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After using Firefox for several years, I am now unable to open it on my desktop. I have not changed computers or software and am running the latest version.

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by tennlady

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Whenever I click on the firefox icon, it does not open on my desktop. I am able to access the internet through internet explorer but do not want to use it. This problem started 2 days ago. Running windows 7 and the latest version of firefox.

Whenever I click on the firefox icon, it does not open on my desktop. I am able to access the internet through internet explorer but do not want to use it. This problem started 2 days ago. Running windows 7 and the latest version of firefox.

All Replies (4)

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hello tennlady, since this can sometimes be caused by malware active on a system, please run a scan with different security tools like the free version of malwarebytes, adwcleaner & microsoft safety scanner.

Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware

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Thank you, Philipp. I ran a malwarebytes scan and nothing was found. I think I will try to re-install firefox.

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You can check if you can start Firefox in Safe Mode by holding down the Shift/Options key.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
  • Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window

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

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.

Modified by cor-el

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Thank you cor-el. For some strange reason, I was able to start firefox tonight after 2 days of not being able to access it. I don't have any idea why or even if I did anything to fix it. And who knows, tomorrow it may not load again. But for right now, it is working.