A "crash" is what happens when Firefox closes unexpectedly. After a crash, the Mozilla Crash Reporter will appear, asking if you want to send technical details of the crash to Mozilla for processing.

• If Firefox remains open but becomes unresponsive, see Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix.

Getting help with your crash

Processed reports are given a crash "signature" which is often indicative of what caused the crash. Because there are so many possible causes for crashes, the best way to get help is to post your crash signature in the forum or live chat.

1. In the Firefox Location bar, go to about:crashes. A page listing crash reports that you've submitted will appear.

• • If you cannot start Firefox, see Firefox crashes when you open it.

1. Click on the latest crash under Report ID.
   
   
   
2. You will be taken to a page on crash-stats.mozilla.com, saying that "Your report is being processed". When it is finished processing your report, the crash signature will appear under the ID. (e.g. nsCrasher::Crash())
   
   
   
3. In the top right corner of the page, click on Search Mozilla Support for Help to search for Support articles that match the crash signature.
   
   
   

When you go to ask a question about your crash, it's important to provide your crash signature in the forum topic or live chat question. That way, our volunteers will be able to provide help that is specific to your circumstances and you can get help much faster.

Generic crash articles

If you are uncomfortable trying to find your crash signature, try one of the below articles for specific crash symptoms:

Firefox crashes when you open it

• If you are unable to load Firefox at all, please see Firefox crashes when you open it.

Firefox crashes when loading certain pages

• If you get the crash window when trying to browse certain pages but Firefox can work fine on other pages, please see Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly).

Firefox crashes when trying to download a file

• If you get the crash window when trying to download files or certain file types (e.g. images), please see Firefox crashes when downloaded files are checked by virus scan.

Firefox crashes when you exit it

• If you get the crash window only when trying to close Firefox and Firefox fails to shut down properly, please see Firefox crashes when you exit it.

If none of the above applies to you

The following causes of crashes apply to many crash situations:

Not using the latest version of Firefox

Firefox updates are regularly released and a number of the fixes are crash related. Make sure you are using the latest version. See Update Firefox to the latest release for details.

Problematic or out of date extensions or themes

Extensions and themes can often cause crashes and other errors. This is especially true if you recently installed or updated an extension. Follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to determine whether an extension or theme is causing your problem. The support articles for various specific symptoms of Firefox crashes include lists of extensions that may cause certain crashes.

Problematic or out of date plugins

Plugins are programs that let Firefox display video and sound and do other things. If you find that certain, specific pages cause Firefox to crash every time you visit them, they may need a common plugin. Follow the steps at the Troubleshoot issues with plugins like Flash or Java to fix common Firefox problems article to determine whether a plugin is causing your problem.

Based on information from Firefox crashes (mozillaZine KB)