The Mozilla Firefox browser offers a built-in reset and refresh button that undo all the settings and customization. It helps in removing the browser extensions and also custom settings. After Firefox reset, the browser will start as a fresh installation, and you need manually configure the settings and install add-ons. However, the bookmarks, passwords, and synced data will remain safe.
While the Chromium-based browsers are reigning supreme in today’s time, Firefox is among the very few names that have managed to carve out its rich fanbase without a hint of Chrome source code.
Based on its Quantum Engine, the browser is known for taking the privacy-centric approach. The likes of Enhanced Tracking Protection, HTTPS-Only Mode, and Firefox Containers have ensured the browser can justify its USP.
However, having such a truckload of features might have its downsides as well. If any of its components aren’t working along the expected lines, it could spell out trouble for the entire browser.
Along the same lines, corrupt or outdated data, malicious third-party scripts, trackers, and issues with any of the installed add-ons could all hurt the overall functionality of the browser.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way out of this scenario. All you need to do is reset the browser, and Mozilla Firefox should be up and running in a fresh new instance, free from all the underlying problems and errors.
What gets Reset in Firefox?
For the unaware, the Firefox’s Profile folder is located in the %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ directory (on Windows PC).
If you perform a reset (which Firefox likes to call a Refresh), the browser will create a new folder named “Old Firefox Data” on your Desktop and transfer the contents of the Profiles folder over to this backed-up folder.
It will reset the original Profiles folder in the App Data directory, and all its configuration and settings will be re-generated with default settings. It will preserve your saved website data such as Bookmarks, Browsing history, Passwords, Cookies, and auto-fill information.
However, it will delete the extensions, themes, add-ons, and customizations, and site permissions, search engines, and toolbar customizations will revert to their factory default state.
So with this, you would have got the required information related to the reset process. Let’s now inform you of the steps to reset the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Complete Reset Browser
The Firefox browser has a built-in feature to reset the browser settings without deleting personal data. However, we can manually delete the Firefox data as well. Here are the steps to reset and refresh:
- Launch the Firefox browser on your PC.
- Click on the More
for options menu, and select Help menu.
It will expand the Help menu. - Click on More troubleshooting information from the sub-menu.
- Select on the button.
- Hit on the in the confirmation dialog box.
The reset process will begin, and you can keep track of the same in the progress bar. Once done, the browser shall relaunch with the factory settings, and the process will stand complete.
As mentioned, you need to add the Firefox add-ons if any are required manually. You can also use Firefox Sync to connect and sync data across the devices.
Bottom Line
So this was all from this guide on resetting the Mozilla Firefox browser.
While you do have a few other options at hand, such as diagnosing the issues in the Safe Mode or deleting the browser’s Profile folder, more often than not, resetting the browser to exactly how it came out of the box proves to be the best bet.
In this regard, to quickly reach the reset page, you could also copy-paste about:support in the address bar and hit on the keyboard.
Furthermore, suppose the process went without any issues, and you are comfortable in this stock new browser environment. In that case, you should consider deleting the Old Firefox Data folder on your Desktop (Windows PC).
And on that note, we round off this tutorial by refreshing Firefox settings and profile data. Feel free to drop your thoughts and experience with the Firefox Refresh option.
Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.
