Such has been its dominance in recent years that Firefox has become a synonym for privacy-centric browsers.
Be it’s the efficient handling of cookies, the three layers of Enhanced Tracking Protection, or the ability to block harmful trackers, fingerprints, and scripts, there’s a lot to look forward to in this offering from Mozilla.
However, as with other web browsers, Firefox isn’t free from its fair share of issues. In some instances, it could quickly rectify the underlying problem by resetting it or deleting the stored cache and cookies.
If the issue is of significant proportions, then you would have to perform a reinstall. But before doing so, the browser needs to be removed entirely from your PC. We aren’t just talking about the uninstallation of the application; instead, its data, program, and settings files also need to be deleted.
Along the same lines, if you plan to ditch Firefox for any other web browser of your choice, then removing its data files is of paramount importance.
Note: Follow the steps mentioned are valid for Windows users. The Mac users can trash the Firefox App from the Finder’s Applications folder.
So keeping all these points in mind, this guide will show you the steps to completely uninstall and delete the Mozilla Firefox files.
Step 1: Uninstall Firefox via Settings
We will start the process by uninstalling the browser via the Windows Settings page. The method is similar to how you remove any other app from your PC.
Here are the steps to uninstall Firefox browser from computer PC:
- Open the Windows Settings menu using + shortcut keys.
- Switch to the Apps tab, and select Apps & Features menu.
- Scroll down to Mozilla Firefox, and click on the More
for options. - Select Uninstall command from the menu.
- Hit on in the confirmation dialog box and wait for the process to complete.
However, if the uninstallation process fails to initiate, then there is an alternate way out.
Open the File Explorer via the Taskbar and open Program Files folder locations for Firefox.
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\uninstall\ C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\uninstall\
Within the Firefox Uninstall folder, find the helper.exe file. Double-click to run the helper and proceed with the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
It will now remove firefox from your PC. Let’s now proceed ahead and delete its data and program files as well.
Step 2: Stop Firefox Background Process
Before removing the browser’s data files, you will first have to kill all its processes from functioning in the background. If you don’t do so, then the system wouldn’t allow deleting its associated files.
Here are the steps to stop the Firefox background running processes:
- Launch Windows Task Manager using + + shortcut keys.
- Switch to the Details tab and select the firefox.exe file.
- Hit the button to close that process.
Make sure to stop all the running tasks. - Next, switch to the Processes tab and expand the Background Process section.
- Select Firefox from the list, and hit .
Make sure to end all running Firefox processes.
Once you have stopped all the browser’s background tasks, there should be no issues in carrying out the below steps to delete Firefox’s data and settings files from the computer.
Step 3: Delete Firefox Program Folder
The apps and software installed in Windows PC create a folder directory within the Program Files folder. We no longer need these files and folders once we uninstall the Firefox browser.
Here are the steps to delete firefox program files and the installation directory:
- Launch File Explorer using + shortcut key.
- Head over to the Program Files folder in either of the two locations.
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
- Select the Mozilla Firefox folder from that directory.
- Right-click for the context menu and click on the Delete command.
With this, you have deleted the browser’s Dynamic Link Libraries, Executables, and all its INI configuration files. Let’s now carry out the final task — delete the user-data files.
Step 4: Delete Firefox User Data
It’s now time to remove all the browser data files associated with your account. These include the likes of saved passwords, bookmarks, favorites, cookies, and other related data.
Here are the steps to delete user browser data for Firefox from the App Data folder:
- Launch File Explorer via the Start menu.
- Copy-paste the AppData folder location in the address bar and hit .
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla
Make sure to replace UserName from the above address accordingly.
- Delete the Firefox folder present inside the Mozilla folder.
That’s it. You have now successfully removed Mozilla Firefox and all its associated files from your PC.
Bottom Line: Uninstall Firefox Browser
So this was all from this guide on how you could completely uninstall and delete Firefox files.
If you take the traditional approach of uninstalling the browser via the Settings menu, it might lead to a few issues, especially when you plan to install a new web browser.
Likewise, if you want to give this browser a fresh install, its existing files could end up conflicting with the process. Even if the installation process is complete, Firefox will still use the old configuration and settings files.
As a result, the underlying issue would continue to bug the newly installed Firefox version. All in all, it is of paramount importance to remove all the data and settings files for the browser if you are no longer planning to use it.
On that note, we round off this guide. If you have any queries about wiping out the Firefox browser from the computer, do let us know.