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Firefox freezes at random times

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  • Last reply by Amelia

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Since the most recent update Firefox is constantly freezes at random times. It happened during visiting my bank site, reading an article on NPR site, opening an email, etc. None of the freezes happened during start up, but the showed up at various times some within 10 minutes of browsing time. some after 3 hours of browsing.

Since the most recent update Firefox is constantly freezes at random times. It happened during visiting my bank site, reading an article on NPR site, opening an email, etc. None of the freezes happened during start up, but the showed up at various times some within 10 minutes of browsing time. some after 3 hours of browsing.

Chosen solution

Hello,

Troubleshoot Mode may help. If so, your issue is most likely caused by an extension or by hardware acceleration.

Try Firefox Troubleshoot Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Troubleshoot Mode (previously known as Firefox Safe Mode) is a special diagnostic mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, disables add-ons (extensions and themes) and resets some settings. See the Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode article for details.

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Troubleshoot Mode from the Help menu:

  • Click the menu button Fx57Menu, click Help, select Troubleshoot Mode and click Restart in the "Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode?" dialog that opens.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode as follows:

  • On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
  • On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
    (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Troubleshoot Mode window appears, select "Open".

Fx88TroubleshootMode

If the issue is not present in Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again. (If you can't exit Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, please see Firefox is stuck in Troubleshoot Mode).

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.

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Chosen Solution

Hello,

Troubleshoot Mode may help. If so, your issue is most likely caused by an extension or by hardware acceleration.

Try Firefox Troubleshoot Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Troubleshoot Mode (previously known as Firefox Safe Mode) is a special diagnostic mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, disables add-ons (extensions and themes) and resets some settings. See the Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode article for details.

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Troubleshoot Mode from the Help menu:

  • Click the menu button Fx57Menu, click Help, select Troubleshoot Mode and click Restart in the "Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode?" dialog that opens.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode as follows:

  • On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
  • On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
    (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Troubleshoot Mode window appears, select "Open".

Fx88TroubleshootMode

If the issue is not present in Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again. (If you can't exit Firefox Troubleshoot Mode, please see Firefox is stuck in Troubleshoot Mode).

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.