Downloads window does not open

This article is no longer maintained, so its content might be out of date.

Follow the instructions in this article if you notice that the Downloads window fails to open when:

  • Downloading files.
  • Clicking on the Tools menu and selecting Downloads.


For other downloading problems:


Change Firefox settings

If you download a file and Firefox does not display the downloads window, you may have Firefox set not to open the Downloads window:

  1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (Tools menu in Windows XP) and then click OptionsOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Preferences...At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Edit menu and select PreferencesAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the Tools menu and select Options...On the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Preferences...At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Edit menu and select Preferences...
  2. Select the General panel (Main panel in Firefox 3.5).
  3. In the Downloads section, check the box for Show the Downloads window when downloading a file.

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  4. Click OKClose the preferences window

After you close the OptionsPreferences window, Firefox should open the Downloads window automatically when you download a file.

If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue with the instructions below.


Reset toolbars and controls

If Firefox is set to remember what you've downloaded, but the downloads window still fails to open:

At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click the Help menuFirefox button, go over to the Help menu and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.... Firefox will start up with the Firefox Safe Mode dialog.
For Windows XP, click the Help menu and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.... Firefox will start up with the Firefox Safe Mode dialog.
Note: You can also start Firefox in Safe Mode by holding down the shift key while starting Firefox.holding down the option key while starting Firefox.quitting Firefox and then going to your Terminal and running: firefox -safe-mode
You may need to specify the Firefox installation path (e.g. /usr/lib/firefox-4)
At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (File menu in Windows XP) and then click ExitOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Quit FirefoxAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select QuitAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select ExitOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Quit FirefoxAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select Quit. Then in Windows, click Start, open the All Programs list and navigate to the Mozilla Firefox folder. In the Mozilla Firefox folder, select Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode).Then hold down the option key as you restart Firefox.Go to your Terminal and run: firefox -safe-mode
You may need to specify the Firefox installation path (e.g. /usr/lib/firefox-3.5). Firefox will start up with the Firefox Safe Mode dialog.
Note: You can also start Firefox in Safe Mode by clicking Start, selecting Run (or use the Start Search box in Windows 7 and Vista) and then entering the following in the text field: firefox -safe-mode

  1. In the Firefox Safe Mode window, select Reset toolbars and controls.

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  2. Click Make Changes and Restart.

This will reset your Firefox toolbars. To make changes to the toolbars, see How to customize the toolbar article. If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue with the instructions below.

Remove corrupt downloads file

If Firefox is set to remember what you've downloaded, but its list of downloads is still blank:

  1. Open your profile folder:

    1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the Help menuAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button, go over to the Help menu (on Windows XP, click on the Help menu)On the menu bar, click on the Help menuAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    2. Under the Application Basics section, click on Open Containing FolderShow in Finder. A window with your profile filesfolder will open.
      Note: If you are unable to open or use Fire​fox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.

  2. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (File menu in Windows XP) and then click ExitOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Quit FirefoxAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select QuitAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select ExitOn the menu bar, click on the Firefox menu and select Quit FirefoxAt the top of the Firefox window, click on the File menu and select Quit.
  3. Delete the downloads.sqlite file.

If the Downloads window still fails to open after downloading a file, continue to the Further troubleshooting section below.


Further troubleshooting

If the Downloads window fails to open after performing the steps above:

  • Follow the instructions in the Troubleshooting extensions and themes article - attempt to download a file in Firefox's Safe Mode. If the list is shown properly, try to determine whether an addon is causing the problem.
  • Follow the instructions in the Troubleshooting plugins article - disable your plugins to try to determine whether one of them is causing the problem.
Contributors to this page: Chris_Ilias