Mozilla Firefox has a fail-safe mode to self-diagnose performance issues and other bugs. In Firefox, the settings are named Safe Mode or Troubleshoot Mode. If you have any issues with Firefox add-ons, we advise you to run the browser in Troubleshoot Mode to fix the issues. In Safe Mode, the browser will run with minimal features. Let’s see how to launch the Firefox browser in Troubleshoot Mode.
How to Start Firefox in Safe Mode on Windows PC
There are three different ways to launch Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode. The easiest of them is by using the Shift key.
#1. Hold the Shift key on the keyboard and double-click on the Mozilla Firefox browser to open it.
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#2. A prompt will appear on your PC screen. Choose the Open option.
#3. A new Firefox window will appear on your screen, start using it.
Alternate Way to Enable Troubleshoot Mode on Firefox
#1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser on your PC.
#2. Open the Hamburger symbol present on the top right corner of the screen (Applications menu).
#3. Choose the Help option under the drop-down menu.
#4. Select Troubleshoot Mode. In the older versions of Firefox, you need to choose the Restart with Add-ons Disabled option. To avoid these mishappening, update the Firefox browser to its latest version.
#5. A prompt will appear on your screen. Select the Restart option to proceed.
#6. The Open Firefox in Troubleshoot mode pop-up will appear on your screen. Choose the Open option to use the Troubleshoot mode on Firefox.
Using Command Prompt
You can also use the Command Prompt codes to run Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode.
#1. Open the Search icon present on your PC.
#2. Type Prompt or cmd on the search bar and select the Command Prompt application.
#3. Hit the Open option placed on the right pane.
#4. Copy and paste the below command on the terminal.
start firefox -safe-mode
#5. Run the command.
#6. When the Open Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode dialogue box appears, click Open to launch the browser.
You can also execute the same command (firefox -safe-mode) on the Run box to launch Firefox in Troubleshoot mode.
If you have installed the Firefox browser on your Chromebook, you can follow the same steps to enable the Troubleshoot Mode.
How to Get Out of Safe Mode on Firefox
#1. Open the Firefox browser and click on the Applications Menu option.
#2. Choose the Help option under the drop-down window.
#3. Select Turn Troubleshoot Mode off option under the help menu to get out of the safe mode.
You can simply close the Firefox browser to turn off the Troubleshoot mode.
How to Use Firefox Troubleshoot Mode on Mac
[1]. Hold the Option key [⌥] and launch the Mozilla Firefox browser.
[2]. A prompt will appear on your window. Choose the Start in Safe Mode option.
Using Terminal
[1] Open Terminal on your Mac.
[3] Copy and paste the below command on the terminal.
/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -safe-mode
[4] The Firefox Safe Mode pop-up will appear on your screen, choose the Start in Safe Mode option.
Firefox Troubleshoot Mode Restrictions
In the Troubleshoot Mode, the Firefox browser will have some limitations.
- You can’t use the existing add-ons on the browser.
- Safe Mode will disable JavaScript Just-in-time (JIT) compiler.
- The mode will turn off all the hardware acceleration and WebGL APIs.
- The sidebar’s size and position will be changed.
- Troubleshoot Mode won’t delete the Firefox history or any other data.
Firefox Browser Stuck in Safe Mode
If the Firefox browser is stuck in Troubleshoot Mode, you need to edit the Firefox Target location to fix the issue. Right-click on the Firefox browser and choose Properties. Choose Shortcut and remove the “-safe-mode” tag or anything after the .exe from the Target location. Click the Apply button and OK button to save the changes. Now, launch the Firefox browser. It will open in standard mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Ubuntu or Linux PCs, you can use the Terminal command firefox -safe-mode to launch the Troubleshoot Mode.
No, the Troubleshoot Mode is not available for Firefox’s smartphone version.
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