Skip to content

Troubleshoot and diagnose Waterfox problems

Most problems with Waterfox can be fixed by following the troubleshooting methods described below. Try these steps in order. If one doesn’t work, move on to the next one.

1. Restart your computer

Sometimes problems can be fixed by simply restarting your computer and then starting Waterfox again.

2. Clear your cookies and cache

Many problems with loading web pages can be resolved by clearing Waterfox’s cookies and cached Web content. To learn more, see Clear cookies and site data in Waterfox and How to clear the Waterfox cache.

To clear cookies and cache all at once:

  1. Click the menu button menu button to open the menu panel.
  2. Click History and select Clear Recent History…
  3. In the Time Range to clear: drop-down, select Everything.
  4. Below the drop-down menu, select both Cookies and Cache. Make sure other items you want to keep are not selected.
  5. Click OK.

3. Restart Waterfox in Safe Mode

Waterfox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that disables extensions, uses the default theme, turns off hardware acceleration and uses default toolbar settings, among other changes (see this article for details). To start Waterfox in Safe Mode:

  1. Click the menu button menu button, click Help, select Troubleshoot Mode… and click Restart in the Restart Waterfox in Troubleshoot Mode? dialog.
  • If the problem still happens in Safe Mode, go on to step 4.
  • If the problem does not happen in Safe Mode, follow these instructions to troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration.

4. Reinstall Waterfox

Some Waterfox issues can be caused by a problem with one of the Waterfox program files. Follow these steps to completely remove and reinstall Waterfox. This process will not remove your Waterfox profile data (such as bookmarks and passwords), since that information is stored in a different location.

  1. Download and save the installer for the latest official version of Waterfox from waterfox.net.
  2. Exit Waterfox (if open): Click the Waterfox menu menu button and select Exit.
  3. You may want to make a note of the Waterfox program folder location (right-click the Waterfox desktop icon, select Properties from the context menu and click the Shortcut tab) since there may be leftover files and folders after you uninstall Waterfox that should be removed for a clean reinstallation.
  4. Uninstall Waterfox from your computer.
  5. Delete the Waterfox program folder, which is normally found in one of these locations by default:
    • C:\Program Files\Waterfox
    • C:\Program Files (x86)\Waterfox
  6. Reinstall Waterfox using the installer you downloaded earlier - see How to install Waterfox on Windows for instructions.

Now start Waterfox and check to see if your problem has been fixed. If it hasn’t, continue with the next troubleshooting method.

5. Refresh Waterfox

The Refresh Waterfox feature can fix many issues by restoring your Waterfox profile to its default state while saving your essential information.If you have many Waterfox customizations, you may want to skip this step and create a new Waterfox profile instead (see step 6, below) so that your old profile is easily recoverable from the Profile Manager.

  1. Click the menu button menu button, click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.
  2. Click Refresh Waterfox… then Refresh Waterfox in the confirmation window that opens. Waterfox will close to refresh itself.
  3. When finished, a window will list your imported information. Click the Finish button. Waterfox will open.

6. Create a new Waterfox profile

Sometimes files in your Waterfox profile folder that correspond to the essential information that a Waterfox Refresh doesn’t remove (such as bookmarks and browsing history) may be causing the issue. You can create a new, additional profile which will not contain any of your old Waterfox data. See the Profile Manager - Create, remove or switch Waterfox profiles article for instructions.

Other solutions

If you’ve tried all of these troubleshooting methods, and you’re still having problems, here are some other solutions you can try:

Check browser internals

The Waterfox Task Manager (about:performance page) lets you see what tabs or extensions are slowing down Waterfox. Telemetry Data shared with Waterfox (about:telemetry page) contains detailed data about performance, hardware, usage and customization. The Troubleshooting Information page (about:support page) includes other about: page links and troubleshooting resources. (For a list of all about: pages, enter about:about in the address bar.)

Check for conflicts with your Internet security software

Some Internet security software (including antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs) can cause problems with Waterfox including blocking it from opening websites, crashes, and more. Often you can open the program’s settings, remove Waterfox from its list of allowed or trusted programs, and it will be re-detected and things should start working again. See Configure firewalls so that Waterfox can access the Internet.

Check for malware

Malware (short for “malicious software”) can cause problems with Waterfox. Periodically, you should scan your system for viruses, spyware, or other malware. For more information, see Troubleshoot Waterfox issues caused by malware.

Based on information from Standard diagnostic - Waterfox (mozillaZine KB)