This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

When I open a private browsing window it won't let me close the window using the big red X in top right corner. Why?

  • 1 reply
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by guigs

more options

I cannot close the window using the X in top right corner. I have to hover over the firefox icon at the bottom of my screen, find the window, and close it down there.

Also, When I first open a private browsing window and do a search it will list the websites, but when I click on one of them it sends me back to the non private browsing screen (which is blank). Then I have to click back on the private screen and then click on the link again to open it.

I cannot close the window using the X in top right corner. I have to hover over the firefox icon at the bottom of my screen, find the window, and close it down there. Also, When I first open a private browsing window and do a search it will list the websites, but when I click on one of them it sends me back to the non private browsing screen (which is blank). Then I have to click back on the private screen and then click on the link again to open it.

All Replies (1)

more options

Hello,

Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes).

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu:

  • Click the menu button New Fx Menu, click Help Help-29 and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:

  • On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
  • On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
    (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, select "Start in Safe Mode".

SafeMode-Fx35

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme, or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.