How to reset Mozilla Firefox?

A guide on how to restore Firefox to default settings

Reset Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is one of the most popular web browsers today, so there is no surprise that people sometimes encounter certain problems while using it. In most cases, browsing-related issues are encountered after changing browser’s settings or installing new programs on the system.

Sometimes people install potentially unwanted or malware-type programs unwillingly, and these tend to modify browser settings without the user’s knowledge. In such situation, Firefox might start to display an excessive amount of ads, cause redirects to suspicious web pages, show bogus warning messages, et cetera.

If you use Firefox on a daily basis and you suspect that its settings were modified, browser reset can help you fix the issue. In Firefox, this feature is called “Firefox refresh.”

The Mozilla reset procedure removes added extensions and themes, website permissions, modified settings, supplementary search engines, information about your downloads, user styles, social features, toolbar adjustments, also plugin settings, DOM storage and security certificate and device preferences.

This refresh process does not affect your bookmarks, browsing and download history, personal dictionary, opened windows and tabs, cookies, and auto-fill information. To restore Firefox to default, follow these instructions:

Method 1. Reset Firefox using Troubleshooting Information option

1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Click on the three-bar button in the top right corner, then click on ? as shown in the picture.

Method 1. Step 1.Click three-bar button on the top right corner of the screen and then click "?"

2. Select Troubleshooting Information.

Method 1. Step 2.When drop down menu comes, Select "Troubleshooting Information"

3. Here, click on Refresh Firefox… and confirm your choice.

Method 1. Step 3.Click "Refresh Firefox…" button several times to reset the browser

4. When the Import Wizard appears, click Finish.

Method 1. Step 4.Click "Finish" in "Import Wizard" window

Method 2. Quick access to Mozilla reset page

1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and type about:support in the URL bar, and hit Enter to open Troubleshooting Information page.

Method 2. Step 1.Type in "about:support" in the URL bar of the browser and hit "Enter"

2. On the right side of the page, find a Give Firefox a tune up box and click on Refresh Firefox… button.

Method 2. Step 2.Click "Refresh Firefox…" button when in "Troubleshooting Information" window

3. When a confirmation pop-up appears, click Refresh Firefox to continue.

Method 2. Step 3.Click the "Refresh Firefox" button to restore the browser

4. Firefox browser will close automatically to restart itself, and shortly opens the Import Wizard which displays items that were imported to Firefox after the refresh. Just click Finish to continue.

Method 3. Reset Firefox without opening it

1. Launch Firefox in Safe Mode. To do this, hold down the Shift key and try to open Mozilla Firefox.

In case you cannot open Mozilla in Safe Mode this way, use your computer’s search to find “Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode)” shortcut.

Method 3. Step 1.Hold the Shift key and try to open Mozilla Firefox at the same time

2. You might be asked to choose user profile if you have more than one on your PC. Hold the Shift key while selecting the profile. If you only have one user profile, Firefox Safe Mode message table will appear.

Method 3. Step 2.Hold the Shift key to select the profile

3. Click Refresh Firefox.

Method 3. Step 3.Click Refresh Firefox button in "Firefox Safe Mode" window

Method 4. Reset Firefox using Profile Manager

1. Push Windows key + R key at the same time to open Run prompt. Here, type firefox.exe -p (or firefox.exe -P) and hit OK.
Method 4. Step 1.Open Run prompt window and enter firefox.exe -p (or firefox.exe -P) in the search

2. This will open the Firefox User Profile Manager. Choose default, then click Delete Profile.

Method 4. Step 2.When in Firefox User Profile Manager window, select default profile and click "Delete Profile" button

3. Confirm your choice by clicking Delete Files.
Method 4. Step 3.Click "Delete Files" button to confirm that you want to delete user profile

4. Click on Exit.

Method 4. Step 4.Click "Exit" button

Note: The next time you open Firefox, Import Wizard will shop up. It will ask you where do you want to import Options, Bookmarks, Passwords, History and other information from.

Method 5. Reinstall Firefox browser

In case previous methods didn’t help you to solve problems with your Firefox browser, you can try to reinstall it. In most cases, it is not necessary to reinstall the problematic browser, but if you feel that you need to, use these instructions.

1. First of all, close Firefox. Click the menu button and then click Exit.

Method 5. Step 1.Turn off Firefox by clicking the menu button and Exit icon

2. Right click on the Start menu and go to Programs and Features. (In Windows 7/Vista click on Start menu, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features; in Windows XP, go to Add/Remove Programs).

Method 5. Step 2.Click Start and go to "Programs and Features"

3. You will see a list of currently installed programs. Click on Mozilla Firefox and click Uninstall.

Method 5. Step 3.Click on Mozilla Firefox entry and click "Uninstall"

In case the Uninstall Wizard doesn't show up, go to one of these folders that store helper.exe file and open it. User Account Control will appear, just click Yes to continue.

C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\uninstall\\helper.exe
C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Mozilla Firefox\\uninstall\\helper.exe Method 5. Step 3 part 2.In case the "Uninstall Wizard" fails to show up, go to C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\uninstall\helper.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\uninstall\helper.exe folder and open helper.exe file

4. In the Uninstall Wizard, click Next, then Uninstall, and finally Finish.

Method 5. Step 4.When "Uninstall Wizard" shows up, click "Next" -> "Uninstall" -> "Finish"

5. Delete the Firefox installation folder which can be found in one of these locations:

C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox
C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Mozilla Firefox

Method 5. Step 5.Delete Firefox installation folder which can be found in either C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox or C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox folders

6. If you also wish to remove user data (bookmarks, history, et cetera), you need to push Windows key + R on the keyboard, then start typing %APPDATA%\\Mozilla\\, and then hit OK.

Method 5. Step 6.Click Windows key + R at the same time to launch Run. Here, enter %APPDATA%\Mozilla\ and click OK

7. This will open Mozilla Folder. You will see a folder named Firefoxdelete it.

Method 5. Step 7.When in Mozilla folder, delete a folder with Firefox name

8. Once you uninstall Mozilla Firefox, you need to reinstall it. To get the real and safe version, you must download it from the official Mozilla Firefox website. Just use another browser to download Firefox, go to Mozilla’s official download page and download the file to your PC.

About the author
Linas Kiguolis
Linas Kiguolis - Expert in social media

Linas Kiguolis is one of News Editors and also the Social Media Manager of 2spyware project. He is an Applied Computer Science professional whose expertise in cyber security is a valuable addition to the team.

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