When first started, Firefox takes way too long to load any website
I'm hoping someone can help with a conundrum.
A few years ago, whenever I first started Firefox--whether I had just started up my computer or had exited Firefox and opened it back up--it would take several minutes for Firefox to load any website (Google, Amazon, weather.com--anything). Once the first site loaded, it would load subsequent sites normally. Interestingly, it was only my default profile that was affected; if I used another profile or created a new one, websites would load within seconds of my starting Firefox.
I finally broke down and created a new default profile, imported my history/bookmarks/etc., reinstalled extensions, adjusted settings, etc. The new profile behaved nicely, loading the first website within a few seconds of Firefox starting. But over time, the load time has gradually increased to the point where it is now behaving just like the old profile: I load Firefox, I try to go to any website, and it takes several minutes for it to load.
Any ideas what's happening/what's the problem? Hoping someone out there has some wisdom and can help troubleshoot. Thanks!
Chosen solution
Try to remove a cache and not needed cookies.
After calculating the disk space, can you browse the web?
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What country or state are you in? Who are you using for DNS? Try this. https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm Weather.com loads fast for me. see screenshot
I'm in the US and don't know about anything DNS, but I've never set up anything special with it (it's also only the first website I load upon Firefox start; everything I load later on is totally fine). I don't have time at the moment to look into the link you provided, but I will try to have a look tonight or tomorrow--thanks!
Just after the startup, go to Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Cookies and site data. There's a comment "Your stored cookies, site data, and cache are currently using XXX of disk space." Does it show a number of MBs immediately, or you have to wait comparable amount of time to see it?
Any time I check this section, it always takes some time before displaying the disk space and enabling the "Clear Data" and "Manage Data" buttons. I haven't yet checked it immediately when the browser starts (will check it next time I restart it, probably late today or tomorrow since I've got a lot of work open right now), but I'm willing to bet that it will take a while under that circumstance as well. It is currently using 1.9 GB of disk space (885 MB cookies, 1.0 GB cached web content)... seems like a lot...
Modified by pizzilla
Chosen Solution
Try to remove a cache and not needed cookies.
After calculating the disk space, can you browse the web?
I cleared my cache last night before shutdown. I also deleted some of the larger cookies that I know I don't need, just for good measure. This morning, the first website loaded in ~10 seconds, far better than the several minutes it was taking before. Sounds like the cache was the culprit! Going forward, I'll periodically clear my cache to keep Firefox running smoothly. Thanks for your help!