Reset Firefox browser settings to default (Step-by-Step Guide)

If Firefox starts to act slow, crashes, or displays unwanted advertisements, resetting it to the default settings can help. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks and open tabs.

Resetting your browser settings will impact the settings below:

Default search engine and saved search engines will be reset and to their original defaults.
Homepage button will be hidden and the URL that you previously set will be removed.
Default startup tabs will be cleared.
New Tab page will be empty unless you have a version of Firefox with an extension that controls it. In that case, your page may be preserved.
Pinned tabs will be unpinned.
Content settings will be cleared and reset to their installation defaults.
Cookies and site data will be cleared.
Extensions and themes will be disabled.

In the below steps, we’ll cover how to reset Firefox to its default settings on Windows, Mac, or Android.

Reset Firefox to default settings (Step-by-Step Guide)

Depending on which operating system (Windows, macOS, or Android) is installed on the device you want to reset Firefox, follow its guide.

Reset Firefox for Windows
Reset Firefox for Mac
Reset Firefox for Android

Reset Firefox for Windows

Reset Firefox back to its default settings on Windows computer.

To quickly reset Firefox, you can enter about:support into Firefox’s address bar to go the Troubleshooting Information page, then click on “Refresh Firefox” to restore the browser settings

To reset Firefox for Windows back to its default settings, follow these steps:

Click the menu icon, then click on “Help”.

Click on Firefox’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled “Help“.
Click “More troubleshooting information”.

From the Help menu, click on “More troubleshooting information“.
Click on “Refresh Firefox”

Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
Confirm.

To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
Click “Finish”.

Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on “Finish“.

Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

That’s it! Your Firefox browser settings are back to their defaults. Great job!
Below, we’ve added a few extra steps to remove malware from your computer and browser. These are optional and meant to be used by people who want to clean up their computer or browser from malware.

Extra: Remove malicious browser extensions and redirects from Firefox.

While resetting Firefox will restore the browser’s settings back to default, malicious extensions (that are installed with browser policies) or programs that are installed on Windows can hijack the browser.
The below steps are optional and are meant to be used if you still having issues with adware, browser hijackers, or any other form of malware after resetting Firefox.

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy-to-understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.

To remove all types of malware from Firefox for Windows, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies
STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove browser hijackers and adware
STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for Trojans and other malware

STEP 1: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies

In this first step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and extensions from Firefox.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix side-effects of adware or browser hijackers.

Download AdwCleaner.

You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)
Double-click on the setup file.

Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

Click on “Scan Now”.

On the left side of the window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan Now” to perform a system scan.

Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to complete.

AdwCleaner will now scan your PC for malicious files. This process can take a few minutes.
Click on “Clean & Repair”.

When AdwCleaner has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Clean & Repair” button to remove the malicious files from your computer.
Click on “Clean & Restart Now”

When the malware removal process is complete, AdwCleaner may need to restart your device. Click on the “Clean & Restart Now” button to finish the removal process.

When the process is complete, you can close Adwcleaner and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove browser hijackers and adware

In this second step, we will install and run a scan with Malwarebytes to remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malware from your computer.

Malwarebytes Free is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

Download Malwarebytes Free.

While your computer is in Safe Mode with Networking, download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)
Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you on what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.

On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.

When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Use Malwarebytes Free”.

After installing Malwarebytes, you’ll be prompted to select between the Free and the Premium version. The Malwarebytes Premium edition includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and ransomware protection, however, we will use the Free version to clean up the computer.
Click on “Use Malwarebytes Free“.
Click on “Scan”.

To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.

When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.

Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes will ask you to restart your computer.

When the malware removal process is complete, your computer should start in normal mode (if not, simply restart your device to exit Safe Mode) and continue with the rest of the instructions. Now that your computer is out for the Safe Mode, we recommend that you run another scan with Malwarebytes to make sure all the malware that was detected is removed.

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for Trojans and other malware

In this third step, we will install HitmanPro to find and remove Trojans and other malware from your computer.

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is actually no limit in scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.

Download HitmanPro.

You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
Install HitmanPro.

When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Follow the on-screen prompts.

When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.
Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs. This process will take a few minutes.
Click on “Next”.

When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that the program has found. Click on the “Next” button to remove the malicious programs.
Click on “Activate free license”.

Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your PC.

Firefox should now have the default settings, and your device should now be free of malware. If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:

Run a system scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit
Ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance for Windows forum.

Reset Firefox for Mac

Reset Firefox back to its default settings on a Mac.

To quickly reset Firefox, you can enter about:support into Firefox’s address bar to go the Troubleshooting Information page, then click on “Refresh Firefox” to restore the browser settings

To reset Firefox for Windows back to its default settings, follow these steps:

Go to the “Help” menu.

Click on Firefox’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled “Help“.
Click “More troubleshooting information”.

From the Help menu, click on “More troubleshooting information“.

If you’re unable to access the “Help” menu, type about:support in your address bar to bring up the Troubleshooting information page.
Click on “Refresh Firefox”

Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
Confirm.

To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
Click on “Finish”.

Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on the “Finish“.

Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

Extra: Remove malicious browser extensions and redirects from Firefox for Mac.

To remove all types of malware from Firefox for Mac, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Remove malicious Profiles from your Mac
STEP 2: Remove the malicious apps from Mac
STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes to adware, browser hijackers and other malware

STEP 1: Remove malicious Profiles from your Mac

Profiles are used by IT admins in businesses to control the behavior of their Macs. These profiles can configure a Mac to do many different things, some of which are not otherwise possible.
When it comes to home users, adware and browser hijacker are using the configuration profile to prevent users from removing malicious programs from the computer. This also prevents the user from changing that behavior in the browser’s settings.
In this first step, we will check your computer to see if any configuration profiles are installed. To do this, follow the below steps:

Open “System Preferences”

From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
Search for “Profiles”

When the System Preferences window opens, search for the Profiles icon.

If there isn’t a Profiles icon, you don’t have any profiles installed, which is normal and you can continue with the next steps.
Remove the malicious profiles

If there’s a Profile icon, click on it and select any suspicious profile that you want to remove, and then press the – (minus) button. Click Remove to remove the profile.

STEP 2: Remove malicious apps from your Mac

In this next step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious apps and files that might be installed on your computer.

Open “Finder”

Click the Finder application on your dock.
Click on “Applications”

In the Finder left pane, click on “Applications“.
Find and remove the malicious app.

The “Applications” screen will be displayed with a list of all the app installed on your device. Scroll through the list until you find the malicious app, right-click it, and then click “Move to Trash”.

Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. Here are some known malicious programs: TakeFresh, TopResults, FeedBack, ApplicationEvents, GeneralOpen, PowerLog, MessengerNow, ImagePrime, GeneralNetSearch, Reading Cursors, GlobalTechSearch, PDFOnline-express, See Scenic Elf, MatchKnowledge, Easy Speedtest, or WebDiscover.
Click “Empty Trash”

On the dock, right-click on the trash icon and select “Empty Trash”. Doing so deletes the Trash’s contents, including the program that you just sent to the Trash.
Check and remove for malicious files

Click the desktop to make sure you’re in the Finder, choose “Go” then click on “Go to Folder“.

Look out for any suspicious files that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. Here are some known malicious files: “com.adobe.fpsaud.plist” “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, or “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”. When you find a malicious file move it to the Trash.
- /Library/LaunchAgents
- ~/Library/LaunchAgents
- /Library/Application Support
- /Library/LaunchDaemons

STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes for Mac to remove adware, browser hijacker and other malware

In this third step, we will scan the computer with Malwarebytes for Mac to remove SuccessAdvanced from your device.

Malwarebytes for Mac is an on-demand scanner that is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free, and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

Download Malwarebytes for Mac.

You can download Malwarebytes for Mac by clicking the link below.

MALWAREBYTES FOR MAC DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes for Mac)
Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes for Mac.

When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes for Mac Installer which will guide you through the installation process. Click “Continue“, then keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process.

When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer”.

The Malwarebytes Welcome screen will first ask you on what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
Select “Use Malwarebytes Free”.

You’ll be then prompted to select between the Malwarebytes Free and the Premium version. The Malwarebytes Premium edition includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and ransomware protection, however, we will use the Free version to clean up the computer.
Click on “Use Malwarebytes Free“.
Click on “Scan”.

To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes for Mac will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.

When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.

Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.

When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

Your Firefox should now have the default settings, and your device should now be free of malware. If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes for Mac to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, please ask for help in our Mac Malware Removal Help & Support forum.

Reset Firefox for Android

Reset Firefox back to its default settings on Android phone.

Resetting the browser settings to their default it’s an easy task on Windows or Mac computers; however, when it comes to Android, this can’t be done directly because it’s not an option built-in into the browser settings. Restoring the browser settings on Android can be done by clearing the application data. This will remove all the cookies, cache, and other site settings that may have been saved.

To reset Firefox for Android back to its default settings, follow these steps:

Open your device’s “Settings” menu, then tap on “Apps”

To reset Firefox’s settings from your Android device, go to the Settings menu, then tap on Apps or Application manager (this may differ depending on your device).
Find and tap on the Firefox app.

The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your device. Scroll through the list until you find the Firefox app.
Tap “Storage”.

Firefox’s “App info” menu should now be displayed. Tap on “Storage“.
Tap “Manage Space”.

Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space”.
Tap “Clear all data”.

Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Firefox’s data including accounts, bookmarks and save the setting in order to reset it defaults.
Confirm by tapping “Ok”.

A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue on with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok”.

That’s it! Your Firefox browser settings are back to their defaults. Great job!
Below, we’ve added a few extra steps to remove malware from your phone and browser. These are optional and meant to be used by people who want to clean up their computer or browser from malware.

Extra: Remove malicious browser extensions and redirects from Firefox for Android.

While resetting Firefox will restore the browser’s settings back to default, malicious apps that are installed on your phone can hijack the browser.
The below steps are optional and are meant to be used if you still having issues with adware, browser hijackers, or any other form of malware after resetting Firefox for Android.

To remove all types of malware from Android, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious apps from your Android phone
STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes for Android to remove adware, browser hijackers and other malware

STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious apps from your Android phone

In this first step, we will check if any malicious apps are installed on your phone. Sometimes browser hijackers or adware apps can have usable Uninstall entries that can be used to remove these apps.

Open the “Settings” menu.

Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
Tap on “Apps”.

When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
Find the malicious app.

The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the applications that are installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the unknown or malicious app. Look out for any suspicious app that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.
Most often, cyber criminals hide malware inside the video or photo editing apps, weather apps, and camera apps.

Here are some known malicious apps: ES File Explorer, Xender, Amber Weather Widget, GO Weather Forecast & Widgets, Kitty Play, Touchpal, Z Camera.
Uninstall the malicious app

When you find a suspicious or malicious app, tap on it to uninstall it. This won’t start the app but will open up the app details screen. If the app is currently running press the “Force stop” button, then tap on “Uninstall”.

A confirmation dialog should be displayed to confirm you want to uninstall the app, tap on “OK” to remove the malicious app from your phone.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes for Android to remove adware, browser hijackers and other malware

In this next step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove from your phone malicious apps and files.

Malwarebytes for Android searches all files and apps quickly and effectively for malware or potentially unwanted programs such as screen lockers or adware, freeing your Android device from bloatware.

Download Malwarebytes for Android.

You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

MALWAREBYTES FORO ANDROID DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link open a Google Play Store from where you can download Malwarebytes)
Install Malwarebytes for Android on your phone

In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your device.

When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process

When the Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options.
This is the first of two screens which explain the difference between the Premium and Free version. Swipe this screen to continue.

Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step.

Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue.

Tap on “Allow” to give permission to Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes

You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.

Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Remove Selected”.

When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
Restart your phone.

Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.

Your phone should now be free of malware. If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes for Android to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:

Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Ask for help in our Mobile Malware Removal Help & Support forum.