To refresh Mozilla Firefox, essentially resetting it to its default state while saving essential data, follow these steps:
-
Click the menu button: This is typically located in the top-right corner of the Firefox window. It's represented by three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu).
-
Click "Help" then "Troubleshooting Information": From the menu that appears, select "Help". A sub-menu will appear; click on "Troubleshooting Information". This will open a new tab in Firefox.
-
Click "Refresh Firefox...": On the Troubleshooting Information page, you'll find a section titled "Give Firefox a tune up". Within this section, there's a button labeled "Refresh Firefox...". Click this button.
-
Confirm the Refresh: A confirmation window will appear. Click "Refresh Firefox" again to confirm that you want to proceed with the refresh.
-
Wait for the Process to Complete: Firefox will close itself and begin the refresh process. This may take a few minutes, depending on the size of your profile.
-
Review Imported Information: Once the refresh is complete, a window will appear listing the information that was imported back into your newly refreshed Firefox profile. This typically includes things like bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and cookies.
-
Choose to Restore Windows and Tabs (Optional): The refreshed Firefox will ask if you want to restore all or some of your previous windows and tabs. Choose your preference and click "Let's go!". If you don't want to restore them, simply proceed without selecting any.
What Refreshing Firefox Does:
- Resets settings: Returns Firefox settings to their default values.
- Removes add-ons and themes: Disables or removes installed add-ons and themes. You may need to reinstall add-ons.
- Saves important data: Keeps essential data like bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, cookies and web form auto-fill information.
Why Refresh Firefox?
Refreshing Firefox can be helpful if you are experiencing:
- Persistent crashes or freezes.
- Unexpected behavior or errors.
- Difficulty removing unwanted add-ons.
- General performance issues.
By refreshing Firefox, you essentially get a clean slate, which can often resolve many common problems. Remember to make a note of any add-ons you want to reinstall after the refresh.
