Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

How to turn off the lovable but distracting action figures on the FF home page?

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by FredMcD

more options

I like blocking active pop ups everywhere else, so it is weird and distracting when I am sitting down to a search and trying to think where i want to go or how to ask for it, that FF now has all this cute action going on right where my eyes would like to rest while I focus. See it once, great, it's very nicely done, nice attitude enhancer, but then please get it out of my way, or give me the option to turn it off, please. I have used only FF as my browser since someone turned me on to it, years ago, and I love it in concept and in practice. But I am highly distractible, and this is a potential deal breaker for me. Snags my mind again and again... Please help!

I like blocking active pop ups everywhere else, so it is weird and distracting when I am sitting down to a search and trying to think where i want to go or how to ask for it, that FF now has all this cute action going on right where my eyes would like to rest while I focus. See it once, great, it's very nicely done, nice attitude enhancer, but then please get it out of my way, or give me the option to turn it off, please. I have used only FF as my browser since someone turned me on to it, years ago, and I love it in concept and in practice. But I am highly distractible, and this is a potential deal breaker for me. Snags my mind again and again... Please help!

All Replies (5)

more options

The "snippets" on the home page change over time, as you've probably noticed. There isn't a simple on/off switch for them, but in past threads, a few different workarounds have been proposed:

(1) Apply a custom style rule to the page to hide the snippets; to undo later, delete or disable the custom style rule

For example: https://userstyles.org/styles/104673/about-home-hide-snippets-and-hide-brand-logo

(2) Delete the setting with the address where Firefox downloads new snippets, and delete the existing snippet data from disk; to undo later, restore the setting with the address

More info: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1059010#answer-721437

(3) Temporarily use a different home page

More info:

I think it would be a good idea to add a feature to Firefox to say "okay, don't show this one any more" for a particular snippet. Not sure whether anyone is working on anything like that.

more options

I'd have to bypass too many warnings that unless I know what I am doing—and I definitely do not, I barely recognize most of the words being used—that I risk doing serious harm to the functioning of Friefox on my computer. If I did that harm, I'd be in far worse shape for sure. I want Firefox, please, to come up with a sanctioned fix for something that seems so antithetical to its set of espoused values and services!

more options

If you prefer not to see snippets on the about:home page or if there are problems with a snippet then you can set this pref to an empty string value on the about:config page by deleting the current value via the right-click context menu (Modify) or a double-click.

  • about:config page: browser.aboutHomeSnippets.updateUrl (delete current value)

Delete the storage\persistent\moz-safe-about+home folder in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed ("3-bar" Firefox menu button > Exit/Quit) to remove snippets stored in IndexedDB and make Firefox use a default snippet set.

You can reset the browser.aboutHomeSnippets.updateUrl pref via the right-click context menu to the default value to re-enable the snippets and make Firefox recreate the moz-safe-about+home folder.

Close and restart Firefox after changing the value of the browser.aboutHomeSnippets.updateUrl pref.

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I'll be careful" to continue.


You can use this button to go to the currently used Firefox profile folder:

more options

Hi jensharda, it will change in a week or two. Until then, the least risk course of action is to use a different home page (#3 in my list of options).

more options

That is an advanced setting; image.animation_mode = once

Type about:config<Enter> in the address bar. If a warning screen comes up, press the Be Careful button. This is where Firefox finds information it needs to run. At the top of the screen is a search bar. Type image.animation_mode