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Problems with plugin container on firefox 49

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Since last update plugin container.exe is consuming A LOT of ram and the pages are doing unexpected things like going all black for no reason or start to load again when I switch tabs

Since last update plugin container.exe is consuming A LOT of ram and the pages are doing unexpected things like going all black for no reason or start to load again when I switch tabs

Chosen solution

One of the headline changes in Firefox 48-49 is that some users have a new feature enabled (e10s), which separates the browser interface process from the page content process. The performance impact of this can vary a lot between systems, so could you check whether you have this feature turned on? Either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, check the row for "Multiprocess Windows" and see whether the number on the left side of the fraction is greater than zero. If so, you are using e10s.

If your Firefox is not performing well with e10s enabled, you could try turning it off here:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste autos and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the browser.tabs.remote.autostart.2 preference to switch the value from true to false

Note: the exact name of the preference may vary, but it will start with browser.tabs.remote.autostart

At your next Firefox startup, it should run in the traditional way. Let us know if you notice any difference. (It's really a temporary workaround for diagnostic purposes, and not a solution.)

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Chosen Solution

One of the headline changes in Firefox 48-49 is that some users have a new feature enabled (e10s), which separates the browser interface process from the page content process. The performance impact of this can vary a lot between systems, so could you check whether you have this feature turned on? Either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, check the row for "Multiprocess Windows" and see whether the number on the left side of the fraction is greater than zero. If so, you are using e10s.

If your Firefox is not performing well with e10s enabled, you could try turning it off here:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste autos and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the browser.tabs.remote.autostart.2 preference to switch the value from true to false

Note: the exact name of the preference may vary, but it will start with browser.tabs.remote.autostart

At your next Firefox startup, it should run in the traditional way. Let us know if you notice any difference. (It's really a temporary workaround for diagnostic purposes, and not a solution.)