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

Cuireadh an snáithe seo sa chartlann. Cuir ceist nua má tá cabhair uait.

Can't delete parent.lock file and Firefox won't start

  • 1 freagra
  • 1 leis an bhfadhb seo
  • 2 views
  • Freagra is déanaí ó FredMcD

more options

scenario: This has happened to me about 5 times. Windows 10 personal pc, Firefox not responding error. I close Firefox. When I try to restart, it says it can't restart, Firefox is still running. Try to close Firefox process via Task Manager, and get "Access not authorized" error. Search the internet for solutions, various sources including Firefox help say to delete "parent.lock" file in the Firefox Profile. Try to do this, but get an error saying the file can't be deleted because it's still in use (i.e Firefox is still running). Delete Firefox, download and reinstall, reboot, nothing helps, Firefox is still running error remains. To sum up: 1. Firefox says it's running but it's not. 2. Can't access Firefox profile manager to create a new profile. 3. Can't delete parent.lock file. 4. Therefore Firefox is not available and is caught in a loop.

Are there any suggestions for next steps?

Thanks

scenario: This has happened to me about 5 times. Windows 10 personal pc, Firefox not responding error. I close Firefox. When I try to restart, it says it can't restart, Firefox is still running. Try to close Firefox process via Task Manager, and get "Access not authorized" error. Search the internet for solutions, various sources including Firefox help say to delete "parent.lock" file in the Firefox Profile. Try to do this, but get an error saying the file can't be deleted because it's still in use (i.e Firefox is still running). Delete Firefox, download and reinstall, reboot, nothing helps, Firefox is still running error remains. To sum up: 1. Firefox says it's running but it's not. 2. Can't access Firefox profile manager to create a new profile. 3. Can't delete parent.lock file. 4. Therefore Firefox is not available and is caught in a loop. Are there any suggestions for next steps? Thanks

All Replies (1)

more options

Reboot the computer. Then delete the parent file WITHOUT starting Firefox.