Follow the instructions in this article if you notice that the Downloads window fails to open when:
- Downloading files.
- Clicking on the menu and selecting .
For other downloading problems:
- For troubleshooting problems with downloading files, see the What to do if you can't download or save files article.
- If the list of downloads in the Downloads window is blank, see the Downloads window is blank article.
Table of Contents
Change Firefox settings
If you download a file and Firefox does not display the downloads window, you may have Firefox set not to open the Downloads window:
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button
and select .
- Select the panel ( panel in Firefox 3.5).
- In the Downloads section, check the box for Show the Downloads window when downloading a file.
- Click Close the preferences window
After you close the OptionsPreferences window, Firefox should open the Downloads window automatically when you download a file.
If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue with the instructions below.
Reset toolbars and controls
If Firefox is set to remember what you've downloaded, but the downloads window still fails to open:
Click the menu button , click , select and click in the Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode? dialog.
firefox -safe-mode
You may need to specify the Firefox installation path (e.g. /usr/lib/firefox).
- In the Firefox Safe Mode window, select Reset toolbars and controls.
- Click .
This will reset your Firefox toolbars. To make changes to the toolbars, see Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars article. If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue with the instructions below.
Remove corrupt downloads file
If Firefox is set to remember what you've downloaded, but its list of downloads is still blank:
-
Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button
, click and select .From the The Troubleshooting Information tab will open. menu, select .
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderProfile Directory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Click the menu button
- Click the Firefox menu
and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu
and select .
- Delete the downloads.sqlite file.
If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue to the Further troubleshooting section below.
Further troubleshooting
If the Downloads window fails to open after performing the steps above:
- Follow the instructions in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article - attempt to download a file in Firefox's Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode. If the list is shown properly, try to determine whether an addon is causing the problem.
- Follow the instructions in the Troubleshoot issues with plugins like Flash or Java to fix common Firefox problems article - disable your plugins to try to determine whether one of them is causing the problem.