Cannot remove an add-on (extension or theme)

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  • Revision id: 647
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  • Creator: Chris Ilias
  • Comment: clean up step to find extension id
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  • Ready for localization: Yes
  • Readied for localization by: AnonymousUser
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This article describes how to uninstall an extension or theme that cannot be removed by following the instructions in Disable or remove Add-ons.


Uninstall from Firefox Safe Mode

If you cannot access the Add-ons window or if the Uninstall button is grayed out for a certain add-on, you may need to uninstall it from Firefox Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

Click the menu button Fx89menuButton, click Help, select Troubleshoot Mode… and click Restart in the Restart Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode? dialog.

Note: You can also start Firefox in Troubleshoot 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).

  1. In the Firefox Safe Mode dialog, click Continue in Safe Mode.

Once Firefox has started in Safe Mode, try uninstalling the add-on again and then restarting Firefox.

Uninstalling manually

If you are unable to uninstall an add-on in Firefox Safe Mode, first navigate to the folder where extensions are installed:

  1. Open your profile folder:

    • Click the menu button Fx89menuButton, click Help and select More Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select More Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    • Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click Open FolderShow in FinderOpen Directory. A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
    Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.

  2. Open the extensions folder inside your profile folder.

Inside the extensions folder there are folders for each extension and theme you have installed:

  • (Firefox 3.6):
    1. Return to Firefox and the Troubleshooting Information tab.
    2. In the Extensions section, locate the extension you want to remove, and note the string in the ID column.
    3. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
    4. Delete the folder that corresponds to the ID you noted above.
  • (Firefox 3.5):
    1. Find the folder that corresponds to the extension you want to remove. You may need to open the the chrome sub-folder or the install.rdf file (in a text editor) to find the name of the extension that resides in a folder.
    2. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
    3. Delete the folder that corresponds to the extension you want to remove.


Globally installed extensions

In rare cases, extensions are installed globally, into the Firefox installation folder. To remove a globally installed extension follow these steps:

  1. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit.
  2. Go to your Firefox installation folder.
  3. Go to the extensions folder inside the installation folder.
  4. Follow the steps above to locate the appropriate folder to delete.

Uninstall from Windows Control Panel

Some add-ons are installed by other programs. You may be able to uninstall the add-on from the Windows Control Panel:

Extensions installed by other software

Sometimes installing or updating other software will add an extension which cannot be removed from within the Firefox Add-ons window because its Uninstall button is not functional.

The software that added the Firefox extension may include an option to remove it. You should visit the support site of the software provider for more information. As an alternative, simply disable the extension in the Firefox Add-ons window if you no longer wish to use it. To disable the extension, select it, then click on its Disable button. The extension will be disabled after you restart Firefox.

Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant

If you have programs that use Microsoft .NET Framework components, a Microsoft update may have installed an extension called Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant.

To remove this extension, follow the instructions in Microsoft's article How to remove the .NET Framework Assistant for Firefox.

Java Quick Starter

If you have Java software from Sun installed, you may see the Java Quick Starter extension in your list of extensions. This extension has its Uninstall button disabled.

To remove this extension, follow the instructions to disable the Java Quick Starter in Sun's Java Quick Starter article. You may need to close Firefox while executing those instructions.

When you restart Firefox, the Java Quick Starter extension will be removed.



Based on information from Uninstalling add-ons (mozillaZine KB)