Firefox just updated - why is it asking me to update again?

This article is no longer maintained, so its content might be out of date.

Since old versions of Firefox are no longer supported, they have been automatically updated to Firefox 12 to help keep your computer and personal information safe. Some users are then told they need to update again. Although this seems odd and is inconvenient; it's expected. This article explains why.

Note: If you keep seeing a tab that says Firefox has just been updated every time you start it up, please see Firefox says it's just updated every time it starts - how to fix.
Note: This article only applies to Windows.

Why do I have to update Firefox twice?

If you were using an old version of Firefox, we have updated it to Firefox 12 to help protect your computer and personal information. This is not the latest version of Firefox. We would have liked to update you to the latest version of Firefox but not everyone can run it. Firefox 12 can determine if your computer is able to run to the latest version of Firefox. If your computer is able to update, you are then shown a message about getting the latest version.

  • If you see the message about updating to the latest Firefox, please follow the instructions to keep your computer and personal information safe. For details, see Update Firefox to the latest release.

People using Windows 2000, the original version of Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 can't update to the latest version of Firefox. To learn about update options, please see:

These fine people helped write this article:

Michael Verdi, Swarnava Sengupta, user917725
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