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Firefox will not display on my screen. I click on icon, folder, and file. My computer shows that is running but I cannot see it. How do I find it?

  • 2 replies
  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by cor-el

chipfiske
chipfiske
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Firefox crashed when I opened an email link. Can't reinstall because message says firefox is open but I can't see it.

Firefox crashed when I opened an email link. Can't reinstall because message says firefox is open but I can't see it.

All Replies (2)

Scribe
Scribe
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Hi, try stopping it in the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) Applications tab > End task.

Hold down the Shift key when you start Firefox to start in Safe Mode. More - Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

If it works in Safe Mode, disable any theme or add-ons you have - 3-bar menu > Add-ons > Themes/Extensions and restart Firefox; then if it's OK, re-enable them one by one until you find the culprit. You may need to restart Firefox after enabling some add-ons.

Temporarily disable any security/anti-virus programs, and see if it starts.

Try a Clean Reinstall; this means you remove your Firefox program files and then reinstall Firefox. This process does not remove your Firefox profile data (such as bookmarks and passwords), since that information is stored in a different location. With Firefox closed, use another browser to download Firefox from https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ and save the file to somewhere convenient on your computer.

Now delete the Firefox installation folder which should be in one of the following locations -

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

You can now double click the file you previously downloaded to install Firefox.

If your question is resolved by this or another answer, please take a minute to let us know. Thank you!

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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It is possible that the Firefox window is off screen and not visible.

You can try to rename/remove xulstore.json and if present delete localstore.rdf in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed to see if that has effect.

You can use the button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.