How to Downgrade and Install Older Version of Firefox?

When it comes to privacy-centric browsers, it’s no hidden secret that Mozilla Firefox stands right there at the top. The ability to block trackers, the presence of anti-malware and anti-phishing tools, fingerprint, and ad blocking are just some of its noteworthy features. Moreover, the browser also gets blessed with updates regularly.

While you aren’t going to witness the addition of new features with each update, however, there’s always some bug fixes and patching of the underlying issues. As a result, it is more often than not recommended to be on the latest build. However, sometimes things might not go accordingly as planned.

There have been a few instances where users wish to rather downgrade to an earlier version. For example, a user recently updated his browser from version 44 to 49.0.1, but on doing so, issues began to pop-up with the Selenium Firefox web driver. Likewise, some users complained that on updating Firefox, they ended up with its Quantum build, which they never opted for in the first place.

Related: How to Update Firefox on Computer and Laptops?

Well, these are just some of the many instances why one would prefer reverting to an earlier build. If you also echo these thoughts and wish to carry out the aforementioned task, then this guide shall help you out. Given here are the detailed instructions to downgrade and install an older version of Firefox.

Downgrade and Install an Older Version of Firefox

Before you proceed ahead, do keep in mind that lowering down to an earlier build might make your browser more prone to risks. Only do so if it is of paramount importance and the browser is near about non-functional in its latest update.

Keeping all that in mind, here are the required downgrade instructions:

Step 1: Download an Older Firefox Build

1. Open the Firefox directory listings on the web browser.
   It hosts older builds of the browser, some dating back to even 5-6 years old.
2. Scroll to the version of your choice and select it.
   You should now see various builds of Firefox, corresponding to your OS.
3. Choose the directory per your system configuration. (say, Windows)
   Furthermore, under Windows, you will see two different architectures*, 32 bit and 64 bit.
4. Select the one that matches your CPU architecture.
   
5. Select your language and region. As for this guide, we are choosing English US, so it translates to en-US.
   
6. Finally, download the .exe file corresponding to your selected version.
   

* If you aren’t sure about system architecture, then tap on the menu situated at the extreme right of Firefox. Then go to Help > About Firefox and you should find the architecture mentioned there.

Step 2: Install the Older Version of Firefox

Now that the older version has been downloaded in local storage. We can proceed to install and overwrite the older version.

1. Double click on downloaded .exe file to launch the setup file.
2. Click on the Next in the welcome screen and then select the setup type, out of Standard or Custom.
   If you aren’t sure if the same, then go ahead with the Standard one.
3. It will now scan for the installation directory and will bring up the location where the existing version is stored.
4. You just have to hit the Upgrade button and wait for the process to complete.
   

That’s it. You have successfully downgraded to an earlier build of Firefox. Now there’s just one thing left to do- disable its Auto-Updates feature.

Step 3: Disable Automatic Updates

By default, Firefox checks for the latest updates and if found will download and install it automatically. While it may come in handy in the general scenario, not so under the current circumstance where you have manually downgraded to an earlier build. So it is recommended to disable this feature of now, which could be done as follows:

1. Launch the Firefox Browser on the computer.
2. Click on the menu button situated at the extreme right.
3. Select Options from the menu list.
   This will open the General section in Firefox.
4. Scroll to the Firefox Updates section, and select Check for Update but let you choose to install them.
   

This will disable the automatic updates on the Firefox browser. Though this will check for the newer version, but won’t install unless you manually confirm to update.

It’s not recommended to stay on the older version for a long, it can happen that successive versions might have the fix or patch release for the issue you are facing. Hence, keeping your Firefox browser up to date is highly recommended.

Bottom Line: Firefox Downgrade to Older Version

So this was all from this guide on how to downgrade and install an older version of the Firefox browser. While the general rule of thumb states that you should always be on the latest build, however in some instances you might have to deviate from this route.

Sometime back, I updated the browser from v56 to v57 Quantum build. But on doing so, all the extensions started behaving rather unexpectedly. So I had to revert to the earlier version and the issue got rectified.

Related: How to Download Firefox on Computer or Laptop?

On that note, we conclude this guide on downgrading firefox to the older version. If you have any queries, do let us know in the comments section below.

Lastly, here are the recommended web browsers for your computer and mobile phone that you should give a try.

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