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How to fix Firefox not loading pages. Can't open websites in Firefox? Here's what you can try if you're having trouble with Firefox not loading pages.
There are so many browsers to choose from that it can be difficult to know where to start. Chrome is still the most popular choice, but it has privacy issues and excessive resource consumption. If you are not a fan of Safari or Edge, you can use Firefox on your devices; the browser is still one of the most popular browsers out there.
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Firefox has many advantages, including great performance and a focus on privacy and security. Sometimes, as with any browser, things may not work as expected. You may find that websites fail to load when using Firefox.
Don't panic; If this is happening to you, here are some things you can try if you are having problems with Firefox not loading pages.
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Try another browser
The first thing you should try if Firefox isn't loading pages is to open those same pages in another browser. If you can open the page in a different browser but not Firefox, you know the problem is with Firefox. However, if you cannot open the same webpage in any browser, there is a problem with the website itself or your network connection. Try opening other websites to determine if you can access any content online; If it can't, you'll need to fix your Internet connection.
Restart Firefox – How to Fix Firefox Not Loading Pages
If the problem only occurs with Firefox, a quick and easy thing to try is restarting Firefox. You may find that simply restarting the app is enough to get everything working normally again. On mobile, you can simply close the app, launch it again, and try to reload the page. On the desktop, you can use the profile management page to quickly restart the application.
- In the Firefox address bar, type about:profiles.
- At the Profiles page, click on the Restart normally button.
- Firefox will restart.
- After the app restarts, try opening the page again.
Restart with Add-ons Disabled – How to Fix Firefox Not Loading Pages
Firefox add-ons allow you to add useful additional functions and features to Firefox. However, some of these add-ons can cause problems that prevent Firefox from loading the page correctly. You can try restarting Firefox with add-ons disabled; If the pages load correctly, you will need to try to track down which add-on is causing the problem.
- In the address bar, type about:profiles.
- click on the Restart with add-ons disabled button.
- You will see a message asking if you want to open Firefox in troubleshooting mode.
- Click Open to start Firefox with add-ons disabled.
- Try loading a page.
- If the page still doesn't load, follow the steps in the section above to restart Firefox normally and try one of the other fixes below.
- If the page loads, follow the instructions below to activate one add-on at a time until you find the add-on that is causing the problems.
Enable add-ons one at a time
If pages load when Firefox is running with add-ons disabled, then one of the add-ons is the cause of your problem. You can activate each add-on in turn and try to load the page again until you find out which add-on is causing the problem. You can then leave this add-on disabled and re-enable all the others.
- click on the Three Bars menu in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select Add-ons and themes.
- In the left menu, select Extensions.
- Use the switches to disable all add-ons except one.
- Try loading a page.
- If it loads, enable a different extension.
- Repeat until the page no longer loads. The extension you currently have activated is the add-on causing the problem. Disable this add-on and enable the rest and you will see that your pages will load in Firefox once again.
Check Enhanced Tracking Protection
Firefox is a browser designed to protect your privacy. As such, it includes tracking protection that blocks many of the trackers used by companies to track your browsing habits. If you visit a unicorn saddle website, for example, you may see lots of unicorn saddle ads appearing on websites; that's thanks to trackers. Firefox blocks trackers, but if the settings are too strict, it may prevent some sites from working.
- click on the Three Bars menu in the top right corner of the Firefox screen.
- Select settings.
- In the left menu, select Privacy and security.
- Ensure that Enhanced Tracking Protection is configured to Standard instead of Strict.
- See if the page loads.
Disable Enhanced Tracking Protection for a specific website
If there is just one specific website that is not loading, it could be that even the default tracking protection settings are causing the problem. If this is the case, you can completely disable enhanced tracking protection for that specific website. All other websites you visit will still use enhanced tracking protection.
- Open the website for which you want to disable tracking protection.
- In the address bar, click the Shield icon.
- Toggle Enhanced Tracking Protection off.
- Try loading the page again to see if this resolved the issue.
Configure your Internet security applications
If a page fails to load in Firefox, it may be caused by the Internet security application you are using to protect your computer from malware. These apps aim to block malicious websites and other attacks, but sometimes they can also block legitimate websites by mistake. Make sure your internet security applications are up to date. If Firefox is not listed as a trusted application, add it by following the instructions for your specific application. If Firefox is already listed as trusted, try removing it and adding it again to see if that resolves your issues.
Disable DNS prefetch
When you click a link on a website, some DNS magic happens in the background, translating the web address in the link into the IP address your computer will use to connect to the page location. This all happens quickly, but it still takes a while. DNS prefetching works by doing all this magic for all the links on a page as you read it. This means that if you decide to click on a link, your browser already knows the required IP address and can load the linked page more quickly.
Sometimes, however, DNS prefetching can cause problems; Disabling DNS prefetch in Firefox can fix issues with Firefox not loading pages. However, this requires changes to Firefox's internal settings, so only do this with caution and at your own risk.
- In the address bar, type about:config.
- If you are willing to proceed, click Accept the risk and continue.
- At the Search preference name field at the top of the screen, type dns.disablePrefetch.
- click on the Toggle button to network.dns.disablePrefetch to change the setting to TRUE.
- DNS prefetch is now disabled; try reloading the page again.
Clear cache
If you're still having trouble loading pages in Firefox, you can try clearing your cookies and cache to see if that resolves your issues.
- click on the Three Bars icon in the top right corner.
- Select History.
- Click Clear Recent History.
- Select Browsing and download history, CookiesIt is Cache and define the Time interval to clean for Today.
- Click Clean Now to clear the cache and try opening the page again.
Refresh Firefox – How to Fix Firefox Not Loading Pages
If nothing else works, you can try updating Firefox. This will remove any customizations you have set up and will also delete any add-ons you may have installed. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will remain.
- click on the Three Bars icon in the top right corner of Firefox.
- Select Help.
- Click More troubleshooting information.
- On the right of the screen, click the button Update Firefox button.
- To confirm your decision, click Update Firefox.
- After Firefox has updated, try loading the page again.
How to Fix Firefox Not Loading Pages
There are several possible reasons why you might be having problems with Firefox not loading pages. Make sure you narrow down the problem to Firefox, rather than a problem with your Internet, and then follow the suggestions above to see if you can get something that works. It's best to try other methods before you start changing internal settings like DNS prefetch.
If you find other useful solutions, please let us know in the comments.