How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox

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This article only applies to Firefox on Windows.

Note: Mozilla began to automatically switch users from 32-bit Firefox to 64-bit Firefox, with the update to Firefox version 56.0.1 on October 9, 2017. For more information, see this Mozilla blog post and the Firefox Win64 Mozilla Wiki.

The 64-bit version of Firefox can provide better performance than the 32-bit version. 64-bit Firefox requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or higher. To see if you have a 64-bit Windows version visit this Microsoft help page.

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, add-ons, etc.) will not be removed.

Firefox creates dedicated profiles for each installation. See Recover user data missing after Firefox update if the new 64-bit installation of Firefox results in missing profile data.

Follow these steps to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox:

  1. Go to this Mozilla Firefox download page and click on the Windows 64-bit download link.
    DownloadWin64-bit
  2. Run the setup file you've just downloaded and follow the prompts to install the 64-bit version of Firefox.
  3. Close Firefox.
  4. Now it's time to remove the 32-bit version. Open the Windows Start menu and click on SettingsControl Panel. Open the SystemPrograms panel, then select the Apps & features tabPrograms and Features panel.
  5. Scroll down the list of appsprograms until you find the Mozilla Firefox item that contains x86 in the name. Select it, and click Uninstall.
  6. Follow the prompts in the Uninstall Wizard to complete the removal of the 32-bit version.