firefox
My Firefox keeps trying to restore the last session when I open it. The option to restore in not marked in options. Any suggestions?
Chosen solution
Okay, let's hide your session history files. Here's how:
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
- (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
- type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter
In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.
Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:
- "3-bar" menu button > Exit
- (menu bar) File > Exit
Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then right-click the sessionstore-backups folder, click Rename, and edit the name to sessionstore-backupsOLD and press Enter to complete the change. Now Firefox should not find it at startup.
Does Firefox start normally?
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Hi tmsmall714, when you say it keeps trying, do you mean it is not successful?
There are a couple reasons Firefox might try to restore your previous session even if that is not your startup setting.
(1) If Firefox perceives that it did not shut down correctly at the end of the last session, then it will perform a crash recovery.
This could occur if in fact Firefox is not fully shut down before the system shuts down, or if third party "clean up" software removes the latest session history file from Firefox's profile folder. You can give Firefox the best chance of a clean shutdown by using the menu:
- "3-bar" menu button > Exit
- (menu bar) File > Exit
and if you use software like CCleaner or Advanced SystemCare, you can set them not to touch your Firefox data.
(2) Another potential issue is an optional "user.js" file with a command to restore your previous session. This article has a section on how to check for that file: How to fix preferences that won't save.
I don't have a user.js file, and everything I have tried doesn't work. Even when I go home, which is a blank page, before exiting, firefox will again try to restore next time i open.
tmsmall714 said
Even when I go home, which is a blank page, before exiting, firefox will again try to restore next time i open.
So if I understand this part, you close all the other tabs and navigate to a blank tab. Then you exit Firefox normally. Then at the next startup, Firefox restores some tabs from before those last steps -- how much earlier are we talking about?
When you say it tries to restore, do you get the screen that says Firefox is having trouble restoring and presenting a choice between a list of tabs and a new session?
When I get ready to exit, I now close all tabs, hit my home button which returns me to a blank screen then I close Firefox. The next time I open Firefox, a blank screen comes up, then disappears and a new screen comes up with a message that Firefox could no restore my previous screens (paraphrase)
Chosen Solution
Okay, let's hide your session history files. Here's how:
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
- (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
- type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter
In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.
Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:
- "3-bar" menu button > Exit
- (menu bar) File > Exit
Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then right-click the sessionstore-backups folder, click Rename, and edit the name to sessionstore-backupsOLD and press Enter to complete the change. Now Firefox should not find it at startup.
Does Firefox start normally?
Hiding the session files appeared to work. Thank you for the assistance. Keep up the good work