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Identify problems caused by third-party modules in Waterfox for Windows

Third-party applications (such as antivirus software, archiving software, and other tools) may load modules into Waterfox. Sometimes, these applications load harmful modules that cause Waterfox crashes, reduced performance, or compatibility issues. You may not notice that a malicious or unexpected module has been loaded and it may cause problems that appear to be Waterfox issues.

The Waterfox about:third-party page gives users information about third-party modules that have been injected into Waterfox.

Accessing the about:third-party page

Type about:third-party in the address bar and press Enter. You will be taken to the Third-party module Information page. This page shows users a list of modules that have been loaded into the browser, new modules loaded and modules that are slow to load.

If you see a Reload with system info button on top of the page, click on it to reload the page and see more useful information about any modules that are installed.

ReloadSystemInfo_button

The Copy raw data to clipboard button will copy a text version of all data shown in the list, in JSON format, to the clipboard. You can then paste the data to a text file to analyze or add it to a Waterfox Support question.

ModuleSystem_Info

Module information

The about:third-party page shows the following information for each module:

  • Module name.
  • Application name/publisher, if provided by the third-party vendor or developer.
  • File version.
  • Vendor info.
  • Number of occurrences.
  • Average blocking time, in milliseconds.
  • Optional module status icons and other information:
    • An unsigned icon Fx89Padlock-RedLine (padlock with a red strike over it) will appear next to the name of the module, if the module has not been digitally signed.
    • A warning triangle Warning_icon will appear next to the name of a module, if it has been identified as causing a Waterfox crash with the current Waterfox profile.
    • Module type (“IME”, “Shell Extension”).
  • A folder icon folder to show the module’s file in Windows Explorer.
  • A dropdown icon arrow-dropdown to expand detailed table of loading events which is collapsed by default:
    • Target process (the Waterfox process type, limited to “browser”, “tab”, or “RDD”).
    • Loading duration.
    • Background label if it was loaded in a background thread.
    • Status (Loaded or Blocked).