I use Outlook as my email client on my MAC and since the Firefox update, I cannot open hyperlinks in emails at all. The hyperlinks will open in Safari, but I prefer using Firefox and have it set as my default browzer.

Please fix this. It's truly annoying not to be able to open things! Or tell me how to fix it. Thanks.

Hi, In the past the work around for this is to change the default browser on the operating system then back to Firefox.

However it sounds like @igbirchall already tried this.

Just updated to 32.0.1 and still have the same problem.

Just updated to 32.0.2 and still have the same problem.

Like you I was suffering with this incredibly annoying bug but the following seems to have resolved it at last:

1) In Safari, set Safari as the default browser in settings. 2) Restart the computer 3) Open Firefox and when it asks if you'd like to set it as the default browser choose "yes".

I'm on 32.0.2 and this seems to have finally solved the problem. It hasn't failed to open a link yet. Fingers crossed that it will continue working.

I had done all that before, and it still didn't work.

However, with the update to 32.0.2 Thursday, it is resolved without my having to do anything else. Thank goodness!

Well, I was just about to post an update, because although it was working absolutely perfectly for me after applying the steps I listed above, it has started to occasionally bring up Firefox without navigating to the link again. Specifically, when I select text with PopClip and use the Google Translate plugin from Airmail, it will fail about 75% of the time. However, it is still much improved from before.

This is with 32.0.2.

I never experienced this problem before upgrading to Firefox 32.

Now, it started doing it again. My only fix so far is to quit Firefox and then click the link. It will open in a new tab like before, and then other links will open for a while, and then it stops doing it again.

This is really stupid, Firefox. It ought to be an easy fix. Please.

Thanks for the input cdanr but it didn't resolve the problem for me.

As mentioned, it apparently didn't 100% resolve the problem for me either, jam4jah. I'm sorry to hear it didn't help you at all. It has seemed to almost resolve it for me. I still get the unopened link on occasion.

I hope whatever Mozilla changed to create this problem, they fix in the next revision because it is a highly annoying bug.

I seem to have exactly the same problem as the OP. Tried the resetting-the-default-browser trick, but it did nothing. Happens in Safe Mode also. Quitting FF and restarting helps for a short time, but FF immediately starts failing to open links. Clicking a link in another application, for instance an email program, will bring FF to the front, but then nothing else happens. FF will always open a link one time after a restart, but then usually fails after that initial success. Occasionally, when a tab is already open, FF will succeed in opening the link, but not always.

The only seemingly reliable method I've found to get FF to open links is to close all tabs, then click once in the address field, then hide FF. At that point, if I am in another application I can click on a link and FF will open it correctly.

All of my problems seemed to start with FF32 - at least that's when I noticed it. As mentioned, the problem occurs no matter whether I'm running extensions or running FF in Safe Mode.

Bugzilla reports have been filed for this issue:

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1069864 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1017595 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1069864

Thanks, Justin. It's good to know the bug is known to Mozillas and as critical as it is, I'm hoping to see it resolved by the next update.

Thanks Justin!

Thanks for submitting the bug reports. Let's hope there's a solution before too long. I am especially concerned when the problem still exists running FF in Safe Mode.

This is NOT fixed by today's 32.0.3 update. This bug is becoming highly annoying. I may be forced to switch back to Chrome again until Mozilla sees fit to fix it. I was hoping it would be fixed with this most recent revision.

After applying the version 32.0.3 update, I find no change in Firefox's inability to open links. This failure happens even running in Safe Mode.

When working between Firefox and other applications having hypertext links (or even the Finder), this is really slowing me down. Other browsers are not affected.

I'm probably going to have to forgo the superb customization abilities of FF and use another browser just to get some work finished.

Firefox 32.0.3 is purely a security update.

It does not appear that work has started on those bugs yet.

Is this a fair summary of what is happening?

(1) Firefox closed: external link will start Firefox and navigate to the page.

(2) Firefox open, not minimized to the dock: external link will activate Firefox and... usually navigate to the page? sometimes display only a blank tab?

(3) Firefox open, hidden in the dock: external link will activate Firefox but... not navigate to the page or display a blank tab.

(As a Windows user, I personally have zero idea how external links work on MacOSX)

jscher2000 -

I will answer for myself; others may see variations.

(1) True, most of the time ...probably 90%.

(2) I wouldn't use the word, "...usually" in regard to navigating to the page. I doubt I'm seeing 50% in this case. As time goes by, it seems I'm getting fewer blank tabs; rather getting nothing at all, except FF coming to the foreground. Restarting FF helps for a very short time - sometimes.

(3) Mostly true. Sometimes it works. This is the thing: there seems to be some method to cause FF to mostly behave correctly. I've thought I had it figured out a few times, but I'm not quite there. Sometimes having an active tab (with a page loaded) and then opening a blank tab will allow a link to open. This seems to be somewhat dependent upon whether FF is "hidden" or not. This much I can say: if FF is hidden and has only a blank tab, clicking on a link (anywhere but in FF) will fail at least 80% of the time, the only response being that FF is brought to the foreground.

You mentioned that you have "...zero idea how external links work on MacOSX." If you mean the code in the background, that is, the programming, then neither do I. However, as a user of both OS X and Windows, I would say that both systems work identically. If you click on a hyperlink in a Windows Outlook email message, it should open in the default browser. If you happened to have on the Windows desktop a shortcut to a web location, it should do the same. When we are doing this in OS X, with FF as the default browser, FF does come to the front, but then - nothing. Usually.

Edit: Running OS X 10.9.5; FF 32.0.3.

jscher2000 -

Yes, that is my situation on OSX 10.6.8.

In scenario (2) When FF is open and not hidden FF will navigate the link in my email to a new tab. No blank tabs ever appear.