diff --git a/smc/data/gui/layout/debugtext.layout b/smc/data/gui/layout/debugtext.layout
index 20747090b..190966054 100644
--- a/smc/data/gui/layout/debugtext.layout
+++ b/smc/data/gui/layout/debugtext.layout
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@
         <Window Type="TaharezLook/StaticText" Name="text_debugmessage" >
             <Property Name="UnifiedMaxSize" Value="{{1,0},{1,0}}" />
             <Property Name="UnifiedAreaRect" Value="{{0.35,0},{0.14,0},{0.75,0},{0.19,0}}" />
-		<Property Name="MousePassThroughEnabled" Value="True" />
+            <Property Name="MousePassThroughEnabled" Value="True" />
+            <Property Name="HorzFormatting" Value="WordWrapLeftAligned" />
         </Window>
     </Window>
 </GUILayout>
diff --git a/smc/src/gui/generic.cpp b/smc/src/gui/generic.cpp
index b712b121d..29297d31b 100644
--- a/smc/src/gui/generic.cpp
+++ b/smc/src/gui/generic.cpp
@@ -374,8 +374,10 @@ void Draw_Static_Text( const std::string &text, const Color *color_text /* = &wh
 	text_default->setXPosition( CEGUI::UDim( 0, ( game_res_w * 0.5f - text_width * 0.5f ) * global_upscalex ) );
 	text_default->moveToFront();
 
+	float text_height = font->getLineSpacing();
+	text_height *= 1 + std::count(text.begin(), text.end(), '\n');
 	// set window height
-	text_default->setHeight( CEGUI::UDim( 0, (font->getFontHeight() * 2) + ( 12 * global_upscaley ) ) );
+	text_default->setHeight( CEGUI::UDim( 0, text_height + ( 12 * global_upscaley ) ) );
 
 	while( draw )
 	{
diff --git a/smc/src/gui/hud.cpp b/smc/src/gui/hud.cpp
index 801897526..6580bdc7b 100644
--- a/smc/src/gui/hud.cpp
+++ b/smc/src/gui/hud.cpp
@@ -977,13 +977,20 @@ void cDebugDisplay :: Update( void )
 		// update position
 		CEGUI::Font *font = &CEGUI::FontManager::getSingleton().get( "bluebold_medium" );
 		float text_width = font->getTextExtent( gui_text ) * global_downscalex;
+		float text_height = font->getLineSpacing() * global_downscaley;
 
+		// fixme : works only correctly for one too long line
 		if( text_width > 800.0f )
 		{
+			// add wrapped newlines
+			text_height *= 1 + static_cast<int>(text_width / 800.0f);
 			text_width = 800.0f;
 		}
 
-		m_text_debug_text->setWidth( CEGUI::UDim( 0, ( text_width + 15 ) * global_upscalex ) );
+		// add newlines
+		text_height *= 1 + std::count(m_text.begin(), m_text.end(), '\n');
+
+		m_text_debug_text->setSize( CEGUI::UVector2( CEGUI::UDim( 0, ( text_width + 15 ) * global_upscalex ), CEGUI::UDim( 0, ( text_height + 15 ) * global_upscaley ) ) );
 		m_text_debug_text->setXPosition( CEGUI::UDim( 0, ( ( game_res_w * 0.5f ) - text_width * 0.5f ) * global_upscalex ) );
 	}
 }