Mozilla Firefox Hangs on Windows 10

 Freezing or Hanging is a process where a program stops responding to a user’s input. A hang or a freeze is different from a crash. A Crash ends the program, and the windows automatically shut down. The reasons can be many. It could include the installation of incompatible themes, extensions, or programming errors in plugins. I am suggesting some troubleshooting steps which you could follow in case you find that your Firefox is giving you problems in Windows.

1. Bad Firefox Add-on

My next suggestion would be for you to open Firefox to Safe Mode and check out if you have any bad add-ons installed. If the Firefox browser freezes without any warning when you type something or click on a button link, close all the tabs and start Firefox in Safe mode.

To do this, open the Firefox browser, click on the Settings button in the top right corner. Next click on the small blue circular question mark sign. Next, select Restart with Add-ons disabled.

 Now, if Firefox runs without freezing, it suggests a bad add-on – either an extension or toolbar – some extensions are prone to memory leaks.

 2. Update Adobe Flash version

• If you are facing freezing or experiencing a  delay while starting Firefox, you might want to check out if your Adobe Flash, Java plugins are up-to-date. Some versions did cause Firefox to freeze or crash. 

3. Check Windows shell extensions

Some Windows shell extensions can also cause problems with your Firefox Hangs, causing it to freeze or crash. You can use ShellExView to see all the explorer shell extensions and then try to selectively disable extensions which you suspect could be the cause of your problems.

4. Extensions of 3rd party software

Extensions of your antivirus, security suite, site advisors, password manager, download managers could also be a possible cause. Again, disable each one selectively and see if you can identify the offending issue.

5. Create a new Profile

The Firefox User Profile Manager allows you to create an additional profile. Create a new profile in Firefox and transfer all your settings and other data to the new profile, and see if it helps.

6. Reduce Firefox memory usage

You may also want to consider reducing memory usage of Firefox by changing the about:config preferences. You may especially want to tweak these settings:

• browser.cache.memory.capacity,
• browser.cache.memory.enable
• browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers settings.

Do so only if you know what you are doing. Reducing memory usage by carrying out just tweaks, removing themes, Personas, and reducing add-ons or plugins can also help you resolve your problem.

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How to fix mozilla firefox not responding error?

 What happens when your Firefox Not Responding occurs?

As the Mozilla Firefox doesn't respond problem comes, the browser freezes and stops to respond over different commands. In this case, you can not type or scroll through the mouse over the screen. In few words, your Firefox browser stops working. Moreover, you will find a small window in the middle of the screen with a short message "Firefox not Responding" or "Firefox is already Running but is not Responding". Such error messages become more annoying as keeps happening over and
again once it appears.

So we need to permanently fix Mozilla Firefox not responding issue. If your Mozilla Firefox is not responding, freezing, hanging, not working or crashing, this post will fix each of them. 

What are the various reasons for Firefox isn't responding?

There are various reasons why Firefox becomes non-responsive. Few of them are listed below: 

• Due to some malicious add-on recently added to Firefox
• Some database files are corrupted, lost or missed
• Few processes hanging without any prior notification
• Web Browser hangs because of operating system file error
• Interference from other existing browser settings
• Potential visit to a malicious website
• Web page script might have hanged Firefox browser

Methods to fix Mozilla Firefox not responding issue

1. Forcefully shut down the browser window

Press Ctrl + Shift +Esc keys together, which opens the Task Manager window. Under Processes tab, find Firefox browser and select it. Now, at the end of the window screen, click on the End Task button which will exit from the browser application. Restart and launch the browser to check if the issue has resolved or not.

2. Check for browser updates

Sometimes, outdated browsers also may lead to potential risks and problems. So, to check for updates, click on the Firefox Menu icon. Next, you will see a Help option under which you have to select About Firefox option. So, a window opens which shows whether the browser is up to date or not.

3. Remove or uninstall the add-on

Another way to fix Mozilla Firefox not responding issue is to remove the recently installed add-on to your browser. For uninstalling, click on Menu and then click on Options. On the left side, select Extensions and Themes. Now, search for the extension you want to remove. 

4. Delete cache, cookies and site data

Like any other browser, Mozilla Firefox also saves cache, cookies, and site data that lets the browser to load the page faster and thus providing a personalized experience for the web users. The process happens each time you visit any website which leads to huge amount of data. Slowly, this creates problems and we need to clear cache, cookies & site data. Click the menu icon at the top of the browser and select options. Select Privacy and Security options and then click on Clear
Data button corresponding to Cookies and Site Data section. This action clears all cache, cookies & site data.

5. Scan for virus and malware

Potential threats and viruses is one of the main reasons why Firefox stops responding. It might change and affect crucial files, preventing them from working properly. Therefore, there's a need to check for viruses and malware. For this, type Virus and Threat Protection in the search box at Taskbar. Launch Programs and under Virus and Threat Protection, click on Scan options. Select the Full Scan option and allow the process to complete. 

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How to troubleshoot firefox to fix errors?

 Give Firefox a tune up

The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information. Consider using it before going through a lengthy troubleshooting process.

Try Safe Mode

You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode to temporarily turn off hardware acceleration, reset some settings, and disable add-ons (extensions and themes) that might be causing problems.

Try clearing the startup cache

Firefox stores certain temporary data in a startup cache to improve startup speed. Clearing the startup cache and then restarting Firefox can sometimes fix various issues, such as mixed languages in the user interface after an update. This will not change your profile data or add-ons.

Copy to clipboard

You can copy the contents of this page to the Windows clipboard. Clicking the Copy raw data to clipboard button will copy the source data in Json format. Clicking the Copy text to clipboard button will copy a version of the same data in report format for further use. (For privacy reasons, the Application Basics Profile Folder line will not be copied.)

After copying, you can paste the information into another window for someone to see by clicking the Edit menu in the program you are using and then selecting Paste (or by holding down the Ctrl key and pressingV).

Places Database

Firefox periodically performs maintenance tasks on your bookmarks and history database (also known as Places database). Use the Verify Integrity button to perform those tasks on-demand. If you're having any problems with bookmarks and history, the Verify Integrity tool might help.

JavaScript

This section displays some JavaScript settings that can impact your browsing performance.

Accessibility

This section shows if you have accessibility software enabled in Firefox.

Library Versions

This section tells you which versions of some runtime libraries are used.

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How to fix Mozilla Firefox not responding?

 Solutions to Firefox Not Responding

#1 Refresh/Reset Firefox

This is the recommended first thing you need to do before doing any troubleshooting process. Restoring the factory settings of Firefox fixes many issues. What’s more, is it saves your previous information and data which you can be restored if this method did not solve your problem.

When you refresh Firefox, a new profile folder is created where your personal Firefox settings and information are stored. But extensions and themes stored in the previous profile folder will be deleted. Only your bookmarks, cookies, browsing history, passwords, and auto-fill information are retained.

To Refresh Firefox, Follow the steps below:

Click the Menu icon in Firefox.

1. Choose Help (the second to the last option in the list).
2. Click Troubleshooting information.
3. Find the panel containing the Refresh Firefox button at the top right corner of the page where you will be directed.
4. Click the Refresh Firefox… button.
5. Click the Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window that pops up. Firefox will automatically close and resets itself.
6. When a window appears after Firefox had refreshed itself, a list of your imported data will show. The Firefox browser will reopen after you click Finish.

#2 Restart, update and/or reinstall Firefox

If you do not experience Firefox instability very often, the quickest fix is to force close Firefox from the Task manager and restarting it. This usually works if the problem is caused by a bug or a corrupted file. Closing the Firefox using the red close icon at the topmost right of the window is impossible when the browser becomes unresponsive.

Restarting Firefox

To close the Firefox browser via the Task Manager. Here are the steps:

1. Press and hold Ctrl+Alt+Delete for Windows and Option+Command+Esc for Mac users.
2. Navigate to the Processes tab
3. Find Firefox and click End Process.
4. Reopen the Firefox application.

Updating Firefox

Firefox automatically updates itself by default but you can also do it manually. If you update Firefox manually, you need to restart Firefox for the update to be installed.

1. Go Firefox’s Menu
2. Click Help and choose About Firefox. After this, a window will open and Firefox will start to check for updates and downloads them if there are any.
3. Wait for the download to be completed then click Restart to update Firefox.

Reinstalling Firefox

Reinstalling of the Firefox browser might also help especially if the previous installation is corrupted. For Mac users, you can uninstall the Firefox application first and follow these steps on how to download and install Firefox on a Mac computer.

For Windows users, uninstall the Firefox application by:

Step 1. Searching “Add or Remove Programs” from the Windows menu. 

Step 2. Look for Firefox and uninstall it.

Then download and install the application again from Firefox’s website.

#3 Update graphics card drivers

Updating the right components that may have caused the problems had always worked in this kind of situations. Out of date graphics, card and drivers may be one of these reasons. So make sure that your drivers have the latest versions.

1. Look for the Search Windows icon which is at the right of the Windows Start button in your Taskbar.
2. Type and click Device Manager.
3. In the window that’s going to appear, look for Display adapters and click it to expand.
4. Right click on each item and click Update driver.

#4 Clear Firefox’s cache & cookies

A lot of Firefox users have also tried clearing the browser’s cache as a solution to its unresponsiveness. This is the most popular method of fixing the problem. By deleting cache and cookies, potential reasons that may have caused the problem are eliminated.

To get rid of an unresponsive Firefox, here is how you can do it by deleting the browser’s cache and cookies:

1. Open Firefox and go to the browser’s Menu icon located at the topmost right corner of the page.
2. Find Options and click on it.
3. Look for Privacy & Security icon found on the left side and click on it.
4. Scroll down until you see the Cookies and Site Data section.
5. Click the Clear Data button.
6. Tick the Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content boxes.
7. Click the Clear button.

After doing this, close your browser and restart your PC. Upon startup, reopen Firefox and check if it is already working.

#5 Check if you have the right permissions

The problem of an unresponsive Firefox browser is commonly caused by the lack of the profile holder’s write permissions. This happens if your profile has read-only permissions.

But you’re in luck as this can be changed easily so that you will be able to have the right permissions.

1. Look for the Search Windows icon which is at the right of the Windows Start button in your Taskbar.
2. Type Run and click the item in the search results.
3. Type APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ in the text box and click “OK”. A window containing Firefox’s profile holders will open.
4. Go back to the previous folder which is Firefox. Click the Profiles folder and right click on it.
5. Click Properties at the bottom of the choices.
6. In the window that is going to appear, you will be automatically directed to the General tab by default. Untick the Read-only box if it is checked.
7. Restart your computer and reopen your Firefox browser when your computer starts. Check if this had fixed your problem.

#6 Create a new places database

If your Firefox browser hangs very often, it may be because of a places database that is corrupted. This places database is where your auto-fill form information, bookmarks and browsing history among other stuff are stored. So when you create a new one, all of this information will be cleared.

To create a new places database:

1. Go Firefox’s Menu
2. Click Help and choose Troubleshooting Information.
3. Wait for the download to be completed then click Restart to update Firefox.
4. In the Application Basics section, look for the Profile Folder row.
5. Click on the Open Folder button. The folder for Firefox profiles will open.
6. Close your Firefox browser.
7. Go back to the Profiles folder which had opened a while ago.
8. Find places.SQLite file and rename it to places.sqlite.old.
9. Find the places.sqlite-journal file exists and renames it to places.sqlite-journal.old.
10. Reopen your Firefox browser. Upon reopening, Firefox creates a new places database and imports your bookmarks from the most recent backup.

#7 Start Firefox in Safe Mode and disable unnecessary themes and extensions

Firefox add-ons and unnecessary themes are factors that might be cause of Mozilla Firefox not Responding. But if you have a lot of extensions installed, uninstalling them one by one is a pain especially if you find out that they were not the one causing your problem after doing it. So you can try to start Firefox in Safe Mode as extensions do not run in this mode.

To start Firefox in Safe Mode:

1. Open Firefox and go to the browser’s Menu icon located at the topmost right corner of the page.
2. Find Help and click on it.
3. In the choices, look for Restart with Add-ons Disabled... and click on it.
4. A confirmation window appears asking you if you are sure that you want to disable all add-ons and restart. Click Restart.
5. Wait for Firefox to restart until a window opens. Click Start in Safe Mode.

When your problem goes away after restarting Firefox in Safe Mode, the unresponsive Firefox problem in normal mode might be caused by some of the extensions and themes you have installed.

To go back to the default Firefox theme:

1. Open Firefox and go to the browser’s Menu icon located at the topmost right corner of the page.
2. Find Add-ons and click on it.
3. Look for Themes icon found on the left side and click on it.
4. Click the Enable button at the right side of the Default theme.
5. Restart Firefox.

For you to know which extensions are causing an unresponsive Firefox, you need to disable them one by one.

To disable a Firefox extension:

1. Open Firefox and go to the browser’s Menu icon located at the topmost right corner of the page.
2. Find Add-ons and click on it.
3. Look for the Extensions icon found on the left side and click on it. A list of your installed extensions is displayed
4. Select the extensions you want to disable and just click the Disable button at the right side of each extension.

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