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firefox opens blank and is unresponsive

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  • Last reply by FredMcD

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When I open Firefox on my MacBook Air it opens with a blank page and i completely unresponsive. Then if I two-finger click anywhere in the browser it activates for one action. Then becomes unresponsive again, untill I two-finge click again. I have tried to reset setting, delete my profile and reinstall Firefox. This will make it work for a couple of times, but suddenly the same thing happens. I am completely at a loss and would appreciate any advice to fix this.

When I open Firefox on my MacBook Air it opens with a blank page and i completely unresponsive. Then if I two-finger click anywhere in the browser it activates for one action. Then becomes unresponsive again, untill I two-finge click again. I have tried to reset setting, delete my profile and reinstall Firefox. This will make it work for a couple of times, but suddenly the same thing happens. I am completely at a loss and would appreciate any advice to fix this.

All Replies (3)

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Do you run any third-party security software on your Mac?

Try to start Firefox in Safe Mode by holding down the Shift (Mac: Options) key to see if that helps.

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I do not have third-party extensions. Starting in safe mode did however alleviate the issue. Strangely enough though, after resetting Firefox settings, it runs normally for a couple of starts, and then the issue reappears. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of safe mode. Will try to work with the extensions...

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Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes). If the problem goes away, that tells us one thing. If it does not, that tells us something else.


Type about:preferences#advanced<Enter> in the address bar.

Under Advanced, Select General. Look for and turn off Use Hardware Acceleration.

Restart Firefox. Are there any problems?


It could be the work of one of your add-ons. Type about:addons<enter> in the address bar to open your Add-ons Manager. Hot key; <Control>(Mac:<Command>)<Shift> A)

In the Add-ons Manager, on the left, select Extensions. Disable a few add-ons, then Restart Firefox.

Some added toolbar and anti-virus add-ons are known to cause Firefox issues. Disable All of them.

If the problem continues, disable some more (restarting FF). Continue until the problem is gone. After, you know what group is causing the issue. Re-enable the last group ONE AT A TIME (restarting FF) until the problem returns.

Once you think you found the problem, disable that and re-enable all the others, then restart again. Let us know who the suspect is detective.