Firefox (Win) - Restoring the Default Settings

This document explains how to set Firefox back to its default settings.

Resetting Firefox Using Safemode

Newer Versions of Firefox

To troubleshoot issues related to newer versions of Firefox, check out this Firefox Support Page for more info on how to start the browser in safe mode and refresh the browser.

Windows 7/8

  1. Restart with Add-ons disabled:

    • In newer versions of Firefox: Click the orange Firefox button, navigate to the Help menu, and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled....

      • 7or8

    • In older versions of Firefox: Click Help in the menu bar, then select Restart with Add-ons Disabled....

      • class2

    Firefox will start with a Safe Mode dialogue box. Click Start in Safe Mode.

    win8safe

  2. Reset Firefox preferences:

    • In newer versions of Firefox: Click the orange Firefox button, navigate to the Help menu, and select Troubleshooting Information.

      • troubleshootinfo

    • In older versions of Firefox: Click Help in the menu bar, then select Troubleshooting Information.

      • class1

    In the Reset Firefox to its default state box, click Reset Firefox....

    resetff

  3. In the confirmation dialogue box that follows, click Reset Firefox. Firefox will automatically restart and your settings will be reset to defaults.

    4. confirm

Windows Vista/XP

  1. Open the Command Prompt:

    • Windows Vista: Click on the Start Menu, click on All Programs, click on the Mozilla Firefox folder and click on Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode).

      ff_vistastartmenu.png

    • Windows XP and Earlier: Click on the Start Menu, click on All Programs, click on the Mozilla Firefox folder and click on Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode).

      ff_xpstartmenu.png

  2. In the Firefox Safe Mode window, check the Reset all user preferences to Firefox defaults box and click on Make Changes and Restart.

    ff_safemode.png

  3. Firefox will automatically restart and your settings will be reset to defaults.