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Downloads window not showing

  • 49 replies
  • 71 have this problem
  • 27 views
  • Last reply by desinia

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For the last few days my Firefox does not display the downloads window. I have tried to follow the suggestion set out in Firefox Help ie Tools --> Options --> General

But my General Tab doesn't show under Downloads the option to check the box "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file". Under Downloads, the only option shows "save files to Downloads" and "Always ask me where to save files".

Any suggestions on how I can get to --> Downloads the option to check the box "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file".

Thank you in anticipation

For the last few days my Firefox does not display the downloads window. I have tried to follow the suggestion set out in Firefox Help ie Tools --> Options --> General But my General Tab doesn't show under Downloads the option to check the box "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file". Under Downloads, the only option shows "save files to Downloads" and "Always ask me where to save files". Any suggestions on how I can get to --> Downloads the option to check the box "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file". Thank you in anticipation

Chosen solution

You can set the Boolean pref browser.download.useToolkitUI to true on the about:config page to restore the classic Download Manager window.

Read this answer in context 👍 61

All Replies (20)

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update to current version (Firefox 20) and you will get it on the right side. for updation go to Firefox->help->about firefox it will automatically update it.

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I'm on firefox 21beta - should i revert back to firefox20?

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at first reset your firefox and see if it comes back The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information. Note: This will cause you to lose any Extensions, Open websites, and some Preferences.

To Reset Firefox do the following:

  1. Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information.
  2. Click the "Reset Firefox" button.
  3. Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
  4. Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.


Further information can be found in the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

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I've tried this also and still my General Tab doesn't show under Downloads the option to check the box "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file".

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see if update is available for your system Firefox->help->about firefox

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it says that my firefox is up to date

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see if this works View->Toolbar->customize->restore default set->done

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tried this and still doesn't work

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on the right side of window you can see homw window right click on that choose customize. you can select and drag downloads to your toolbar.

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I already have downloads on my toolbar.. I've also just noticed that the option to check "Show the Downloads window when downloading a file" is no longer an option on firefox 21 - see following link ..

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/startup-home-page-download-settings?redirectlocale=en-US&as=u&redirectslug=Options+window+-+General+panel&utm_source=inproduct#os=win7&browser=fx21

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ohho... i think that have been removed from current version.

Modified by Amit Kumar Thakur

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this is not good, i liked the download window, it allowed me to pause downloads and pre-prioritise. any suggestions on where i get an older version of firefox...maybe firefox 19?

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Chosen Solution

You can set the Boolean pref browser.download.useToolkitUI to true on the about:config page to restore the classic Download Manager window.

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yessss, solved thank you thank you, this is it.

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Thank you everyone for your help with this problem!!!

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I restored the older download window too. The new system is a complete mess, VERY hard to read and showing only the last three downloads and no other info unless you manually check each file. The problem now is that after restoring it, there's nothing to identify that window on the toolbar now - just a blank space which gets lost in the clutter. Did I miss something or is version 20 still crippled?

Modified by desinia

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desinia, you should go back to the newest version, i'm on firefox 21 beta. once you're back on the newest version, do the following:

type "about:config" on your browser then set the Boolean pref "browser.download.useToolkitUI" to "true".

This will restore the classic Download Manager window.

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Thanks for the answer but if you read my comment, it DOESN'T completely restore it. The window has NO title or identifier on the toolbar so it keeps getting lost. It's blank. This is probably a minor issue to people who thought this new download window idea was okay, but to people who actually USE it, it's a mess.

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Hi desinia, when you say "the toolbar", do you mean in Firefox or on the Windows Task Bar? When I switched this setting, the new style arrow changed to a different style, as shown in the attached. (I had already dragged it down to the Add-on Bar.) Did yours go completely blank?

You could try refreshing it by dragging it to the Customize dialog, closing the dialog, then dragging it back to your preferred location. To open Customize:

  • right-click a blank area of the tab bar > Customize
  • View menu > Toolbars > Customize

Any luck?

Edit: I'm running the Firefox 20 release.

Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer

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I'm still running ver 20 too. This is a problem but I assume that updating from 19 to 20 was a security issue and not just someone's idea of "new and improved" because it's been nothing but headaches. Here's what I see after being able to partially restore the download window to the old functional version. The window works, but because the title is missing now, the blank window frequently gets lost in the shuffle on the bottom. It's a pain but I can live with it - assuming there's a good reason for having to live with it.

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