How to Fix Crashes for Mozilla Firefox

We all rely on our web browsers to get us through the day, so serious problems with your browser of choice can have a serious impact on your productivity, peace of mind, or even less important things like Netflix binge watches. This guide will take you through troubleshooting steps to get Mozilla Firefox working properly on your machine.

To continue, we need to know what Operating System your computer is using.

There are 2 main Operating Systems for personal computers currently available, Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS.

Microsoft Windows	Apple macOS
Microsoft Windows runs on computers produced by multiple companies, such as Lenovo, Asus, Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard, Acer, and Sony.	Apple is the only company that makes macOS computers.

Before your restart or shut down your PC, make sure to save all necessary work to prevent data loss.

• Using the Mouse

  1. Select the Start menu.
     
     

     By default it is in the lower left corner of your screen.

  2. Select Power, then select Restart.
     

• Using the Keyboard

  1. Press the Windows and X keys at the same time. This minimizes any open windows you may have.
     
  2. Press the Alt and F4 keys at the same time. This tells Windows to close the desktop.
     
  3. Select Restart, then OK.
     

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
   
2. Select the Menu button located in the top right corner of the window.
   
3. Select Library.
   
4. Select History.
   
5. Select Clear Recent History.
   
6. For Time range to clear, select Everything. Then select Clear Now.
   

Firefox does not run in the background normally.

1. Select the X in the top-right corner of the window to close Firefox.
   
2. Make sure the Firefox icon does not appear on the Taskbar.

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Extensions provide extra features to Firefox. Sometimes, these Extensions are not coded well, break after a Firefox update, or because they change the way Firefox works in a malicious way to show you advertisements.

Disabling or removing unneeded or unwanted Extensions can help resolve these problems.

It is recommended to delete all unwanted Extensions, then disable all other Extensions, then test the browser, then enable your wanted extensions one by one, testing each time to find the extension that's causing problems.

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
   
2. Select the Menu button located in the top right corner of the window.
   
3. Select Add-ons.
   
4. Select Extensions on the left.
   
5. Here you'll see a list of extensions installed.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Our next step is to uninstall Mozilla Firefox.

In most cases, your bookmarks and saved passwords will be saved through uninstalling and reinstalling, but they can be lost during this process.

Any history, frequently used pages, cookies, and Extensions will be lost.

Any bookmarks, passwords, and extension settings could be lost if they are corrupt and causing the problems you are having.

1. Select the Start menu, then select Settings.
   
2. Select Apps.
   
3. In Apps & features, select Mozilla Firefox, then select Uninstall.
   
4. Select Uninstall for the conformation message.
   
5. The Helper will ask permission to run, select Yes.
   
6. The Uninstall Wizard will open, select Next.
   
7. You'll be shown where Firefox is currently installed. Select Uninstall.
   
8. Select Finish.
   

Before your restart or shut down your PC, make sure to save all necessary work to prevent data loss.

• Using the Mouse

  1. Select the Start menu.
     
     

     By default it is in the lower left corner of your screen.

  2. Select Power, then select Restart.
     

• Using the Keyboard

  1. Press the Windows and X keys at the same time. This minimizes any open windows you may have.
     
  2. Press the Alt and F4 keys at the same time. This tells Windows to close the desktop.
     
  3. Select Restart, then OK.
     

We will use the built-in Edge browser on your computer to download and install Mozilla Firefox.

1.  Open Microsoft Edge.
   
2. In the address bar at the top, type www.mozilla.com/firefox, then press enter.
   
3. Select Download now.
   
4. Select Run to start the installer right after downloading.
   
5. The installer will ask permission to run, select Yes.
   
6. Select Install or Re-install (if you had Firefox installed before).
   
7. The Import wizard should run, select Finish if prompted.
   
8. Firefox should open automatically.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

By default, macOS does not quit programs when you close their windows. Quitting and restarting Firefox can often resolve these problems.

1. Select Firefox on your Dock.
   
2. Select the Firefox menu, then Quit Firefox.
   

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
   
2. Select the Menu button located in the top right corner of the window.
   
3. Select Library.
   
4. Select History.
   
5. Select Clear Recent History.
   
6. For Time range to clear, select Everything. Then select Clear Now.
   

By default, macOS does not quit programs when you close their windows. Quitting and restarting Firefox can often resolve these problems.

1. Select Firefox on your Dock.
   
2. Select the Firefox menu, then Quit Firefox.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Extensions provide extra features to Firefox. Sometimes, these Extensions are not coded well, break after a Firefox update, or because they change the way Firefox works in a malicious way to show you advertisements.

Disabling or removing unneeded or unwanted Extensions can help resolve these problems.

It is recommended to delete all unwanted Extensions, then disable all other Extensions, then test the browser, then enable your wanted extensions one by one, testing each time to find the extension that's causing problems.

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
   
2. Select the Menu button located in the top right corner of the window.
   
3. Select Add-ons.
   
4. Select Extensions on the left.
   
5. Here you'll see a list of extensions installed.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Our next step is to uninstall Mozilla Firefox.

In most cases, your bookmarks and saved passwords will be saved through uninstalling and reinstalling, but they can be lost during this process.

Any history, frequently used pages, cookies, and Extensions will be lost.

Any bookmarks, passwords, and extension settings could be lost if they are corrupt and causing the problems you are having.

1. Select Finder in your Dock.
   
2. Select Go > Applications.
   
3. Drag Firefox to the Trash icon on your Dock.
   

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

We will use the built-in Safari browser on your Mac to download and install Mozilla Firefox.

1. Open Safari from your Dock.
   
2. In the address bar at the top, type https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/, then press return.
   
3. Select Download now.
   
4. Select Firefox.dmg from Downloads.
   The exact file name will change as Firefox is updated with higher versions, but it will be similar.
   
5. Drag the Firefox App into your Applications folder.
   
6. Once it has finished copying, eject the disk image for Firefox from your desktop by dragging it to Trash.
   
7. Open Firefox.
   
8. You'll be asked for permission to run Firefox, select Open.
   
9. Firefox will open.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

To continue, we need to know what Operating System your computer is using.

There are 2 main Operating Systems for personal computers currently available, Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS.

Microsoft Windows	Apple macOS
Microsoft Windows runs on computers produced by multiple companies, such as Lenovo, Asus, Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard, Acer, and Sony.	Apple is the only company that makes macOS computers.

Sometimes Firefox can get stuck as it launches. Forcing it to quit and restarting it usually fixes this problem.

1. On your keyboard, press the Control, Alt, and Delete keys at the same time.
   
2. Select Task Manager.
   
3. Select More details.
   
4. Select any entries named Firefox or firefox.exe, then select End task.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Before your restart or shut down your PC, make sure to save all necessary work to prevent data loss.

• Using the Mouse

  1. Select the Start menu.
     
     

     By default it is in the lower left corner of your screen.

  2. Select Power, then select Restart.
     

• Using the Keyboard

  1. Press the Windows and X keys at the same time. This minimizes any open windows you may have.
     
  2. Press the Alt and F4 keys at the same time. This tells Windows to close the desktop.
     
  3. Select Restart, then OK.
     

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

Sometimes Chrome can get stuck as it launches. Forcing it to quit and restarting it usually fixes this problem.

1. Select the Apple menu, then Force Quit.
   
2. Highlight Firefox in the list, and select Force Quit.
   
3. You'll be prompted if you're sure, select Force Quit.
   

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

1. Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
   
2. Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.