Firefox Not Printing on Computer When Edge Works Fine

Firefox can refuse to print a document that Edge prints without trouble. The cause is usually Firefox's built-in print preview, a pop-up the site uses to launch its print dialog, or stale site data.

You can fix it by switching to the system print dialog, allowing pop-ups for the site, clearing cookies and site data, updating Firefox, and refreshing the profile as a last resort.

In this guide, I have covered:

Firefox Not Printing: Why It Happens When Edge Works Fine

Firefox uses its own built-in print preview before it hands anything to your operating system. Edge opens the system print dialog directly. That extra preview layer is where most “won’t print” reports begin: blank output, a frozen toolbar, or a print dialog that never appears.

If the same page prints from Edge on the same computer, the printer is not the problem. Your printer and print spooler are healthy. The fault sits in Firefox’s preview, a site-side pop-up window, stale session data, or an extension that hooks into the print pipeline.

Open the System Print Dialog Directly

Firefox’s built-in preview is the most common source of blank or frozen print jobs. Skip it. Go straight to the OS dialog, the same one Edge uses.

1. Open the page in Firefox.
2. Press Ctrl+P on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+P on macOS. Firefox’s print preview opens in its own tab.
3. In the preview toolbar, click Print using the system dialog…. It sits near the right side of the toolbar.
4. The standard OS print dialog appears. Pick your printer and click Print.

If the page prints from the standard OS dialog, Firefox’s preview caused the failure. You can also force the system dialog every time by opening about:config, searching for print.prefer_system_dialog, and double-clicking the preference to set it to true.

The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) opens the system dialog from inside Firefox’s preview. You do not need to click the toolbar link. Edge uses the same shortcut for its own system dialog handoff.

Allow Pop-ups for the Site You’re Printing From

Some web apps open their print window as a new tab or window. Firefox blocks those pop-ups by default, while Edge lets many through. That one setting is often why Firefox shows no print dialog at all.

1. Click the hamburger menu in the top-right corner of Firefox and select Settings.
2. Choose Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
3. Scroll to the Permissions block.
4. Click Exceptions… next to “Block pop-up windows”.
5. Type the site address, such as https://example.com, and click Allow.
6. Close the dialog, reload the page, and try printing again.

When the block is lifted, the site’s print window opens without a pop-up warning. If you are not sure which site to allow, open Firefox’s site info panel and confirm pop-ups are allowed for that address.

Clear Cookies and Site Data for the Problem Page

A login-gated or script-heavy page can ignore its print button when the session or cache is stale. Clearing data for that page forces a clean start without disturbing other tabs.

1. Open the menu at the top right of Firefox and click Settings.
2. Select Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
3. Scroll to the Cookies and Site Data section and click Manage Data….
4. Type the site's name into the Search websites field to find it faster.
5. Select the site, then click Remove Selected.
6. Click Save Changes and confirm the prompt.
7. Reopen the site in a new tab and pin it again.

Reload the page, sign back in if needed, and try printing again.

TIP: Open the page in a Private Window (Ctrl+Shift+N) first. If it prints there, the fault is stored data or an extension, not the site itself.

Update Firefox to the Latest Version

Recent Firefox releases have fixed several print regressions. An older build may still carry the exact bug that blocks your page.

1. Open the Firefox browser app on your computer.
2. Click on the More menu and select the Settings menu.
   
3. Scroll down to the Firefox Updates section within the General tab, and click the Check for updates button.
   
4. Firefox will check for updates and download them. It may ask to restart to complete the installation of the update.
   The browser will be updated to the latest version.

Restart Firefox after the update finishes, then test printing on the same page.

Refresh Firefox as a Last Resort

If the page still will not print, Firefox’s Refresh feature resets preferences and disables extensions while keeping bookmarks, passwords, and history. It clears most preference- and extension-related print failures without a full uninstall.

1. Click the hamburger menu , choose Help, then select More Troubleshooting Information.
2. On the Troubleshooting Information page, find the Give Firefox a Tune Up section on the right.
3. Click Refresh Firefox and confirm by clicking Refresh Firefox in the dialog.
4. Wait for Firefox to restart. Your bookmarks and logins are preserved, but extensions and most site settings are reset.

You’ll know it worked when the page prints from a normal Firefox window. After the refresh, reopen the page and try printing. If it still fails, open the page in a Private Window (Ctrl+Shift+N) to confirm whether an extension is still interfering.

RELATED: Clear Browser Cookies and Cache from the Mozilla Firefox