If you’ve noticed your Facebook posts and messages displaying upside down text, there are a few potential causes and solutions for this strange issue. In the opening paragraphs, we’ll provide a quick overview of the most common reasons behind upside down text on Facebook and some quick fixes to try.
Common Causes of Upside Down Text on Facebook
Here are some of the most common reasons you may see inverted text in your Facebook posts and messages:
- You enabled an accessibility setting like inverted colors or high contrast mode on your device. This inverts the display colors, including text.
- A browser extension or app is running that flips images and text upside down as a prank or accessibility feature.
- There’s a display issue with your device or browser that’s inverting things.
- It’s possible your Facebook account was hacked and the hacker is posting upside down text.
- A glitch or bug in the Facebook app is leading to inverted text.
Quick Fixes to Try
If you’re seeing upside down text on Facebook, some quick things to try are:
- Disable any accessibility settings like inverted colors or high contrast mode.
- Quit out of the Facebook app and browser completely, then restart.
- Check for any suspicious browser extensions and remove them.
- Update your device and browser to the latest versions.
- Scan your computer for malware that could be causing issues.
- Change your Facebook password in case your account was compromised.
Trying out these basic troubleshooting tips should help identify or resolve many common causes of inverted text. Read on for more detailed explanations and solutions for this problem.
Check Your Device’s Display Settings
One of the most common and straightforward reasons your Facebook text may appear upside down is due to a display setting enabled on your device. Many phones, tablets, and computers include accessibility settings that invert colors or enable high contrast modes. These are designed to help users with visibility issues by altering the display colors and contrast.
However, a side effect is that enabling these settings will also invert interface elements like text. So text that would normally be black on a white background becomes white on a black background. The end result is everything appearing upside down or reversed.
To rule out this cause, go into your device’s display or accessibility settings and check if anything like inverted colors, high contrast mode, or color inversion is enabled. If so, simply disable it and that should immediately fix the upside down Facebook text in most cases.
Inverted Colors on iPhone and iPad
On iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, the setting is called Smart Invert and can be toggled on or off in Accessibility settings. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn off the Smart Invert option.
Night Mode and High Contrast on Android
On Android, check Display settings for a Night Mode or Dark Mode that inverts colors. You’ll also want to disable any High Contrast options that may invert screens. Depending on your Android device and version, these options may be under Display, Accessibility or other settings.
High Contrast and Other Accessibility Settings on Windows
For Windows PCs, look under Ease of Access or Accessibility settings for options like High Contrast, Invert Colors, or Color Filters that could be flipping text upside down. Turn off any display accommodations that alter contrast or color.
Inverted Colors on Mac
On Macs, open System Preferences > Accessibility and check if you have Invert Colors enabled under Display settings. Turn it off to return text to normal orientation.
Checking your device for enabled accessibility or display options that invert colors is one of the fastest ways to determine if they are the culprit behind your upside down Facebook texts. If disabling those fixes it, you have your answer. Otherwise, it’s likely another issue.
Check for Suspicious Browser Extensions
Another common source of upside down text on Facebook is a browser extension or add-on that is programmed to flip images or text as a prank or accessibility feature.
For example, there are extensions like Upside Down for Chrome that will intentionally invert everything on web pages for amusement. There are also more malicious extensions that may do things like flip screens or post weird text without you realizing it.
To check for troublesome extensions on Chrome:
- Click the 3-dot menu > More Tools > Extensions
- Review the list of enabled extensions
- Disable or remove any suspicious or unnecessary extensions
On Firefox, go to Add-ons and Themes to view and manage enabled browser extensions. For other browsers, look in their extension/add-on menus.
Getting rid of any dubious extensions can help resolve inverted or abnormal text issues on Facebook specifically or across multiple sites. Stick to extensions from reputable developers and watch out for red flags like unnecessary permissions requests.
Update Your Browser and Device Software
Updating to the latest versions of your device and browser software is a good general troubleshooting step. Out-of-date software can sometimes contribute to glitches like text rendering incorrectly.
Make sure you are running the newest operating system on your computer, phone or tablet. Also check for browser updates and install the latest stable versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or others that you use to access Facebook.
On a Windows PC:
- Click Start > Settings > Update & Security to check for Windows updates
- Open your browser and go to About or Help sections to update
On a Mac:
- Go to System Preferences > Software Update
- In your browser, look under the About menu to update
On iOS devices:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update
- Update apps like Safari in the App Store
On Android:
- Open Settings > System > Advanced > System Update
- Update Chrome and other apps on Google Play Store
Having your devices and browser fully up-to-date rules out any bugs in outdated software as the potential cause of Facebook’s text appearing jumbled or inverted.
Scan Your Computer for Malware
In some cases, text inversion or gibberish text on Facebook could be a sign your computer has malware. Malicious software can sometimes corrupt or manipulate page displays.
It’s a good idea to scan your PC with antivirus software to check for viruses, spyware, adware, keyloggers or other malware that could be causing trouble with Facebook. Here are some free scanner options:
- Windows Security for Windows Defender scans
- Malwarebytes for second opinion scans
- Avast, AVG or Avira for additional virus scans
Make sure your chosen antivirus program is up-to-date with the latest definitions before scanning. Delete anything dangerous or suspicious found during scans. Also clear browser cookies, caches and history after scanning.
With malware removed, Facebook should display normally moving forward. Make sure you also have antivirus software installed and enabled to detect future infections before they occur and spread.
Change Your Facebook Password
Inverted, scrambled, or unusual text appearing randomly in your Facebook posts and messages could be a sign your account was compromised by a hacker or unauthorized third party.
When accounts are hacked, it’s common for the attacker to post strange messages or spam as a prank or malicious act. The upside down text could be the hacker deliberately making your posts look weird and concerning your followers.
If you suspect foul play, immediately change your Facebook password to something secure. Enable two-factor authentication if you haven’t already. Review your account’s posts and activity for anything suspicious or embarrassing posted by the intruder.
Also scan all your internet connected devices for malware, as that is often how hackers gain access initially through malicious links, attachments or downloads. Be wary of suspicious links going forward and use strong unique passwords for improved safety.
Troubleshoot Facebook App and Mobile Issues
Problems with upside down or garbled text appearing specifically in the Facebook mobile app could indicate an issue with the app itself on your particular device.
Try fully force quitting out of the Facebook app and clearing its cache/data to eliminate any corrupted temporary files.
On an iPhone or iPad:
- Double tap the Home button to bring up app switcher
- Swipe up on the Facebook app preview to force quit it
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Tap Facebook and choose Offload App to clear data
On Android:
- Open device Settings > Apps > Facebook
- Tap Force Stop to quit the app
- Tap Storage/Cache > Clear Cache and Clear Data
Also make sure you have updated to the newest version of the Facebook app from the App Store or Google Play Store. An outdated app can be more prone to bugs.
If issues persist in the mobile app specifically, try accessing Facebook from your device’s browser instead. That can help determine if it’s an isolated Facebook app problem vs. something wider with your device, browser or account.
You can also contact Facebook support directly through the app’s Help section. Report the display bug and any other relevant details like your device model and app version.
Try Facebook in Incognito/Private Mode
As another debugging test, attempt to access Facebook in your browser’s Incognito or Private Browsing mode. This launches a fresh instance of the browser freed from your normal extensions, cookies, caches and other local variables.
On Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + N (Mac)
On Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + P (Mac)
On Safari: File > New Private Window
On Edge: … > New InPrivate Window
If Facebook displays normally within a private window, it indicates something in your browser profile like an extension or corrupt cache is the issue, rather than Facebook itself. You can narrow it down further by testing safe mode next.
Launch Facebook in Safe Mode
Similarly, most browsers have a Safe Mode or Clean Slate option that launches the browser in a barebones state without add-ons/extensions enabled.
In Chrome, use the –disable-extensions flag:
- Close all Chrome windows
- Reopen Chrome with the flag: “C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” –disable-extensions
In Firefox Safe Mode:
- Close Firefox
- Reopen while holding Shift key during launch
If Facebook’s text appears properly in Safe Mode, you can isolate the inverted text cause to a particular misbehaving extension. From there, enable extensions one at a time to identify the problematic one.
Reset Browser Settings to Defaults
If you still can’t isolate the cause of Facebook’s upside down text, consider resetting your browser settings to defaults as a last resort troubleshooting option.
This will clear out any corrupted settings, caches, cookies and extensions that could be distorting Facebook’s text rendering. It’s an easy way to give your browser a fresh start.
In Chrome:
- Click the 3-dot menu > Settings
- Scroll to bottom and click Restore settings to their original defaults
In Firefox:
- Click the 3-line menu > Help > Troubleshooting Information
- Click Refresh Firefox
In Edge:
- Click the 3-dot menu > Settings
- Under Reset Settings, click Restore settings to default > Reset
This will remove any problematic customizations and return your browser to factory settings. Log back into Facebook afterwards to see if text now displays normally.
Contact Facebook Support
If you’ve tried all other troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing upside down or jumbled text on Facebook specifically, reach out to Facebook directly for support.
In the Facebook app:
- Go to Menu > Help & Support
- Select Help Center
- Tap Report a Problem to contact support
On desktop:
- Click the Question Mark icon
- Choose Help & Support
- Click Report a Problem to explain inverted text issue
Facebook’s support team may be able to diagnose if it’s a wider technical issue affecting other users. Provide details like when the problem started, what troubleshooting you’ve tried, and steps to consistently reproduce the inverted text.
If it started after an app or platform update, noting the version numbers can help. Screenshots of the garbled text will also give Facebook support a clearer understanding of the specific problem at hand.
Conclusion
In summary, upside down and unintelligible text appearing on Facebook likely stems from:
- An enabled device display setting like inverted colors
- A misbehaving browser extension
- Outdated software needing upgrades
- Malware infection causing glitches
- Account hacked by an unauthorized user
- Buggy Facebook app
Check for accessibility configurations flipping text, suspicious extensions, outdated software, malware, and other common culprits. Try Facebook in a private window to isolate the cause. Resetting browser settings or contacting Facebook support can also help resolve pesky inverted text issues.
With some dedicated troubleshooting, you should be able to get your Facebook feed looking upright again in no time.