Firefox Will Not Download On Mac

  1. Firefox Will Not Install On Mac
  2. Mozilla Firefox Will Not Download
  3. Why Can't I Download Firefox
  4. Firefox Will Not Download On Mac Os
  5. Why Can't I Download Mozilla Firefox
  6. Firefox Problems Mac
  7. Firefox Will Not Quit
  8. Firefox Will Not Download On Macbook Pro

This article describes steps to take if you are unable to download or save files using Firefox.

Known issue: Users experiencing failing downloads after an update to Firefox 69.0.2 or Beta 70.0b11+ should first refer to the following article Unable to download files in Windows 10 when Parental Controls are on.

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Note: The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information. Consider using it before going through a lengthy troubleshooting process.

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Table of Contents

Get Firefox, a free web browser backed by Mozilla, a non-profit dedicated to internet health and privacy. Available now on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

  • 7Change file type settings
  • 9Enable downloads blocked by Security Zone Policy

Firefox includes a download protection feature to protect you from malicious or potentially harmful file downloads. If Firefox has blocked an unsafe download, you will see a warning message about the file in the Downloads panel, along with options for handling the pending download. You can open the Downloads panel to view completed and pending downloads by clicking on the Downloads button (the down arrow on your toolbar). See the articles Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox and How does built-in Phishing and Malware Protection work? for more information.

Clearing the download history can fix some problems with downloading files:

  1. Click the Downloads button , and then click Show all downloads. The Downloads window will open.
  2. In the Downloads window, click .
  3. Close the Downloads window.

Firefox may not be able to download files if there is a problem with the folder in which downloaded files are saved:

  1. Click the menu button and select ..
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Go to the Downloads sectionFind the Downloads section under Files and Applications.
  4. Click the button next to the Save files to entry.
  5. Choose a different download folder for saving files.
  6. Close the about:preferences page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.

If you have tried the above suggestions, you can restore the default Firefox download folder settings:

  1. Type about:config in the address bar and press EnterReturn.
    A warning page may appear. Click to continue to the about:config page.
  2. In the Search field, enter browser.download.
  3. If any of the following settings have a status of modifiedare in bold text, reset their values. To reset a value, right-clickhold down the Ctrl key while you click the setting and select Reset from the context menuclick the Delete or Reset button, depending on the preference:
    • browser.download.dir
    • browser.download.downloadDir
    • browser.download.folderList
    • browser.download.lastDir
    • browser.download.useDownloadDir
  4. If desired, you can revert back to your preferred download folder settings in your Firefox OptionsPreferencesGeneral panel, in the Downloads section under Files and Applications.

If you receive the error <filename> could not be saved, because an unknown error occurred. , your problem might be caused by an interaction with the Safari browser and your operating system.

To fix the problem, open Safari's Preferences and change the Save downloaded files to: setting to a valid folder (such as your Desktop). Then restart Firefox.

Mozilla Firefox Will Not Download

If you receive the error <filename> could not be saved, because you cannot change the contents of that folder. Change the folder properties and try again, or try saving in a different location., your problem might be caused by corrupt plist files.

To fix this problem, go to your home directory and delete this preference file:

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.internetconfig.plist

If downloading certain file types does not work, check to make sure Firefox is not set to handle those file types differently from others. See Change what Firefox does when you click on or download a file for instructions on how to view and change how different file types are handled.

Reset download actions for all file types

To reset how all file types are handled by Firefox back to default:

  1. Open your profile folder:

    • Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    • Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
    Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.
  2. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
  3. Delete or rename the mimeTypes.rdf file (for example, rename it mimeTypes.rdf.oldhandlers.json file (for example, rename it handlers.json.old ).
  4. Restart Firefox.

Internet security software, including firewalls, antivirus programs, anti-spyware programs, and others can block certain file downloads. Check the settings in your security software to see if there is an setting that may be blocking downloads.

To diagnose whether Internet security software is causing problems, you can try temporarily disabling it, seeing if downloads work, and then re-enabling the software.

Downloading an executable file (e.g., an .exe or .msi file) may fail, with the Downloads window showing Canceled under the file name.

This happens because Firefox honors your Windows security settings for downloading applications and other potentially unsafe files from the Internet. To resolve this problem, use the solution given below.

Reset system Internet Security settings

You can reset your system Internet security settings in Internet Explorer. See How to reset Internet Explorer settings at Microsoft Support for instructions.

Why Can't I Download Firefox

You may be able to diagnose your download problem by following the steps given in the Troubleshoot and diagnose Firefox problems article.


Based on information from Unable to save or download files (mozillaZine KB)

When Firefox hangs, it stops responding to your clicks and keystrokes and doesn't seem to be doing anything. Also, a '(Not Responding)' label is displayed in the title bar and the mouse cursor becomes a spinning wheel when it's over the Firefox window.Also, the mouse becomes a spinning wait cursor when it's over the Firefox window. This article gives you solutions to Firefox hangs depending on when they happen.

  • If Firefox uses a lot of computer resources, see the solutions proposed in Firefox uses too much memory or CPU resources - How to fix.
  • If you get a 'Warning: Unresponsive script' prompt, see Warning Unresponsive script - What it means and how to fix it.
  • If Firefox closes unexpectedly, see Firefox crashes - Troubleshoot, prevent and get help fixing crashes.

To resolve hanging problems not specifically mentioned in this article, or if the suggested solutions do not solve the problem, see Troubleshoot and diagnose Firefox problems.

Note: The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information. Consider using it before going through a lengthy troubleshooting process.
Note: If you send performance data, Mozilla will gather data including hangs for your Firefox, which will help making Firefox better for future versions.

Table of Contents

  • 1Firefox hangs at random times
  • 3Firefox hangs after using it for a long time
  • 4Firefox hangs when downloading files or saving images
  • 5Firefox hangs when you quit it

If Firefox seems to hang randomly and not after a specific action (for example, downloading a file or quitting Firefox), try the solutions in this section.

Create a new places database

If hangs are periodic, it may be caused by a corrupted places database.

Information: The 'places' files store the annotations, bookmarks, favorite icons, input history, keywords, and browsing history (a record of visited pages).

To create a new places database, do the following:

Warning: This will clear your browsing history and remove bookmarks of the day.
  1. Open your profile folder:

    • Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    • Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
    Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.
  2. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit. Wait until Firefox has completely quit.
  3. In the Firefox profile folder, find and rename the files places.sqlite to places.sqlite.old and places.sqlite-journal to places.sqlite-journal.old (if it exists).
    • To rename a file, right-click on it and select rename from the menuclick on it once to select it and then click a second time on the file name to make it editable. Then add .old to the end of its name.
  4. Finally, reopen Firefox.
    • When Firefox reopens it will create a new places database. Your browsing history will be lost but Firefox will automatically import your bookmarks from the most recent backup file.

Turn off hardware acceleration

With some graphics card and graphics driver setups, Firefox may hang when using hardware acceleration. You can try turning off hardware acceleration to see if it fixes the problem.

  1. Click the menu button and select ..
  2. Select the Advanced panel and the General tab.
  3. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
  4. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
  5. Start Firefox the way you normally do.
  1. Click the menu button and select ..
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Under Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings.
    Additional settings will be displayed.
  4. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
  5. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
  6. Start Firefox the way you normally do.

If the problem is no longer happening, then hardware acceleration was likely the cause. You can try updating your graphics drivers to see if that fixes it or simply run without hardware acceleration.

Delete duplicated Session Restore files

Firefox may be slow to respond or hang if multiple copies of its Session Restore file have been created:

  1. Open your profile folder:

    • Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    • Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
    Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.
  2. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
  3. Locate and delete the sessionstore.js file and any copies, such as sessionstore-1.js, sessionstore-2.js.

Change the PAC implementation

If you're using a proxy auto-config file (PAC), Firefox may hang when you attempt to load sites that don't exist or that you haven't opened recently. To determine if you use an automatic proxy configuration file:

Firefox Will Not Download On Mac Os

  1. Click the menu button and select ..
  2. In the General panel, go down to the Network ProxyNetwork Settings section.
  3. Click . The Connection Settings dialog appears.
  4. If Automatic proxy configuration URL is selected, you are using an automatic proxy configuration file. Do not disable this setting, which will prevent you from accessing the Internet. Instead, provide this workaround to your network administrator.
  5. Click .

See Playing Flash videos makes Firefox hang.

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Update Firefox

The latest Firefox versions includes improvements in memory usage, especially during long sessions. Update Firefox to the latest version.

Restart Firefox

Firefox may hang if left open for long periods of time. To fix the issue, restart Firefox.

If you regularly leave Firefox open so that you return to where you left off, you may want to use Firefox's Session Restore feature. For more information, see Configuring session restore.

If Firefox hangs when you attempt to download a file or save an image, try these solutions:

Clear download history

Why Can't I Download Mozilla Firefox

Firefox may hang when downloading files if your download history has grown too large. To clear the download history:

  1. Click the Downloads button on the toolbar, if it's available, or else click the Library button and click Downloads from the menu.
  2. Click Show All Downloads at the bottom of the Downloads panel. The Library window will open.
  3. Click the button at the top of the Library window.
  4. Download some sample files to see if the hanging has stopped.
For more information about managing your downloads, see Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox.

Choose a different download folder

Firefox may hang if the last download folder location (e.g. a shared volume or USB drive) is no longer available. To fix this:

  1. Click the menu button and select ..
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Under Downloads, select Save files to and click the button.
  4. In the Choose Download Folder window, choose a new folder location.
  5. Close the about:preferences page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.

See if you are now able to download files or save images. If this works, you can go back to your Firefox settings, if you wish, and select Always ask me where to save my files.

Sometimes when you close Firefox, it may stop responding and remain in memory, even though no Firefox windows are open. This can prevent Firefox from working properly the next time you open it or you may see a 'Close Firefox' dialog box with an error message, Firefox is already running, but is not responding.A copy of Firefox is already open. You must then end all Firefox processes or restart the computer before you can reopen Firefox (see 'Firefox is already running but is not responding' error - How to fix for other causes and solutions).

Firefox Problems Mac

Close Firefox completely

  1. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
  2. Close any remaining dialog boxes or secondary windows such as the Library window.


If Firefox processes that remain in memory at exit are a recurring problem, try the following solutions.

Troubleshoot your extensions

A problematic extension can cause the problem, which can be resolved by disabling or uninstalling the extension. For information on diagnosing and fixing problems caused by faulty extensions, see the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article.

Troubleshoot your Internet security software

Firefox Will Not Quit

Interactions between certain Internet security software (firewall, anti-virus software) is reported to cause hangs on some systems. You can try to configure your firewall to see if it helps the hang go away.

When resuming Windows from hibernation and Firefox hangs for several minutes it might be due to an issue of the pre-installed 'ThinkVantage Technologies Power Manager 6'. One option to solve this is to uninstall the software. Another option is to check for a later version of the software on the Lenovo support website and see if that fixes the problem. See Bug 1106202 for more details.

Firefox Will Not Download On Macbook Pro


Based on information from Firefox hangs (mozillaZine KB)