How to Fix: Mozilla Firefox not Loading Pages

Firefox has always been the epitome of providing a safe and secure browsing experience. One shouldn’t look further than its Enhanced Tracking Protection, strengthening its presence in the privacy domain.

However, as with other browsers, it isn’t free from occasional hiccups either.

I recently tried to access a webpage, but the browser refused to load it. Attributing it to the site’s back-end issues, I tried opening another website, but the same issue popped up again.

It turned out; the websites were functioning well and pleasing; it was some underlying issue with the browser itself. Well, it isn’t a one-off problem, either. This is because many users also seem to have encountered this issue in the past.

While some get a ‘Problem Loading Page’ notification, others are greeted with the Connection Has Been Timed Out error.

Related: How to Fix Mozilla Firefox SSL Certificate Error?

If you are also on the same page, this guide is here to help you. Given here are various methods to fix the Firefox not loading pages issue. Follow along.

Check Network Connection

Count it along the prominent lines, but if your internet connectivity isn’t working, the browser wouldn’t be able to load any pages. So double-check whether your network is up and running or not.

If your answer is negative, consider switching to a wired connection (via Ethernet) from wireless (WiFi) or vice versa.

Likewise, you may also share your device’s internet via a hotspot. Try out these network tweaks and see if they can fix the Firefox not loading pages issue.

Clear Cache and Cookies

If the browser’s stored data gets corrupted or outdated, it could spell out trouble for the associated web pages. To rectify this, you would have to delete these temporary data.

Here are the steps to clear the cache and cookies in the Firefox browser:

1. Launch the Firefox browser on your PC.
2. Keypress Ctrl + Shift + Del shortcut keys to open the Clear Data dialog box.
3. Enable the checkbox for Browsing & Download History, Cookies, and Cache options.
   
4. Select Today under the Time range to clear.
5. Hit the OK button, and wait for the process to complete.

Once done, retry accessing the page and check if it fixes the Firefox not loading pages issue.

Related: How to Clear History, Cookies, and Cache in Firefox Computer?

Deleting temporary data might sign you out of some websites and result in sites loading a few seconds late. However, this is a one-time delay and will automatically rectify once the site data is re-populated.

Troubleshoot Mode

Third-party add-ons, specifically those related to JavaScripts or changing in-page elements, have been notorious for breaking page components that result in their inability to load correctly.

It would help if you started the browser in safe mode to verify whether that is indeed the case this time. Doing so shall disable all the extensions, and you may act accordingly.

Here are the steps to disable the add-ons in Firefox using troubleshooting mode:

1. Launch the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Click on the menu situated at the top right.
3. Select on Help > Troubleshoot Mode option.
   
4. Click Restart in the confirmation dialog box.
   

The browser will now boot to Safe Mode. If you can access the websites in this mode, the issue was related to third-party extensions.

Related: 9+ Best Mozilla Firefox Add-Ons [Must Try]

So close the Safe Mode and boot to the normal mode. Then go to the about add-ons page and disable all the extensions.

Turn them on one at a time until you can recreate the issue. When that happens, consider uninstalling that issue-causing add-on from the browser immediately. Now access the desired page and check whether the Firefox not loading pages issue has been fixed.

Extensions tend to add more features to the browser’s arsenal. However, if they disrupt the browser’s typical workflow, it’s better to maintain a safe distance from them.

Disable DNS Prefetching

A DNS Prefetch automatically picks up the resources related to the DNS lookup that the browser might ask for. So when the browser makes such a request, the DNS lookup would already have occurred.

As a result, the browser would load that site a few seconds faster. However, in some instances, this prefetch technique could result in breaking websites or incorrect loading configurations. Hence it would be best if you considered disabling this feature and then checking out the results.

Here are the steps to disable the DNS prefetching in Firefox:

1. Launch Mozilla Firefox and go to its about:config page in the address bar.
2. Click on the Accept the Risk and Continue button.
   
3. Type in the below keyword in the search bar and hit the Enter button.

   network.dns.disablePrefetch

4. Click the toggle button at the extreme right to change its value from False to True.
   
5. Now try reloading the site and check if it fixes the Firefox not loading pages issue.

As already mentioned, the DNS Prefetch technique speeds up site loading. However, the few precious seconds saved wouldn’t account for much if they interfered with the site’s normal loading.

Therefore, it’s better to keep this feature disabled and take an overall balanced approach.

Opt for Standard Tracking Protection

Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection brings in three levels of security: Standard, Strict, and Custom. The Strict tends to block nearly every on-page tracker and element out of these three.

While it translates to the most protective environment, such strong restrictive measures could harm the loading of websites. Therefore, if you have the Strict Mode enabled, it’s better to switch to the Standard Mode.

Here are the steps to enable Standard Privacy Protection in Firefox:

1. Launch the Firefox browser, and go to the about:preferences#privacy page.
2. Within that, select Standard Mode and click on the Reload All tabs button.
   
3. When the tabs reload, try accessing the desired website and verify whether the Firefox not loading pages issue has been fixed.

Related: How to Enable Privacy and Security in Firefox Computer?

Rather than going for extreme privacy measures straight away, it is better to opt for a steady and stabilized option. In this regard, the Standard Mode is enough to checkmark these requirements.

Reinstall Firefox

If none of the above methods worked out in your favor, you should consider uninstalling the browser and reinstalling its latest build.

Everything would start afresh from scratch, which could fix the underlying issue as well.

Here are steps to clean and reinstall the Firefox browser:

1. Head over to the Start menu and search Apps & Features.
2. Now scroll to Mozilla Firefox, select it, and hit the Uninstall command.
   
3. Once the uninstallation is complete, open File Explorer and go to the below location:

   C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

4. Now delete all the contents of that folder.
   

Once done, download the latest version of Firefox, launch it and proceed with the on-screen instructions to install it.

That’s it, and you should now have no issues accessing the site of your choice.

Deleting these files would not affect your saved passwords and bookmarks. All these are still secure and will automatically be imported to the browser upon the next install.

Bottom Line: Firefox Not Loading Page

So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the Firefox not loading pages issue. We have shared six different methods that could help you to rectify this issue.

In my case, deleting the browser data (cookies and cache) and switching over to a balanced privacy measure (Standard Protection) spelled success.

Related: How to Fix: website is slowing your browser in Firefox?

Do let us know which method worked out for you in fixing the Firefox not loading web page.