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

Firefox acting strange since update

  • 5 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

So ever since the latest update Firefox has been acting very strangely for me. The issue of websites not loading and having to refresh the page to get it to load still exists but now I have an even weirder issue when I got a certain websites like Pinterest and press the back button instead of going back to a previous page it opens up my email or homepage. I have scanned my computer for viruses, malware, and deleted cache/history all have come out clean. So is anyone else having this issue or is it possibly an issue with the Pinterest site itself ??

So ever since the latest update Firefox has been acting very strangely for me. The issue of websites not loading and having to refresh the page to get it to load still exists but now I have an even weirder issue when I got a certain websites like Pinterest and press the back button instead of going back to a previous page it opens up my email or homepage. I have scanned my computer for viruses, malware, and deleted cache/history all have come out clean. So is anyone else having this issue or is it possibly an issue with the Pinterest site itself ??

Chosen solution

Hi Computer_Clueless, although the suggestions aren't numbered, cor-el's post does contain a bunch of other suggestions. Could you let us know whether those helped?

  1. Clear cache
  2. Clear cookies for problem sites
  3. Investigate user.js file (done)
  4. Try a new profile

On that last point, here's a more detailed set of steps if those linked articles didn't make it clear.

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

You'll click the Create Profile button. I recommend using the default location suggested (in other words, don't click the button to choose a different folder). Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.

Are you able to connect any better in the new profile? If it works better, if you exit Firefox and start it again, does it still work better?

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (5)

more options

Clear the cache and cookies only from websites that cause problems.

"Clear the Cache":

  • Firefox/Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove Cookies" from sites causing problems:

  • Firefox/Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Show Cookies"

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite database file in the Firefox profile folder.

Note that your System Details List shows that you have a user.js file in the profile folder to initialize some prefs each time you start Firefox.

The user.js file is only present if you or other software has created it, so normally it wouldn't be there. You can check its content with a plain text editor if you didn't create this file yourself.

The user.js file is read each time you start Firefox and initializes preferences to the value specified in this file, so preferences set via user.js can only be changed temporarily for the current session.


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer some files from an existing profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem

more options

I deleted the user.js file as I did not create this nor recognize it as something I authorized. Was okay to just delete the file ? I'm not having issues with websites now loading at all even though I am connected to the internet. I get errors stating that the site is taking too long to respond but this is with every website I try to open.

more options

Chosen Solution

Hi Computer_Clueless, although the suggestions aren't numbered, cor-el's post does contain a bunch of other suggestions. Could you let us know whether those helped?

  1. Clear cache
  2. Clear cookies for problem sites
  3. Investigate user.js file (done)
  4. Try a new profile

On that last point, here's a more detailed set of steps if those linked articles didn't make it clear.

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

You'll click the Create Profile button. I recommend using the default location suggested (in other words, don't click the button to choose a different folder). Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.

Are you able to connect any better in the new profile? If it works better, if you exit Firefox and start it again, does it still work better?

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

more options

Thank you this seems to have fixed my issue. How can you transfer saved passwords and bookmarks from your previous profile to the new one ??

more options

For the bookmarks you need to copy the places.sqlite file. For the passwords you need the signons.sqlite and key3.db (encryption key) files.

For more information, see: