Firefox is probably the second most popular web browser in the world. There is no marzipan score to guess number one. The rivalry between Firefox and Google Chrome began a decade ago. I use both browsers because they allow me to log into separate accounts on the same domain. Also, when one of them crashes, I can always rely on the other.
Although I like Firefox, its specific features can be troublesome. A typical case is the habit of automatically reloading tabs after a crash. I don’t know about you, but it annoys me sometimes. It’s annoying because Firefox eats up a lot of memory as soon as I relaunch it. I had to wait a few minutes before my PC started working properly again.
There are enough reasons why you should consider disabling this feature and how you can do it.
Let’s get started.
Why prevent Firefox from automatically reloading tabs
When Firefox crashes or is shut down unexpectedly due to a power outage, it will reload all tabs when relaunched. In previous versions of Firefox we will get a window with two options – Restore previous session and New Tab. But that has changed with recent versions of Firefox. It restores all tabs without giving you a choice.
The real problem starts when you run the browser again and Firefox starts reloading all the tabs including the one causing the problem. It would be better if you could choose which tab you want to reload. That may help load Firefox normally.
Another good reason to turn it off is privacy and security. It is likely that you are still logged in even after the crash and relaunch. A nefarious extension or plugin can log your input and steal your credentials. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but it can happen to anyone. To combat that, you can enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) in Firefox.
Why not stop Firefox from automatically reloading tabs
Now you can argue about letting Firefox reload the tabs so you can identify the faulty site. By default, Firefox loads the last session that failed because this will allow you to pick up where you left off before the error occurred. This feature called Session Restore was first added in Firefox 3.5.
For those who live in areas with constant power outages, this feature can be a blessing. It saves them the hassle of going through browser history and reloading pages one by one.
Firefox reloading tabs after crashing is actually a nice and mostly useful practice. The decision to allow Firefox to reload the last session is up to you.
How to prevent Firefox from automatically reloading tabs after crashing
To disable this feature, type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. You will receive a warning:
This may void your warranty!
Changing these advanced settings may harm the stability, security, and performance of this application. You should only proceed if you are sure of what you are doing.
I have disabled this warning and you can do the same before clicking ‘I accept the risk!’ Button.
You will now see a list of options with a search bar at the top. Type ‘browser.sessionstore.max_resumed_crashes’ (without quotes) and wait a few seconds to filter the results.
You’ll notice that the value assigned to the item is 1. Select the item, right-click it, and select Modify. In the pop-up window, change the integer value by entering 0 (zero and not the letter O) and click OK.
I recommend not messing with any other settings unless you know what you’re doing. Changing any other settings may result in unstable browser operation. And if you still want to tinker, I recommend backing up everything (bookmarks and settings) before making any changes.
Interestingly, Mozilla has noted that session restore won’t work if more than six hours have passed since the crash occurred. I’m not sure why there is a time limit. My only guess is how they estimate the cause of the problem and the need to restore it.
Stop or run with it
Before concluding this tutorial, I would like to remind users who use task manager in Windows to turn off applications and software. If you are using the task manager to close Firefox, you are causing the browser to crash, which means the browser will automatically restore the session. So I advise you to stop doing that.
Sometimes even browser bugs can cause random crashes. Recently, DoS (Denial of Service) errors cause Firefox to crash and sometimes Windows or Mac machines. In such cases, you should allow Firefox to reload the failed tabs.
Next up: Tired of seeing Firefox Top Sites and Highlights on every new tab you load? We know it can be frustrating. That’s why we wrote a guide on how to disable it. Click the link below to learn how.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
