Overlapping fields, buttons pushed off the edge of the screen, a grid that won’t scroll, a form that renders half blank. When Altru suddenly looks wrong in Chrome, it’s tempting to assume Blackbaud broke something. Sometimes that’s true. More often the cause is on the workstation: a zoom level, an extension, a stale cache, or a Chrome setting that changed quietly during an automatic update.
The good news is that a few minutes of testing will usually tell you which of those you’re dealing with. That matters, because the fix for “my browser” and the fix for “Altru itself” are completely different, and Blackbaud support will ask you to rule out the browser first anyway.
First, figure out how wide the problem is
Before changing anything, answer three questions:
- Is it one person or everyone? If only one workstation looks broken, the cause is almost certainly local. If every user sees it at the same time, suspect a change on Blackbaud’s side or a Chrome update that rolled out to all of you.
- Is it one page or the whole application? A single broken form, report, or list points to that page. Problems everywhere point to the browser or display settings.
- Did it start suddenly? Chrome updates itself in the background. If Altru looked fine last week and nobody changed anything, a browser update is a real possibility.
The quick test: a clean window
Open an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows, Cmd+Shift+N on Mac), sign in to Altru, and go to the same page. Incognito starts without your cached files and, by default, without most extensions.
If Altru looks normal there, the problem lives in your regular Chrome profile. Work through the local fixes below. If it looks just as broken in Incognito, skip ahead to the section on testing another browser.
Local causes, roughly in order of how often they’re the culprit
Zoom level
Chrome remembers zoom per site. Someone presses Ctrl and scrolls the mouse wheel once, and Altru stays at 90% or 110% from then on. Many web applications with dense forms and grids misalign at anything other than 100%. Press Ctrl+0 (Cmd+0 on Mac) while on Altru to reset it.
Windows display scaling
Laptops and high-resolution monitors often run Windows scaling at 125% or 150%. Combined with Chrome’s own zoom, that can squeeze Altru’s layout until panels overlap. If the problem appeared after someone got a new monitor or docked a laptop, try that workstation at 100% scaling to see whether it changes anything.
Extensions
Ad blockers, password managers, grammar checkers, translation tools, and “dark mode” extensions all inject code or styles into pages. Any of them can hide buttons, cover fields, or block pop-up windows that Altru relies on. Turn extensions off one at a time from the Extensions page and reload Altru after each. When the display fixes itself, you’ve found it. Usually you can keep the extension and just tell it not to run on your Altru address.
Cached files
After Blackbaud updates Altru, an old cached script or stylesheet can clash with the new page. Clear cached images and files for a reasonable time range, close every Chrome window, and sign back in. You don’t need to wipe saved passwords to do this.
Forced dark mode and font settings
Chrome has an experimental setting that forces dark mode onto every site, and it lives on the chrome://flags page. If someone turned it on, Altru can end up with unreadable text or missing borders. Similarly, a large custom minimum font size in Chrome’s appearance settings can push labels into neighboring fields. Put both back to default and reload.
Pop-ups and downloads
If the symptom is “nothing happens” when you open a report, export, or print something, Chrome may be blocking a pop-up or download. Look for the small blocked-pop-up icon at the right side of the address bar and allow pop-ups for your Altru address.
When the clean window looks broken too
Open Altru in a different browser that Blackbaud supports. Microsoft Edge is already installed on most Windows machines, so it’s an easy comparison. Check Blackbaud’s current supported-browser list rather than relying on memory, since it changes over time.
- Broken in Chrome, fine in Edge: likely a Chrome-specific issue, possibly tied to a recent Chrome release. Use Edge as a temporary workaround while you report it.
- Broken everywhere, for everyone: this points to Altru itself. Check Blackbaud’s system status page and knowledgebase for a known issue before opening a case.
Reporting it to Blackbaud so it actually gets fixed
A vague “Altru looks weird in Chrome” case tends to bounce back with the same questions. Save time by including:
- The exact page or task where it happens.
- Your Chrome version (from the About Chrome page) and operating system.
- A screenshot showing the problem with zoom at 100%.
- What you already tried: Incognito, extensions off, cache cleared, another browser.
- Whether other users or workstations see it too.
If you manage several workstations, keep a short internal note of what fixed it this time. The same few causes tend to come back, especially zoom and extensions, and the next person to hit it will thank you.
Quick answers
Should we just switch everyone to another browser?
Not as a first move. Most display problems are a single setting on a single machine. Keep a second supported browser available as a fallback, and switch only if a Chrome-specific bug persists after you’ve reported it.
Can a Chrome update break Altru overnight?
It can happen with any web application. If everyone’s display changed on the same morning with no other changes, mention the timing to Blackbaud support and ask whether they’re aware of an issue with the current Chrome release.
