How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox
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- Revision id: 141303
- Created:
- Creator: AliceWyman
- Comment: changing -> switching (minor edit)
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: AliceWyman
- Is approved? Yes
- Is current revision? No
- Ready for localization: No
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The 64-bit version of Firefox can provide better performance than the 32-bit version. Want to switch to the 64-bit version of Firefox? Just install the 64-bit version and uninstall the 32-bit version. Your Firefox user data (passwords, bookmarks, settings, extensions and themes, etc.) will not be removed.
- 64-bit Firefox requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or higher. To find out if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows, visit this Microsoft article.
- 64-bit Firefox only supports the Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight NPAPI plugins. See this article about changes in Firefox plugin support.
- Users of Microsoft Office Outlook: Before switching to 64-bit Firefox, it is recommended to temporarily change your default browser to Internet Explorer or Edge and then change it back to Firefox after the change (details below).
Follow these steps to switch to 64-bit Firefox:
- Go to this Mozilla Firefox download page and click on the Windows 64-bit download link.
- Run the setup file you've just downloaded and follow the prompts to install the 64-bit version of Firefox.
- Close Firefox.
- Now it's time to remove the 32-bit version. Open the Windows menu and click on . Open the panel, then select the tab panel.
- Scroll down the list of appsprograms until you find the Mozilla Firefox item that contains x86 in the name. Select it, and click .
- Follow the prompts in the Uninstall Wizard to complete the removal of the 32-bit version.
Users of Microsoft Office Outlook
Before switching from 32-bit Firefox to 64-bit Firefox, it is recommended to temporarily change your default browser to Internet Explorer or Edge and then change it back to Firefox after the change. This is important to avoid problems opening links from messages in Outlook. See:
- Make Firefox your default browser under the section, "Use the Settings app in Windows 10 to change your default browser".
If you skipped this step and encounter errors along the lines of "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.", refer to the Hyperlinks are not working in Outlook article in the MS knowledge base or the following page for help: This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions.