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In Win 8.1/firefox there were tabs above and windows below. In Win 10/firefox, there are now windows below for switching windows - how do you do this now?

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n Win 8.1/firefox there were tabs above and windows below. In Win 10/firefox, there are now NO windows below for switching windows. How does one switch windows (groups of tabs) now? Firefox 39.03 Windows 10

On the first program I started after launching new Windows 10, I can't do what I have done for years, and can't figure it out myself.

I hate major operating system changes.

installed plugins

  • Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape 15.8.20082
  • Garmin Communicator Plug-In 4.1.0.0
  • GEPlugin
  • Google Update
  • HPDetect
  • NPRuntime Script Plug-in Library for Java(TM) Deploy
  • Next Generation Java Plug-in 11.40.2 for Mozilla browsers
  • Plug-in for detecting Nero Kwik Media.
  • Nitro PDF plugin for Firefox and Chrome
  • Shockwave Flash 18.0 r0
  • VLC media player Web Plugin 2.1.3
  • WildTangent Games App V2 Presence Detector
  • NPWLPG
n Win 8.1/firefox there were tabs above and windows below. In Win 10/firefox, there are now NO windows below for switching windows. How does one switch windows (groups of tabs) now? Firefox 39.03 Windows 10 On the first program I started after launching new Windows 10, I can't do what I have done for years, and can't figure it out myself. I hate major operating system changes. installed plugins * Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape 15.8.20082 * Garmin Communicator Plug-In 4.1.0.0 * GEPlugin * Google Update * HPDetect * NPRuntime Script Plug-in Library for Java(TM) Deploy * Next Generation Java Plug-in 11.40.2 for Mozilla browsers * Plug-in for detecting Nero Kwik Media. * Nitro PDF plugin for Firefox and Chrome * Shockwave Flash 18.0 r0 * VLC media player Web Plugin 2.1.3 * WildTangent Games App V2 Presence Detector * NPWLPG

Chosen solution

Is the problem that the Windows Taskbar is hidden by the Firefox window, or that the changes to the Taskbar make it impossible to change windows?

If the Taskbar is hidden by Firefox, it's possible that Firefox is in full screen view. The F11 key switches between full screen and normal views.

Another potential issue is that Firefox sometimes seems to collect mistaken screen dimension data from the OS and make the Firefox window too tall. You can rename the relevant settings file to see whether that helps.

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Show Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename xulstore.json to something like xulstore.old. If you see a file named localstore.rdf, rename that one to localstore.old.

Start Firefox back up again. Do windows display normally again?

To restore missing bars, you can use one of these methods to show the toolbar list and select the desired bars there:

To turn on the Menu Bar, Bookmarks Toolbar, or other bars, click it on the list.

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Chosen Solution

Is the problem that the Windows Taskbar is hidden by the Firefox window, or that the changes to the Taskbar make it impossible to change windows?

If the Taskbar is hidden by Firefox, it's possible that Firefox is in full screen view. The F11 key switches between full screen and normal views.

Another potential issue is that Firefox sometimes seems to collect mistaken screen dimension data from the OS and make the Firefox window too tall. You can rename the relevant settings file to see whether that helps.

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Show Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename xulstore.json to something like xulstore.old. If you see a file named localstore.rdf, rename that one to localstore.old.

Start Firefox back up again. Do windows display normally again?

To restore missing bars, you can use one of these methods to show the toolbar list and select the desired bars there:

To turn on the Menu Bar, Bookmarks Toolbar, or other bars, click it on the list.