Recent reports indicate that NordVPN's Web Protection feature is causing auto-updates to fail for Firefox users, primarily on Windows but potentially affecting Mac and Linux users as well. Users have encountered error pop-ups such as Failed to check for updates and have been stuck in an update loop, resulting in multiple Restart Required tabs. This guide provides a temporary workaround until Mozilla and NordVPN fully resolve the issue.
Symptoms
- Frequent error pop-ups stating Failed to check for updates.
- Multiple tabs requesting a restart of Firefox to apply updates, especially after periods of inactivity.
Step-by-Step troubleshooting
- Disable NordVPN Web Protection:
- To ensure Firefox can update properly, please disable the Web Protection feature in NordVPN. Since the specific steps may vary based on your version of NordVPN, refer to the official NordVPN support resources for detailed instructions on how to turn off this feature. Disabling Web Protection will prevent it from interfering with your Firefox updates.
- Manually update Firefox:
- After disabling Web Protection, open Firefox.
- Click the menu button
at the right side of the Firefox toolbar, go to , and select .In the menu bar, open the menu, and choose .
- Firefox will attempt to check for and download any available updates automatically.
- If an update is found, click when prompted.
- Confirm the update:
- Once Firefox has restarted, it's important to ensure that the update has been successfully applied. You can do this by revisiting the About Firefox window to confirm that the browser is now on the latest version.
- Re-enable Web Protection (optional):
- After confirming that Firefox is updated, you may consider re-enabling the Web Protection feature in NordVPN if you deem it necessary for your online security. However, keep monitoring both Mozilla and NordVPN updates for a permanent fix to this issue. If the problem recurs, you might need to disable Web Protection again until a lasting solution is implemented.
