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This article describes how to make Firefox use less memory to make it run faster and prevent crashes.

Firefox sometimes uses more memory (RAM) than it should. This can make Firefox slower, and in extreme cases, it can even make Firefox crash. This article describes how to make Firefox use less memory. * Depending on your operating system, you can review and monitor memory usage through specific tools. {for win}On Windows, the Performance tab of the Windows Task Manager displays memory usage.{/for} {note}'''Note:''' If you [[Share telemetry data with Mozilla to help improve Firefox|share performance data]], Mozilla will gather data, including Firefox memory usage, which will help make Firefox better in future versions.{/note} __TOC__ = Updating Firefox to the latest version = The latest Firefox version includes improvements about memory usage. [[Update Firefox to the latest version|Update Firefox to the latest version]]. = Extensions and themes = == Disabling memory consuming extensions and themes == Extensions and themes can cause Firefox to use more memory than it normally would. To determine if an extension or theme is causing Firefox to use too much memory, start Firefox in [[Troubleshoot Firefox issues using Safe Mode|Safe Mode]] and observe its memory usage. In Safe Mode, extensions and themes are disabled, so if you notice a significant improvement, you can try disabling or uninstalling extensions. * For more information on starting Firefox in Safe Mode and on how to find which extension or theme is causing your problem, see [[Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems]]. == Hiding intrusive content == Many web pages have content you don't really need that uses memory to display{for not fx53}(see [[#w_plugins|the plugin section below]]){/for}. To prevent automatic loading of unwanted Flash content, use the "Ask to Activate" setting in the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel. See the [[Set Adobe Flash to "click to play" on Firefox]] article for details. Some extensions allow you to block such unnecessary content; for example: * [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/ uBlock Origin] allows you to hide ads on websites. * [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/noscript NoScript] allows you to selectively enable and disable all scripts running on websites. {for not fx53} = Plugins = [[T:PluginSupportEOL]] Plugins to display special types of content can consume large amounts of memory, especially older versions. Make sure you have the latest versions of all your plugins. == Disabling memory consuming plugins == You can test to see whether one of your plugins is causing Firefox to use too much memory by selectively disabling some of them: # [[T:Open Add-ons|type=Plugins]] # Click on a plugin in the list to select it, then select {button Never Activate} to disable it. # Repeat for some of the plugins in your list. After disabling some of your plugins, close and restart Firefox, and observe its memory usage. If you don't see an improvement, you can enable those plugins again and try with a different set. If you do see an improvement in Firefox's memory usage after disabling a certain plugin, you may leave it disabled. If you can't because its use is widespread on Internet, try to find an alternative lighter plugin. {/for} == Checking Flash hardware acceleration == For certain plugins that play videos such as Flash, the content rendering in full screen can be accelerated by hardware. It eases memory usage in case of a dedicated graphic card memory. # Navigate to a page that shows a Flash video. # {for win,linux}Right-click{/for}{for mac}Hold down the {key Ctrl} key while you click{/for} on the video player and click {menu Settings…} in the context menu. The Adobe Flash Player Settings screen will open. # Click on the icon at the bottom-left of the Adobe Flash Player Settings window to open the Display panel. # Check '''Enable hardware acceleration''' is selected. # Click {button Close} to close the Adobe Flash Player Settings Window. = Checking Firefox hardware acceleration = Firefox hardware acceleration eases memory usage in case of a dedicated graphic card memory. *Check that hardware acceleration is {for not fx55}[[Settings for network, updates and encryption#w_browsing|turned on]]{/for}{for fx55}[[Firefox's performance settings|turned on]]{/for} and that [[Upgrade your graphics drivers to use hardware acceleration and WebGL|your graphics drivers are up-to-date]]. = Restarting Firefox = Firefox's memory usage may increase if it's left open for long periods of time. A workaround for this is to periodically restart Firefox. You can configure Firefox to save your tabs and windows so that when you start it again, you can start where you left off. See [[Restore previous session - Configure when Firefox shows your most recent tabs and windows]] for details. = Using fewer tabs = Each tab requires Firefox to store a web page in memory. If you frequently have '''more than 100 tabs open''', consider using a more lightweight mechanism to keep track of pages to read and things to do, such as: * [[Bookmarks in Firefox|Bookmarks]]. ''Hint: "[[Use tabs to organize lots of websites in a single window#w_tab-tips|Bookmark All Tabs]]" will bookmark a set of tabs.'' * [http://lifehacker.com/378062/five-best-gtd-applications To-do list applications]. = Other applications using up memory = Having many applications running simultaneously may cause your computer to run slowly and other applications to as well. By closing down some of the unnecessary applications, memory usage will be reduced. = Memory troubleshooting tools = * Firefox: ** The '''about:memory''' page allows you to troubleshoot finely specific issues about memory (for instance, caused by a website, an extension, a theme) and sometimes its {button Minimize memory usage} button may help you instantly reduce memory usage. For guidance on use of '''about:memory''' visit [https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Mozilla/Performance/about:memory about:memory] ** [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ramback RAMBack] lets you flush many of Firefox's caches, allowing you to distinguish caching from leaking.<br><br>Even if you're not a C++ programmer, you can try your hand at some of the [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Performance#Memory_profiling_and_leak_detection_tools tools and tips Firefox developers use to debug leaks]. {for winxp} * System: ** View how much memory is being used by checking with the Task Manager. Visit [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-use-the-windows-task-manager/ How to use the Windows Task Manager].. Once you are at this article, click on "Performance Tab" under the table of contents. This will explain the performance tab information and more. {/for} {for win7} * System: ** View how much memory is being used by checking with the Task Manager. Visit [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-use-the-windows-task-manager/ How to use the Windows Task Manager].. Once you are at this article, click on "Performance Tab" under the table of contents. This will explain the performance tab information and more. {/for} {for win8} * System: ** View how much memory is being used by checking with the Task Manager. Visit [http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/extremewindows/archive/2013/06/06/windows-8-task-manager-in-depth.aspx Windows 8 Task Manager] at Microsoft's support site for more information on using the Windows 8 Task Manager. {/for} {for win10} * System: ** View how much memory is being used by checking with the Task Manager. Visit [http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/extremewindows/archive/2013/06/06/windows-8-task-manager-in-depth.aspx Windows 8 Task Manager] at Microsoft's support site for more information on using the Windows 10 Task Manager. {/for} = Add RAM to your computer = If you exhausted all tips in the previous sections and your memory usage is still close to the maximum, maybe it's time for you to add more memory to your computer. RAM is cheap and will provide a huge performance boost. <!-- MZ credit --> <br/> <br/> '''''Based on information from [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Reducing_memory_usage_-_Firefox Reducing memory usage - Firefox (mozillaZine KB)]'''''