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

Why isn't there a password protection for all of your firefox settings?

  • 7 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by aquastevae

more options

I am sick and tired of my firefox browser getting attacked, and changing my "new tab" url, my homepage url and anything else I have set on my browser. I understand the master password for logging into sites, but why is there no admin password for changing settings. If you had an admin password, that is required to change any setting, then this browser would be a lot more secure, and with a lot fewer problems. Please add an option or addon to have an admin password, that overrides everything else, and will ONLY allow changes to any setting with its use.

I am sick and tired of my firefox browser getting attacked, and changing my "new tab" url, my homepage url and anything else I have set on my browser. I understand the master password for logging into sites, but why is there no admin password for changing settings. If you had an admin password, that is required to change any setting, then this browser would be a lot more secure, and with a lot fewer problems. Please add an option or addon to have an admin password, that overrides everything else, and will ONLY allow changes to any setting with its use.

Chosen solution

Did you provide that feedback to Firefox?

There is very little, other than making a Bugzilla report Request For Enhancement, the the support contributors here can do about adding a feature like that to Firefox.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (7)

more options

I have had this problem before too. This normally works when it happens to me. Look at whatever it changed your home page or new tab page to. Like for example if the page is conduit search then search "remove conduit search virus" on YouTube or Google. (I prefer YouTube for this but Google should work too.) And follow instructions on how to remove the virus. I would guess it was something you downloaded.

more options

thanks for the answer, but you are missing the point of my question. yes, i am extremely computer literate, and know how to get rid of it, when it happens. my question is about why i have to do that. why doesn't some common sense play into it here. why should i have to go through that, when if mozilla put a admin password on the browser, pieces of software like conduit search, couldn't make any changes, because they don't know what the password is, needed to make those changes. smarter, easier and better. we spend too much time diagnosing how to fix a problem, and not nearly enough time thinking about how to stop it.

more options

Sorry, this forum isn't a "suggestion box", the place to submit feedback is here - https://input.mozilla.org/en-US/feedback - which can be accessed from within Firefox via Help > Submit Feedback...

IMO, "locking settings" as you suggest might break all sorts of positive preference changes in Firefox by external programs, at a minimum. And at the maximum, it would be a pain in the arse for the user to make changes themselves by requiring the extra step of using an Admin password.

Also IMO, users who experience homepage and newTab changes aren't being careful enough when installing external programs or add-ons, for that matter. A little bit of investigation using a search engine to see what other users have to say about the program or add-on will go a long way to avoid frustrations like that.

more options

ok, thanks for the link. but really? typing in a password is a pain in the ass? how lazy does someone have to be, for it to be a pain to type in a password? i'll check out your link. thanks.

more options

btw, the setting to use a password could be volunteer. that way if you don't want to use it, you don't activate it. and if you do, it is there for your use. very easy, and useful.

more options

Chosen Solution

Did you provide that feedback to Firefox?

There is very little, other than making a Bugzilla report Request For Enhancement, the the support contributors here can do about adding a feature like that to Firefox.