Show or Pin Extension Icons in the Firefox Toolbar

Firefox only shows a few extension icons by default and tucks the rest behind a puzzle-piece button. If you cannot find a tool you installed, it is almost certainly waiting in that overflow menu.

This guide shows where the Extensions button lives, how to pin any add-on to the main toolbar, and what to do when pinning does not stick.

In this guide, I have covered:

What the Extensions Button Does and Why Icons Seem to Disappear

Firefox keeps its main toolbar tidy by hiding the icons of add-ons that you have not explicitly pinned. The hidden ones still work; you just access them through the puzzle-piece button in the top-right corner, often called the Extensions button.

When an installed extension has no visible icon on the toolbar, it is almost always waiting inside the Extensions button panel. Pinning it pulls the icon back out onto the main toolbar so it is one click away.

Find the Extensions Button in the Firefox Toolbar

The Extensions button is the main way Firefox exposes add-ons that are not pinned. Once you know what to look for, it is hard to miss.

1. Look at the top-right corner of the Firefox window.
2. Find the puzzle-piece sitting just to the left of the main menu button.
3. Click it once to open the extensions panel.

The official Mozilla guide to this button lives on the Firefox Extensions button support page.

In current Firefox releases the Extensions button is always shown and cannot be hidden through normal settings. If you genuinely cannot see the puzzle-piece icon, see the section on restoring a missing Extensions button below.

Pin an Extension Icon to the Firefox Toolbar

Pinning moves an icon out of the overflow panel and onto the main toolbar, so the extension is visible and one click away at all times.

1. Click the Extensions button in the top-right corner.
2. Find the extension you want to pin in the panel that opens.
3. Click the gear next to the extension’s name.
4. Select Pin to Toolbar from the menu.

You can also right-click an extension directly in the panel and choose Pin to Toolbar from the context menu. Both paths produce the same result.

Close the panel and confirm the extension’s icon now sits on the main toolbar.

TIP: You can pin as many extensions as you like. The puzzle-piece button stays in place and continues to hold any add-ons you choose not to pin.

Unpin an Extension Icon From the Toolbar

If a pinned icon is cluttering your toolbar, send it back to the Extensions button panel in a couple of clicks.

1. Click the Extensions button in the top-right corner.
2. Find the extension you want to send back to the overflow.
3. Click the gear next to the extension’s name.
4. Select Unpin from Toolbar (or toggle off Pin to Toolbar).

You can also right-click the icon directly on the toolbar and choose Remove from Toolbar from the context menu.

The icon disappears from the main toolbar and returns to the Extensions button panel.

Open the Full Add-ons Manager

The overflow panel is fine for quick access, but for enabling, disabling, updating, or removing extensions the full Add-ons Manager is the right place.

1. Click the Extensions button in the top-right corner.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the panel that opens.
3. Click Manage extensions.

The same page also opens if you type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter. From here you can pin, unpin, enable, disable, update, or remove each add-on, and review its site permissions.

Rearrange Pinned Extension Icons on the Toolbar

Once icons are pinned, you can shuffle them into the order you prefer or temporarily move a rarely used one out of the way.

1. Right-click an empty area of the main toolbar.
2. Select Customize Toolbar… from the context menu.
3. Drag pinned extension icons left or right to reorder them.
4. Drag icons you want to hide into the palette (the panel of extras) at the bottom of the customization view.
5. Click Done at the bottom to save the layout.

The Customize Toolbar screen only reorders or hides icons. It does not pin or unpin anything. Use the Extensions button menu described above for pinning.

Restore a Missing Extensions Button

The Extensions button is shown on every current Firefox toolbar by default. If the puzzle-piece icon really is gone, a tweaked userChrome.css file is the most common cause. The cleanest way to undo that is a quick Refresh.

1. Open a new tab, type about:support, and press Enter.
2. Click Refresh Firefox… on the right under Give Firefox a tune up.
3. Confirm the refresh in the dialog that appears.

Refresh disables your custom styles and most advanced preferences without touching bookmarks or saved passwords, then restarts Firefox. The puzzle-piece Extensions button should reappear in the top-right corner.

ALERT: Refresh disables every installed extension and clears their custom site permissions. You will need to re-enable each add-on and re-grant any site permissions afterward.

Quick Fixes When the Pin Option Does Not Stick

If Pin to Toolbar does nothing visible, the icon never appears, or the entry has vanished from the Extensions button panel, work through this short list before reinstalling anything.

• Restart Firefox. Some pin changes apply only on the next launch, so fully close Firefox and reopen it.
• Try Troubleshoot Mode. Open the menu, choose Help, then More Troubleshooting Information, then click Restart with Add-ons Disabled…. Try pinning again once Firefox restarts into a clean session.
• Check the toolbar layout. Right-click the toolbar and open Customize Toolbar…. If the icon was dragged into the palette by accident, drag it back onto the toolbar and click Done.
• Reinstall the extension. Use the Add-ons Manager to remove it, then reinstall it from Mozilla Add-ons so the pin state is reset.

RELATED: Fix Request Desktop Site Toggle Not Working in Firefox