I don’t like Firefox constantly updating the version or the Add-ons all by itself at startup without my knowledge. You can enable or disable automatic updates in Firefox with these steps.
From Firefox Menus
- Select the “Menu”
button in the upper-right corner, then choose “Options“. - Select “General” on the left pane.
- Scroll down to the “Firefox Updates” section.
- Select one of the following options as desired:
- Automatically install updates
- Check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them
- Never check for updates
- Check or uncheck the “Use a background service to install updates” option as desired.
button in the upper-right corner, then choose “Options“.From about:config Menu
- Type “about:config” in the address bar, then press “Enter“.
- Search for the “app.update.auto” setting.
- Double-click the “app.update.auto” option to toggle the setting. If set to “true“, automatic updates are enabled. If set to “false“, automatic updates are disabled.
Via prefs.js file
- Close Firefox.
- Navigate to the following location based on your operating system.
- Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 – “%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox“
- Unix/Linux – “~/.mozilla/“
- Mac OS X – “~/Library/Mozilla/” or “~/Library/Application Support/“
- Open the “Profiles” folder.
- Open the folder that represents the profile you would like to edit. The name of the folder will vary. It is usually a bunch of characters, followed by “.default”.
- Open the prefs.js file with a text editor like Notepad.
- Look for a line that contains
app.update.enabled. If it doesn’t exist, add a line for it in the file and set it as desired using these examples:user_pref("app.update.enabled", true);= Automatic updates enableduser_pref("app.update.enabled", false);= Automatic updates disabled
Oliver says
The FF developers did NOT remove the ability to disable updates, they pushed it to a place where only people with administrative privilege can do it. If you have this right on your computer, you can use group policies. But Windows 7/8/10 doesn’t offer the editor in the Home version. Then you still can do it in the registry directly.
Save the text from “Windows Registry Editor..” to the end as a *.REG file and import it. Afterwards you will see a message in options that updates are disabled by administrators. As a administrator you should know how to import and how to get rid of it as well.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox]
“DisableAppUpdate”=dword:00000001
Ted S. says
Agree with Michael. I’ve got a data plan with daytime caps, so update anything in the overnight hours. It’s vitally important for me to be able to update when I want and not when the software forces me.
Michael says
This was helpful up to Version 63.03 for me. Then FireFox removed the option to manually update. Starting with V. 64.0 you get the nags telling you it is out of date, and cannot get rid of them.
I update FireFox once a month on a schedule, MY schedule. I should not have to keep confirming I don’t want to update at that very second when it is not scheduled. I may seem a minor issue to some, but I think most have had enough of nag screens and popup windows getting in the way of getting something done.
I don’t recognize the specific entry for that in about:config. It seems it is all or nothing now…. If there is a workaround for that that allowes true manual updating without the nags, it would be appreciated.
David says
Annoying nagging prompt persists even after taking all of these steps. I’ve used FF since ’86, switched to MS Edge on Win 10, which is worse, back to FF, can’t turn off the nagging prompts for software update.
Joeh Blackcrow says
Firefox seems to get more and more a victim of the paranoia in social and cultural consciousness. May be, Mozilla should think about two separate release lines: one for paranoid main stream people who hate decisions and believe blindly in security and one for those people loving Mozilla products, but want to stay responsible for themselves. ;)
Many recent changes in the last 2 years made me think about forgetting Firefox and switch to an alternative browser with more freedom for the user very often, but unfortunately, all others I tested, are worse.
TomH says
I tracked-down the “bug” that removed this functionality: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1420514
Please leave your own feeback on it.
Renato says
I completely agree with Danny
Danny says
They just removed the option to turn off updates in version 63.
And I just removed the browser from my computer.
I will not accept any Windows 10-like behavior on my computer
Either I control the software or the software controls me.
Such a shame that Firefox just turned into crapware.
Renato says
SOLVED the problem.
These are the steps.
Install the old version of Firefox. but do not open it.
Add to the Hosts file (..Windows \ System 32 \ drivers \ etc) the following staves:
127.0.0.1 http://www.mozilla.org
127.0.0.1 download.cdn.mozilla.net
127.0.0.1 aus5.mozilla.org
127.0.0.1 download.mozilla.org
Open Fir. and perform the steps described in the article.
(From about: config set app.update.auto false, app.update.enabled false)
Select the “Menu” Button menu in the upper-right corner, then choose “Options”.
Select “Advances” or Select “General” on the left pane and
Scroll down to “Firefox Updates” section.
Select the following option:
“Never check for updates”
Select in “Advances” “show update history”. It must be empty. If it is not empty Check the Mozzilla directories in appdata / roaming, appdata / local and appdata / localLow and empty them. This step is optional. We finished.
To check from the menu:
Support
about Firefox
check for updates
The system answers “Firefox is up to date”. Finish.
Warning: this work prevents the update of other Firefox versions present in the machine.
John says
They are removing the option to turn off updates completely.
They are turning Firefox into Windows 10 riskware.
From now on I cannot call Firefox free software as there is no more freedom in it.
novaj469 says
Choose ‘custom’ during installation and then untick ‘install mozilla maintainance services’. this is what updates firefox in background
Dancing With Lasagna says
I have done all three things. Firefox continually rams updates down my throat and screws up countless websites, worst of all the banking websites I use. I’m tired of being a victim, and no one knows how not to be one,
Mariebattis says
Unfortunately some websites have their own auto refresh setting which over-rides any Firefox settings. This why it keeps doing it despite the ‘fix’
JILLIAN TRIBBETT says
I am on firefox 37, and it updated automatically even though i set it not to in the options. Any idea why? It just started doing this a couple weeks ago, even though I’d been on firefox 37 for years. I run on XP, and Win 2008.
Susan says
Hi Mitch! I was so hoping to see a response (on this page) to my ‘help’ request re: FF forcing auto updates despite doing everything you suggested. Do you have any idea why your ‘fix’ doesn’t work, and do you have any other idea how to stop FF from automatically updating? Seems hard to believe I’m the only one with this problem, :). Sincere thanks, Susan
Murali says
Thank you Mitch. You are doing a wonderful job.
Murali
Susan says
I have, in both Options and “about:config”, checked or changed settings for Firefox to NOT update automatically. It goes ahead and does it anyway. Now what can I do? Obviously, Firefox ignores my preferences and forces automatic updates, :( Thanks!!
Doug says
Great help! Up to date too!(I guess I can thank my k9 search engine for that..
Yes, I too resent updates being done automatically. I got onto Firefox for thinking it was protecting my choice freedom and such, but it seems that the new regime of bosses is forgetting why people originally got it. Figures, since the new guys in control got that way by a political decision which turfed one of the founders of Firefox.
Loc_rabbirt says
Thank you so much for your share, I want stay in 48.0.2 and it still update daily even I configuration in Options. I will try your steps.
John M says
Yes, this post absolutely helped! I have been searching for a way to turn off auto updates and search for updates only when I choose, which used to be the way for browsers or if it’s still use, used to be easy to set.
As a former computer tech of 15 years working on getting back in; the idea of using default Firefox or install ESR for a Firefox that doesn’t update that fast, basically an ultimatum of choosing one side or the other, removing user customization is VERY stupid and is the sole reason why the tech industry used to be good — fix now, ship later — and its not anymore — ship now, fix later —