Firefox not opening


LMWT

New member
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16
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Windows 11
Hello, this is my first post to this forum.

This just happened yesterday, photo attached shows what I get when I attempt to open Firefox browser - it won't! The a small "window" as shown appears when I click on the toolbar icon, but that's it.
This has happened with another program in the past, then I just deleted, reinstalled and all was good.
I would like to fix this rather than delete and reinstall. Just in case, I have imported all my bookmarks to another browser - that worked!
I am using the latest Firefox version.
Can I fix this without deleting and reinstalling (reinstalling over existing doesn't fix it)
If I cannot fix this will finding and copying the correct bookmarks file in the existing program be OK to do? I have looked and there are several files named bookmarks, assume I could save this file and restore it to new copy of Firefox.
Finally slightly off subject, any advise on what's the best browser to use.

Thanks for any help with this.

Firefox.jpg1659699400906.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
First thing to try is to hold down the shift key then try to start Fx; if that works, this method starts Fx in Troubleshooting Mode.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8960
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-13700 2.10GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GetForce RTX 4060 Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtec
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    Dell U2722D
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    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1024GB SSD boot drive; 2TB Internal Mechanical Hard Disc; WD My Passport (1Tb) external; My Passport Ultra (2Tb) external
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    40Mbps (Bonded DSL)
    Browser
    Firefox (default)
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes, MS Defender AV
Check if any recent updates and clear cache, that is a good starting point
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
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    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
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    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
Also open Task Manager (Ctrl-Shift-Esc) and make sure that there are no task entries for FF. If there is just end them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP / Spectre x360 Convertible 13
    CPU
    i5-8250U
    Motherboard
    83B9 56.50
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Your profile which has your 'data', bookmarks etc will not be affected by a uninstall/re-install. Just go to add/remove programs of Windows ->settings-> apps remove from there and re-install. Again - your 'profile' will not be affected.

EDIT: Long time user and 14yrs or testing Firefox and use Nightly builds.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Intel i5 10400 HD630 graphics chip
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i5-10400
    Memory
    12 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD630 chipset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 24inch
    Hard Drives
    SSD, external usb drive 1tb for files/backups
    Keyboard
    wireless Logi
    Mouse
    ms 4000 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    10meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Win11 Home 23H2 22631.3374 03/26/24
Your profile which has your 'data', bookmarks etc will not be affected by a uninstall/re-install. Just go to add/remove programs of Windows ->settings-> apps remove from there and re-install. Again - your 'profile' will not be affected.
Personally I would look for a simple option first, If you don't cure the problem, it could well be there when you reinstall I sure think Quandry's idea is good
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
What I see on that image is that Firefox is open but in a reduced window size. Move the mouse pointer to an edge and see if it can be resized or press the middle icon in the upper right corner to Restore or Maximize. Also could try F11 to go to Full Screen [Yes, that is different from Maximized]. An open program shows a line under the icon for it on the Taskbar.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
i did have a similar issue awhile back. it wasnt firefox for me it was related to a windows update. Did it work for you say last week? can you check your windows updates and see if you had one recently as in this week and I would uninstall it. then reboot and see what happens. Many of my apps were doing a weird thing where i would open it and it would be downsized like that, id click on the taskbar icon and it would open but then i couldnt close the window. the only way i could close anything was to go into task manager and find the process and close it that way..talk about crazy irritating headache.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Version 22H2(OS Build 22621.963)
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    AMD
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    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8 Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro WiFi
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    32 GB
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    PCI Express 3.0 x16: PowerColor RX Vega 56 Red Dragon
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    Realtek ALC1220 and AMD Greenland - High Definition Audio Controller
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    2 - 27 inch Westinghouse
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    1920 x 1080
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    2 SSD - 2 TB each
    1 HDD - 2 TB
    Keyboard
    logitech
    Mouse
    logitech
    Internet Speed
    1 GB
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Avast Premium
a small "window" as shown appears when I click on the toolbar icon, but that's it.
Sometimes the coordinates for an app's window's size and position can get corrupted. Your little 'windows' shows Firefox is obviously working, it has a web page showing. But when you click on it the full size window is probably trying to display somewhere off the edge of your screen.

Changing your display resolution to something smaller, then back to normal again, may reset the window's coordinates.

You could also try right-clicking on the little window and selecting Maximise.

1659715519285.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
First thing to try is to hold down the shift key then try to start Fx; if that works, this method starts Fx in Troubleshooting Mode.
Thank you all so much for the great replies,

I decided I would start with the first reply from Not Myself and so happy, problem solved - shift key + Open Fx
I normally use one click to open things, so initially thought this wasn't going to work, did a double click and choose to refresh Fx..................

Refresh Firefox 1.jpgRefresh Firefox 2.jpgRefresh Firefox 3.jpg
All good now, just have to restore some customizations and a few extensions
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
Sometimes the coordinates for an app's window's size and position can get corrupted. Your little 'windows' shows Firefox is obviously working, it has a web page showing. But when you click on it the full size window is probably trying to display somewhere off the edge of your screen.

Changing your display resolution to something smaller, then back to normal again, may reset the window's coordinates.

You could also try right-clicking on the little window and selecting Maximise.

View attachment 35695
Thank you for the reply,

Tried maximise before posting the thread with no success.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
What I see on that image is that Firefox is open but in a reduced window size. Move the mouse pointer to an edge and see if it can be resized or press the middle icon in the upper right corner to Restore or Maximize. Also could try F11 to go to Full Screen [Yes, that is different from Maximized]. An open program shows a line under the icon for it on the Taskbar.
Thank you Berton,

Before posting the query, did try what you wrote but not F11!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
I frequently use F11 when trying to view items that are just a bit too big for the Maximized program.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Check if any recent updates and clear cache, that is a good starting point
Thanks The-Hive,

I did those but it didn't help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
Also open Task Manager (Ctrl-Shift-Esc) and make sure that there are no task entries for FF. If there is just end them.
Hi Quandary,

Tried that, didn't solve the problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD
Your profile which has your 'data', bookmarks etc will not be affected by a uninstall/re-install. Just go to add/remove programs of Windows ->settings-> apps remove from there and re-install. Again - your 'profile' will not be affected.

EDIT: Long time user and 14yrs or testing Firefox and use Nightly builds.
Thanks TheVisitor,

That's the one I was a bit cautious about doing, but good advice for the future!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881
    Hard Drives
    SSD and HDD

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