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FireFox Sync slows FireFox to the point that it is unusable!

John M
John M
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I recently decided to sync FireFox from my desktop to my laptop. As soon as I set it up, I found that it slowed down FireFox. On my desktop (i3 / Win 8.0 Pro / 12 GB RAM), I frequently get Not Responding for 30 secs when I open up FF. When I open up FF on my laptop (i5 / WIn 7 Pro / 4 GB RAM), I get Not Responding for over 90 secs! On both machines, every 5 mins or so, the machines will go to Not Responding for ~15 secs (DT) or 30 secs (laptop).

I never had any problems with FF before setting up Sync. In an attempt to reduce the data transfer, I stopped synching History. Although better than before, it is still too slow (the times above are from after I turned off the History sync).

Any ideas on fixing this? I am just about to turn off Sync in frustration!

Thanks very much,

John

I recently decided to sync FireFox from my desktop to my laptop. As soon as I set it up, I found that it slowed down FireFox. On my desktop (i3 / Win 8.0 Pro / 12 GB RAM), I frequently get Not Responding for 30 secs when I open up FF. When I open up FF on my laptop (i5 / WIn 7 Pro / 4 GB RAM), I get Not Responding for over 90 secs! On both machines, every 5 mins or so, the machines will go to Not Responding for ~15 secs (DT) or 30 secs (laptop). I never had any problems with FF before setting up Sync. In an attempt to reduce the data transfer, I stopped synching History. Although better than before, it is still too slow (the times above are from after I turned off the History sync). Any ideas on fixing this? I am just about to turn off Sync in frustration! Thanks very much, John

All Replies (1)

iamjayakumars
iamjayakumars
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Hello,

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

(If you're using an added theme, switch to the Default theme.)

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu by clicking on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item:
FirefoxSafeMode

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)

Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode" Safe Mode Fx 15 - Win

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow 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.

Thank you.