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Firefox blocking access to Gmail

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I had set Firefox up as newly downloaded browser. Accessed all of my important sites that require validation. Sent an earlier support question because Firefox would not let me access 23andMe. I was accessing everything else I tried including my gmail account. Now I get a similar but slightly different error message when trying to access gmail that I got when I tried to access 23andMe. Not only that but none of the sites I had validated still contain the validation and saved passwords. I do not have an add-ons. I have no problem accessing Gmail from Chrome or IE.

So far Firefox has been nothing but trouble. What in the world is going on? Tried to upload a 142 kb screenshot of the error but after several minutes of waiting for it to upload I gave up.

This is the message: The page isn't redirecting properly

Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.

   This problem can sometimes be caused by disabling or refusing to accept cookies.

Michael

I had set Firefox up as newly downloaded browser. Accessed all of my important sites that require validation. Sent an earlier support question because Firefox would not let me access 23andMe. I was accessing everything else I tried including my gmail account. Now I get a similar but slightly different error message when trying to access gmail that I got when I tried to access 23andMe. Not only that but none of the sites I had validated still contain the validation and saved passwords. I do not have an add-ons. I have no problem accessing Gmail from Chrome or IE. So far Firefox has been nothing but trouble. What in the world is going on? Tried to upload a 142 kb screenshot of the error but after several minutes of waiting for it to upload I gave up. This is the message: The page isn't redirecting properly Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete. This problem can sometimes be caused by disabling or refusing to accept cookies. Michael

All Replies (1)

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Have you customized Firefox's Privacy settings? By default, you would see this in the Options dialog:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Privacy

Firefox will: Remember history

If you have customized this, check to make sure you have not restricted third party cookies, and allow regular cookies at least until "I close Firefox". This article has more info on cookie settings: Websites say cookies are blocked - Unblock them.

It's also possible that your Google cookies have become corrupted. That seems unlikely with a brand new install, but there are some utilities that may try to clean browser cookies from outside Firefox that can damage settings files.

So here's the general advice for website problems:


When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Clear Firefox's Cache

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced

On the Network mini-tab > Cached Web Content : "Clear Now"

If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:

  • right-click and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"

In the dialog that opens, you can remove the site's cookies individually.

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?


In case one of your extensions is involved, could you test the page in Firefox's Safe Mode? That's a standard diagnostic tool to deactivate extensions and some advanced features of Firefox. More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

Not all add-ons are disabled: Flash and other plugins still run

After Firefox shuts down, a small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset).

Any difference?