`s just a PITA...at the moment...

Thanks for your interest, and input

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

jab1 — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:19:42 GMT

@shutter I'm not going to install it on my 'production' machine, I will have need to use my standby W7 one in the near future. If I remember when I fire it up, I'll try OO on it, and see what it looks like on there. Might not be for a couple of weeks, though.

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:32:53 GMT

@jab1 OK... Yes, indeedy.... I could do a Windows install on this machine... as I can run windows (.exe ) installs on my Linux Mint... I could also run it on a Virtualbox I have also got on this machine..which has a full version of Window 7 Pro 64bit on it...

For now....I`m taking a rest from it !... as previously... it`s a PITA !

cheers

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

TheRoadCrew — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:33:28 GMT

This, perhaps?

Re: Open Office - Main Menu font size too small

shutter — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:48:03 GMT

@TheRoadCrew Thank you ... that has improved the situation somewhat...I did have a look on there, but saw the scale was already at 100% and thought that was the "max"...

I have also found that the max is only 130% but it is a much better and easier size of font to read...

Much appreciate your help..