Forum Discussion
Question with this forum itself
You’re not doing anything wrong. This is caused by responsive design behavior on the Tech Community site, which changes layout elements based on screen width, zoom level, and device type.
What’s actually happening
“Start a Discussion” is responsive, not fixed
- On desktop with sufficient viewport width, the button appears prominently near the top.
- On narrow viewports (mobile phones, small browser windows, high zoom levels), the site:
- Moves the button to the bottom of the page
- Or hides it behind secondary navigation
This explains why:
- Desktop users see it clearly
- iPhone users only see it at the bottom
- Some users feel it’s “missing” entirely
This is intentional responsive behavior — but arguably poor UX for a discussion-driven forum.
Browser zoom and accessibility settings matter
Even on desktop, the button can disappear from the top if:- Browser zoom is >100%
- OS-level text scaling is enabled
- The window is snapped or not full-width
From the site’s perspective, this looks like a “small screen.”
Share buttons are position: fixed
The left-side share bar:- Uses a fixed overlay
- Does not collapse properly on small screens
- Can overlap content, especially on mobile or narrow layouts
There is currently no user-side control to dismiss it.
This is a design flaw, not user error.
Why the confusion is understandable
- The primary action (“Start a Discussion”) is not consistently placed
- The site does not provide visual cues when it moves
- Mobile and desktop experiences are materially different
- No accessibility fallback exists for overlays
In the End…
Your experience is completely plausible and shared by others:
- Desktop users with wide screens won’t notice the issue
- Mobile and accessibility users absolutely will
- The current design favors layout aesthetics over discoverability
However, I am confident that the Microsoft team is working on improving things here as well, as is so often the case...everything takes time.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
You’re not doing anything wrong. This is caused by responsive design behavior on the Tech Community site, which changes layout elements based on screen width, zoom level, and device type.
What’s actually happening
“Start a Discussion” is responsive, not fixed
- On desktop with sufficient viewport width, the button appears prominently near the top.
- On narrow viewports (mobile phones, small browser windows, high zoom levels), the site:
- Moves the button to the bottom of the page
- Or hides it behind secondary navigation
This explains why:
- Desktop users see it clearly
- iPhone users only see it at the bottom
- Some users feel it’s “missing” entirely
This is intentional responsive behavior — but arguably poor UX for a discussion-driven forum.
Browser zoom and accessibility settings matter
Even on desktop, the button can disappear from the top if:
- Browser zoom is >100%
- OS-level text scaling is enabled
- The window is snapped or not full-width
From the site’s perspective, this looks like a “small screen.”
Share buttons are position: fixed
The left-side share bar:
- Uses a fixed overlay
- Does not collapse properly on small screens
- Can overlap content, especially on mobile or narrow layouts
There is currently no user-side control to dismiss it.
This is a design flaw, not user error.
Why the confusion is understandable
- The primary action (“Start a Discussion”) is not consistently placed
- The site does not provide visual cues when it moves
- Mobile and desktop experiences are materially different
- No accessibility fallback exists for overlays
In the End…
Your experience is completely plausible and shared by others:
- Desktop users with wide screens won’t notice the issue
- Mobile and accessibility users absolutely will
- The current design favors layout aesthetics over discoverability
However, I am confident that the Microsoft team is working on improving things here as well, as is so often the case...everything takes time.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
I'm on a laptop that's connected to a huge monitor but the button only appears if I use one very specific link I was sent last month, otherwise its nowhere on screen. And even on my huge screen, there is to margin on the left side so all the text is still being covered and the right side of the screen is mostly white space. I'm trying to attach a picture but the button is deactivated.
