A "crash" is what happens when Firefox closes or quits unexpectedly. After a crash, you should see the Mozilla Crash Reporter appear. This article will help you fix crashes and show you how to get more help if you're having difficulties.

First, if you have one of these specific issues, follow the link to get help.

• If Firefox is open but won't respond to any of your actions, see Firefox hangs.
• If Firefox crashes on startup, check to see if the crash happens in safe mode (below).
• See Firefox crashes when trying to download a file if you have that specific problem.

If none of these describe your issue, follow the steps below in order.

Update your software

The crash you're experiencing may have already been fixed in a new version!

Update Firefox

Every Firefox release includes a number of fixes for crashes that people have reported. Making sure you have the latest version may fix your crash.

• To check for Firefox updates, go to the top of the Firefox window and click the Firefox button. Then go over to the Help menu and select About Firefox. For Windows XP: Go to the Help menu and select About Firefox.To check for Firefox updates, go to the menu bar, click the Firefox menu and select About Firefox.To check for Firefox updates, go to the top of the Firefox window, click the Help menu and select About Firefox.To check for Firefox updates, go to the top of the Firefox window, click the Help menu and select Check for Updates....To check for Firefox updates, go to the menu bar, click the Help menu and select Check for Updates.... See Updating Firefox for details.

Update your plugins

Check that you have the latest versions of all your plugins.

• Go to our Plugin Check page and follow the links to update any plugins that are out of date.

Update your drivers

If your crash happens while printing, check your printer driver is up-to-date by going to your printer manufacturer's support website.

Update your Internet Security software

Make sure you have the latest version of your Internet security software (including firewalls, antivirus programs, anti-spyware programs, and more).

Check to see if the crash happens in safe mode

If updating software didn't work or if Firefox crashes on startup, use the steps below to test whether the crash happens in Firefox Safe Mode or not and then follow the instructions in the recommended articles.

1. 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
2. When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, press the button Continue in Safe Mode.

After Firefox starts in Safe Mode, test for your problem.

The crash still happens in Safe Mode

If your crash still happens in Safe Mode, it is not being caused by an extension, theme or hardware acceleration.If your crash still happens in Safe Mode, it is not being caused by an extension or theme. See if the Latest Firefox issues article includes a solution and, if it doesn't, try to get help with your crash ID.

The crash doesn't happen in Safe Mode

If your crash doesn't happen in Safe Mode, it is most likely because of an extension, theme or hardware acceleration.If your crash doesn't happen in Safe Mode, it is most likely because of an extension or theme.

• Follow the steps in Troubleshooting extensions and themes to determine the cause.

Get help fixing this crash

Figuring out the cause of a crash can be difficult. If you've tried the steps above and can't get Firefox to stop crashing, the steps below will show you how to collect information about your crash so our volunteers can help you.

1. Get the Report ID of your latest crash report:
   • You can open Firefox, at least in Safe Mode:
     1. In the Firefox Location bar, type about:crashes and hit EnterReturn. A page listing submitted crash reports will appear.
     2. Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click on the latest crash under Report ID and choose Open Link in New Tab. A tab will open to a page on crash-stats.mozilla.com, saying that "Your report is being processed". When it is finished processing, close the report tab.
   • You can't open Firefox because it crashes at startup even in Safe Mode:
     1. Click the Windows Start button, and select Run... on Windows 2000/XP or press + R on Windows Vista/7. Type in "%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Crash Reports\submitted" including the quotation marks and click OK.In the finder go to ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Crash Reports/submitted.Go to ~/.mozilla/firefox/Crash Reports/submitted.
     2. In the resulting folder will be a text file for each crash report you have submitted. Using the View menu, arrange them by date to find out which is the newest file; and double-click on it to open it.
2. Click this special link to ask for help with your crash.
   Note: This link is only valid for help with crashes.
3. Click the edit link next to your question title and make it more descriptive of the problem you're seeing.
4. Fill out the Details section with as much information you have about the crash. Include any of the steps you completed above, like updating Firefox or testing for the crash in safe mode.
5. Copy the long Report ID number you've got above for the latest crash (looks like bp-...) and paste it into the Crash ID(s) section of the form you're filling out.
6. Get additional troubleshooting information:
   • You can open Firefox, at least in Safe Mode:
     1. Go to the top of the Firefox window and click the Firefox button. Then go over to the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information. For Windows XP: Go to the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.Go to the menu bar, click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.Go to the top of the Firefox window, click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.Go to the top of the Firefox window, click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
     2. On the Troubleshooting Information page, click the Copy all to clipboard button and then paste that into the Troubleshooting Information section of the form you're filling out.
7. Finally, click the green Post Question button.

Based on information from Firefox crashes (mozillaZine KB)