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 can't.

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 or is not responding - How to fix.
• If Firefox won't start at all, see Firefox won't start - find solutions.
• If Firefox crashes on startup, check to see if the crash happens in safe mode (below).
• See Firefox crashes when downloaded files are checked by virus scan 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 Update Firefox to the latest release 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• Go to our Plugin Check page and follow the links to update any plugins that are out of date.

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 safe mode or not and then follow the instructions in the recommended articles.

1. Click the menu button , 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).
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.

• For additional troubleshooting suggestions, see the information about globally installed extensions and extensions installed by other software in the Cannot remove an add-on (extension or theme) article.

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 Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems 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. In the Firefox Location bar, type about:crashes and hit Enter. A page listing submitted crash reports will appear.
2. Right-clickHold down the control key while you click on the latest crash under Report ID and choose Open Link in New Tab.
3. A tab will open to a page on crash-stats.mozilla.com, saying that "Your report is being processed". When it is finished processing, your report will load.
4. In the top right corner of the page, click the green Search Mozilla Support for Help link to search for other support questions about that same crash.
5. If there are no results for your search, click this special link to ask for help with your crash.
   Note: This link is only valid for help with crashes.
6. 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.
7. Go back to the tab with your submitted crash reports and copy the long Report ID number for the latest crash and paste it into Crash ID(s) section of the form you're filling out.
8. Open the Troubleshooting Information page. 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 Firefox 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.
   • 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.
9. Finally, click the green Post Question button.

Based on information from Firefox crashes (mozillaZine KB)