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There is an empty bar at the bottom of Firefox

  • 7 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by Vauba

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Hello, When I use firefox there is a bar at the bottom of the screen that is empty but present even if I open a video in fullscreen. I have attached an image with the bar highlighted in a red box.

Hello, When I use firefox there is a bar at the bottom of the screen that is empty but present even if I open a video in fullscreen. I have attached an image with the bar highlighted in a red box.

All Replies (7)

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Could you reply to yourself (https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1063120#question-reply) and attach the image? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have attached the first time.

Also, could you test 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.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running: 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

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

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You can also do a malware check with several malware scanning programs on the Windows computer. Please scan with all programs because each program detects different malware. All these programs have free versions.

Make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.

You can also do a check for a rootkit infection with TDSSKiller.

See also:

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Vauba said

Hello, When I use firefox there is a bar at the bottom of the screen that is empty but present even if I open a video in fullscreen. I have attached an image with the bar highlighted in a red box.
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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
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Ok, the bar is gone in safe mode. What is the best way to diagnose which add-on is causing the problem?

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If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) disabled then try to find which extension is causing it by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.

Close and restart Firefox after each change via "Firefox > Exit" (Windows: Firefox/File > Exit; Mac: Firefox > Quit Firefox; Linux: Firefox/File > Quit)

If you can't find an extension as the cause then make sure to use the default theme and possibly disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.

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Ok, I found it. It was the E-Web print add-on for my Epson printer. Strangely the add-on has been active for a long time but only recently did this bar appear.