Text Width Readability

Users complain about a webpage's text column being too narrow on wide desktop screens, wasting space, or too wide on smaller screens, causing readability issues like long lines or horizontal scrolling.

📉 Falling 0.4x Web Development
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20
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5
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#7831
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Activity Over Time

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Keywords

NYT CSS HTML5 PH imgur.com UK CNN PCB README width text screen browser wide window scroll narrower desktop page

Sample Comments

bcrl Nov 3, 2025 View on HN

The text is 1/6th of the width of my screen. It's awful. Please use more of the browser window width available whomever did this. Not everyone reads content on their phone all the time.

StavrosK Apr 16, 2014 View on HN

Is there a way to make this non-browser-width? Maybe an option? My screen is too long to read comfortably on.

fomine3 May 15, 2020 View on HN

Reading text with 1920px 100% seems to horrible. I prefer narrower width.

PunchTornado Nov 15, 2016 View on HN

you really need to decrease the width of your content. it's hard to read.

anotheryou May 22, 2016 View on HN

that will give trouble on smaller screens, you'd have it scrolling or need to zoom a lot

axiomabsolute Jan 30, 2017 View on HN

It's a bit awkward to read on large screens. Long lines and whatnot

rasz_pl Mar 31, 2015 View on HN

article text is 190 pixels wide in 1600px wide browser window, maybe it should file this bug for me too?

lmm Jan 11, 2014 View on HN

If you don't like reading text at that width, why's your browser that width? Surely you don't want to have 2/3 of your screen blank white.

Jaruzel Mar 12, 2019 View on HN

The max-width on desktop browser should be made wider. it looks really odd as a thin strip of text on a 1000px+ window.other than that - good job.

golergka Mar 21, 2016 View on HN

Why run a browser window full-width if you don't want the text to be full-width?