Troubleshoot and diagnose Firefox problems

Troubleshoot and diagnose Firefox problems | Firefox Help | Louisiana

Troubleshooting Firefox Problems: Mostly problems with Firefox can be fixed by simply follow the troubleshooting methods described below. Try these steps in order. If they doesn’t work, move on to the next one.

1. Restart your computer

Most of the time problems can be fixed by simply restart your computer and then start Firefox again.

2. Clear your cookies and cache

Many problems with loading web pages can be resolved by clearing Firefox’s cache and cookies:

  1. Click the Library button.
  2. Click History and select Clear Recent History….
  3. In the Time Range to clear : drop-down, select everything.
  4. Click the arrow next to Details to display the list of items that can be cleared.
  5. Select both Cache and Cookies.
  6. Click Clear Now.

3. Restart Firefox in Safe Mode

Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that disables all extensions, uses the default theme, turns off hardware acceleration, and uses default toolbar settings and controls, among alternative things. To start out Firefox in Safe Mode:

  1. Click the menu button , click Help and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled…. Firefox will start up with the Firefox Safe Mode dialog.
  2. In the Firefox Safe Mode dialog, click Start in Safe Mode.
  3. Check whether your problem is still happening while in Safe Mode.
  4. If the problem still happens in Safe Mode, go on to step 4.

4. Reinstall Firefox

Some Firefox problems are often caused by a drag with one among the Firefox program files. Follow these steps to utterly take away and put in Firefox. This method won’t take away your Firefox profile data (such as bookmarks and passwords), since that info is keep during a totally different location.

Note: You might want to print these steps or view them in another browser.

  1. Download the latest official version of Firefox from mozilla.org.
  2. Exit Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu  , then click Exit.

  1. Uninstall Firefox from your computer.
  2. Delete the Firefox program folder, which is located in one of these locations by default:
    • C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
    • C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
  3. Reinstall Firefox – Download and install Firefox on Windows for instructions.

Now start Firefox and check to see if your problem has been fixed. If it hasn’t, continue with the next troubleshooting method.

5. Refresh Firefox

The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring your Firefox profile to its default state while saving your essential information.

  1. Click REFRESH Button directly, if you are viewing this page in Firefox.
  2. This won’t work if you are using a different browser or on a mobile device.
  3. You can also find a Refresh Firefox button at the top of the Firefox about: support Troubleshooting Information page.
  4. To continue, click Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window that opens.
  5. Firefox will close to refresh itself. When finished, a window will list your imported information. Click Finish and Firefox will open.

Create a new Firefox profile

Sometimes files in your Firefox profile folder that correspond to the essential info that a Firefox Refresh does not take away (such as bookmarks and browsing history) is also inflicting the problem. You’ll produce a replacement, further profile which is able to not contain any of your recent Firefox information. Use the Profile Manager to make and take away Firefox profiles for more instructions, troubleshooting Firefox problems.

Other solutions

If you’ve tried all of these troubleshooting methods and you’re still having problems, the issue may be with other software or hardware on your computer.

For more information on any of these solutions, please check the related documentation.

Troubleshoot your plugins

Sometimes plugins used in Firefox (such as Adobe Reader, Flash, Java and Silver light) can cause problems that may be fixed in the latest plugin version. If the problem still happens after updating your plugins and restarting Firefox, you can disable all plugins to see if one of them is the cause:

  1. Click the menu button and choose Add-ons. The Add-ons Manager tab will open.
  2. In the Add-ons Manager tab, select the Plugins panel.
  3. Click each plugin in the list and then select Never Activate in its drop-down menu.
  4. Check whether your problem happens when you have all plugins disabled.

If your problem goes away when your plugins are disabled, Troubleshoot issues with plugins like Flash or Java to fix common Firefox problems article to learn how to narrow down the cause for troubleshooting Firefox problems.

Check for conflicts with your Internet security software

Some Internet security software (including antivirus, anti spy ware, and firewall programs) can cause problems with Firefox including blocking it from opening websites, crashes, and more. Often you can open the program’s settings, remove Firefox from its list of allowed or trusted programs and it will be re-detected and things should start working again. If your program is listed at the Configure firewalls so that Firefox can access the Internet article, you can get specific instructions for how to properly reconfigure it to resolve issue troubleshooting Firefox problems.

Check for malware

Malware (short for “malicious software”) can cause problems with Firefox. Periodically, you should scan your system for viruses, spyware, or other malware.

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