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New Member
posted Oct 30, 2019 6:56:32 AM

Why is the text in dialog boxes really big?

All dialog boxes are the same ... I can't see all the text or information because the font is really big, making the product unusable.  I've looked at the File - Page Setup options ... scaling is set to 25% (and I can't change it).  I've rebooted and reinstalled a few times.  No changes.  This is running on Windows 7, I've never had this problem before (still have previous versions of TurboTax installed and working fine).  Have attached a screen shot to show what I see.  Hoping for a fix here, thanks.

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23 Replies
Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:33 AM

I am sorry you are experiencing this issue.

Have you tried Zooming Out?

To do so, first go over that window with your mouse, then; 

  • To Zoom Out --> from your keyboard do Ctrl & the - sign together
  • To Zoom In --> from your keyboard do Ctrl & the + sign together

Please try this and don't hesitate to let us know if the suggestion does not resolve the issue for you.

You could also try to change Windows display setting, there is a specific option for Message boxes.  See screen capture below.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:35 AM

Thanks for the reply.  No this doesn't help.  It is only the contents of the dialog box that are the problem.  The zooming options only effect the text in the main parts of the app.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:36 AM

Then it would be an OS issue, you can try this under Windows :
 - Goto the Control Panel --> Display Properties (or right-click the desktop and select Properties)
 - Click the "Appearance" tab --> click the "Advanced" button
 - Click the text that says "Message text" in the Message Box window --> change the font, font size

Be careful though. You can start experimenting and soon forget what the original settings were and you can end up with unreadable font incredibly large, or too small, and don't know what you started with 😉

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:37 AM

Thanks, I'll check this out later.  It is odd because no other application is doing this including last years TurboTax install.  Which would lead me to question it being an OS problem.  I'll report back when I've had a chance to confirm.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:39 AM

Yes, please, it would be really appreciated, it could help other users also...

Returning Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:40 AM

I have same problem with newly installed CD version with latest update on Win7 but works ok on Win10.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:41 AM
Returning Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:43 AM

Thanks but my system meets the requirements.   Any popup box is affected.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:44 AM

@rocket,
Have you tried to change the Display Properties? see my previous comments on how to do it and please let us know if it works.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:46 AM

I've confirmed that my system meets the requirements too and have gone through the display settings again - no difference.  All other applications are working fine, it is just dialog boxes in TurboTax 2017.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:47 AM

It looks like this version of TurboTax does not work well with multiple monitors.  I disabled one of my monitors and re-opened the application and the dialog boxes appear normal.  @rocket I'm curious if that is the same for you?

Returning Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:49 AM

Agreed Mark.  I do have a dual monitor setup and disabling does indeed show normal sized text.  I will add this to my open ticket.  Thanks.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:50 AM

Thanks for sharing that info with us, it will certainly help other users and I will pass along the info to our team.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:51 AM

I continue to have this problem using one monitor and having tried the alternate fixes.

Intuit Alumni
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:53 AM

@richard1944 see added info on changing Windows settings for message box in previous answer.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:54 AM

I continue to have this problem.  The font in the very first message box re registration is so large that the message and option buttons are almost unintelligible.  Then when I go to any line item that opens a message box, the fill-in is nearly impossible or impossible.  E.g., when I go to T-5 Eligible dividends, the message box requires info from boxes 24, 25, 26 of the T-5.  The first line in the message box is "actual amount of" instead of "actual amount of dividends".  Then the fill-in will only accept 6 digits and fouls up the cents entry in every case.  This makes the software worthless to me.  I use Windows 10.  The control panel shows no "display properties".  When I search the control panel for "appearance" or "message text" I get nothing.

New Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:55 AM

I believe I have solved it.  After hours of trying to get my desktop to display properly, I loaded the program on my laptop, running Windows 7.  Miracle of miracles, it worked.  The message boxes were all normal.  Data entry worked.  So, I set about to do my taxes.  But, working with the small screen of the laptop was a drag, so I attached the laptop to a larger, external monitor.  All good.  The external monitor has a pivot functionality, and I prefer to work in portrait, so I rotated from landscape.  Bingo, the message boxes as displayed on the external monitor were again distorted, but normal on the laptop in landscape.  My desktop monitor is in portrait, but when rotated to landscape Turbotax's message boxes were normal.

It took me many hours to inadvertently come upon this design flaw in the software.
What kind of compensation can I expect?

Returning Member
Oct 30, 2019 6:56:57 AM

Yes.  Changing the system display properties has no effect on the dialogue popup boxes.  The font is too big and goes outside the frames.  Please see attached.

Level 1
Mar 7, 2023 8:12:08 AM

I guess Intuit hasn't seen fit to fix this problem. I noticed this issue last year and somehow got around it. I just installed the new version for 2022 and bingo, same problem. I have 3 monitors, and it is not practical for me to shut 2 of them down whenever I want to work on my taxes.

 

I'm an I.T. professional so I run many applications on my desktop, and none of them have ever exhibited this behaviour. I don't want to move away from TurboTax, but if Intuit isn't interested in fixing this problem, I may need to do that.

 

What have others done to work around this problem?

Level 1
Apr 17, 2023 5:39:40 PM

Chiming in to try and bump this issue.

 

The dialogs are unusable with my multi-monitor set-up. Can't even get started.

 

I can't even confirm my SIN number to start, the screwy text size only allows for 5 digits on that field.

 

 

Level 1
Apr 17, 2023 6:01:39 PM

I eventually found a work around by accessing my computer using RDP when I set up for this year's returns. That way, you appear to be only on one monitor.

 

Then I went back to normal 3 monitor operation to enter the tax data. Ugly procedure but it worked. The font problem still exists but it is not as painful after you get the returns stsrated.

New Member
Jan 9, 2024 1:04:30 PM

2023 TurboTax software still has the same issue! I've been messing with this for hours a similar workaround as noted previously. But extremely inconvenient working without a 2nd monitor.

Also, the problem persists consistently on 4k monitor. I had to downgrade the resolution to 1080 for the program windows to function. I shouldn't have to do this.

Intuit programming department - this has been an ongoing issue for 6 years. More than enough time to hire the right people to fix it!

Moderator
Jan 9, 2024 1:13:48 PM

In order to help you with this situation, we believe your best option is to contact our telephone support team for further assistance, as they have the option to view your screen to help resolve the issue. To contact them, please follow this link: Contact Us and choose "Contact us by phone".

​​​​​​​Thank you for choosing TurboTax.