What is the Mozilla Maintenance Service?

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  • Creator: Michael Verdi
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  • Reviewed by: Verdi
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Note: The article only applies to Windows.

Firefox now installs an optional program called the Mozilla Maintenance Service. This program allows Firefox to install updates without requiring you to click yes in the Windows User Account Control (UAC) dialog.

No UAC

How does the Mozilla Maintenance Service work?

Once Firefox has downloaded an update, the Mozilla Maintenance Service gets permission from Windows to allow the update to be applied without requiring you to click yes in the Windows User Account Control (UAC) dialog. Until that time, the program doesn't run so it doesn't consume any resources. And once the update process begins, the program quits.
Note: Even though Windows XP doesn't include the UAC dialog, the Mozilla Maintenance Service is installed so that we can further streamline the update process in the future.

Disabling the Mozilla Maintenance Service

If you'd like to be prompted to authorize Firefox updates, you can disable the Mozilla Maintenance Service.

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings. .
  2. Click the Advanced panel.
  3. Click the Update tab. The update options are displayed.
  4. Uncheck the box next to Use a background service to install updates.
  5. Click OK to close the Options window.
Note: You can also uninstall the Mozilla Maintenance Service through the Windows control panel.