Firefox: Set character encoding

If Firefox does not display the font correctly on a website, you should set the character encoding. We show you how to do this.

Change character encoding in the Firefox browser - does it work?

• Since each website decides which character encoding to use, it is generally not necessary to change the character encoding. Firefox automatically detects the correct setting.
• If you do not use Firefox in German, you may experience problems with the character encoding. Therefore, always use Firefox in German.
• On older websites it may happen that no character encoding is suggested. In this case there is at least one function in the settings. Read on in the next paragraph.

Firefox: Set character encoding for older websites

If a website does not specify a character encoding, you can set a rule for this in the settings:

1. Open a new tab in Firefox and click the gear icon in the top right.
2. In the "General" category go to "Language and appearance".
3. Click on the "Advanced" button and you will find "Text encoding for outdated content" below.
4. If you have any problems, you can vary your selection here.

Change settings in older Firefox version

In the meantime Firefox has been revised. These instructions are only valid for older versions.

1. Click on the menu button at the top right and select the "Settings".
2. Under the "Content" tab you will find the "Fonts & Colors" category. Click on the "Advanced" button here.
3. At the very bottom, select "Standard for current language" or "Central European (ISO)" for the item "Character encoding to be used".
4. Close the two windows with the "OK" button to save the settings.

In the next article we will show you how to start Firefox in Safe Mode.