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I can't install lockwise for desktop on Firefox

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  • Last reply by G

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I have tried multiple times and disabled Tampermonkey but I can't install lockwise. I keep getting "The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure."

I have tried multiple times and disabled Tampermonkey but I can't install lockwise. I keep getting "The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure."

Chosen solution

Note that you can right-click the install button to download the file (Save Link As).

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All Replies (17)

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Hi JEScarani, the connection failure message can indicate your Firefox can't successfully follow a redirect. Is Lockwise the only extension affected by this problem?

In this case, the Install for Firefox button on https://lockwise.firefox.com/ is a link to this address:

https://github.com/mozilla-lockwise/lockwise-addon/releases/download/2.2.4-alpha/lockwise-signed.xpi

However, when I click that, Github returns a redirect which sends Firefox to an Amazon Web Services S3 storage service address:

https://github-production-release-asset-2e65be.s3.amazonaws.com/150798038/ae95bf00-8ecd-11e9-8440-f3fa4da6f5ae?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWNJYAX4CSVEH53A%2F20190621%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20190621T053637Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Signature=1056069e3de7fff37be0932292f34f04d44eaf2b8fc580e9f0ca8d12caf2da00&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&actor_id=8264646&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3Dlockwise-signed.xpi&response-content-type=application%2Fx-xpinstall

I don't know whether that is somehow personalized for me, but can your Firefox follow that link or does it give an error?

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Sorry in advanced, I can't seem to be able to format this correctly here. I followed the link and it brought me to the following XML file:

<Error>AccessDenied<Message>Request has expired</Message><X-Amz-Expires>300</X-Amz-Expires><Expires>2019-06-21T05:41:37Z</Expires><ServerTime>2019-06-21T05:49:30Z</ServerTime><RequestId>B4B9D23C6B4F92D1</RequestId><HostId>F7Py4DtuB7a3DycSxuASF3AcIQUnU4b3MGf6RJKvazR0hbQs43MjOoJLMrSsDzXSDaqqEMYaWKQ=</HostId></Error>

Seems I'm getting an AccessDenied error with the message "Request has expired"

Not sure if that has to do with the github repository or not. I'm wondering if it might have to do with my timezone. I'm currently in Japan. It looks like the exiration time is about 8 min 7 secs before the server time.

I've seen one other post about this online. They said they manually downloaded it and it worked but I can't seem to find where I can download it.

I included a snippit of the XML if you want to see it better formatted.

Modified by JEScarani

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Hmm, I guess the redirect I received expires. However, the good news is, you were able to reach the server.

To see where the process might be falling down, you could try the following. Sorry, it's a bit arcane.

Open Firefox's Browser Console window using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > Web Developer > Browser Console
  • (menu bar) Tools > Web Developer > Browser Console
  • (Windows) Ctrl+Shift+j

Click the trash can icon at the upper left to clear the window, and on the line below the trash can where it usually says ERRORS WARNINGS etc., click Requests (it should turn blue).

Then switch back over to your main window and try the Lockwise link again. You should get the usual prompt to approve the site to install add-ons, and then I'm guessing you get the error message.

When you switch back over to the browser console window, what do you see there? I'm attaching a screenshot for comparison.

More info on the Browser Console: https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Tools/Browser_Console

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I've put what I'm getting belowr both links.

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Seçilmiş Həll

Note that you can right-click the install button to download the file (Save Link As).

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Your System Details list shows that you have a user.js file in the profile folder to initialize prefs each time Firefox starts. The user.js file will only be present if you or other software has created this file and normally won't be present.

You can check its content with a text editor (right-click: "Open with"; do not double-click). The user.js file is read each time Firefox is started and initializes preferences to the value specified in this file, so preferences set via user.js can only be changed temporarily for the current session.

You can delete the user.js file if you didn't create this file yourself.

You can use the button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.

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Okay, so right clicking and saving the file worked. I didn't realise I could do that. Thank you!

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This is definately a problem with the site though that could use fixing.

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JEScarani said

This is definately a problem with the site though that could use fixing.

Can we be sure of that? I tested the link in two different Firefox profiles and I didn't get the message either time. There could be some other setting or add-on issue we haven't identified yet.

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Is the time correct on your computer?

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I tried all of the above and no go. Got it on my phone, but not PC. Any other ideas?

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Firefox 68 and later have Lockwise builtin as about:logins, so you wouldn't really need an extension unless you would want to sync the logins (not sure in what way builtin Lockwise differs from the extension). You can modify these prefs on the about:config page to enable Firefox Lockwise in Firefox 68.

  • signon.management.page.enabled = true
  • signon.management.overrideURI = about:logins

The Lockwise extension sets the overrideURI pref to its own moz-extension:// page, the builtin Lockwise is accessed via about:logins

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Why is it hidden in about:config? There's no way the average user would know that.

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Lockwise development isn't finished yet. The extension is still alpha and the builtin version isn't finished as well. That is why it hasn't been enabled yet and why you need to use about:config.

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Then why is it being advertised that way? Why is lockwise.firefox.com public?

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That is the Lockwise extension that uses a Firefox Account. The builtin Lockwise is not the same as the extension. Installing the Lockwise extension from the lockwise.firefox.com website shouldn't be a problem.

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Did the Save Link As and dragged into Firefox. VOILLA!

Firefox Quantum 68.0 (64-bit)

Mozilla Firefox Beta on the Android