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How to disable AutoUpdate

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

carlosdiaz
carlosdiaz
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Hi there,

Every time Firefox updates it crashes the work that I am doing on my websites and I have to restart again. In occassions, it makes my extension to stop working properly, which is more annoying cause Firefox is just a tool and the extensions are the only reason why I stay in Firefox and I do not switch to Chrome.

In the past, you could select when to update, that is I updated when I wanted and I had time and not in the middle of a process or line of daily tasks.

I have Ubuntu, and I select the repositories that I want to update everytime. It is time consuming, but I do not want to risk that Lastpass stop working and I have to look for other ways to findout my passwords.

Is there anyway to disable update in Firefox as it was in the past and made me very happy?

This post https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1199816 opted as solution "There is no reason to use an old version of Firefox"... well, congratulations for not thinking on your clients, that is a terrible response cause to take the power of your users to update whenever they want and take it for yourself.

Anyway, I will switch to Chrome as it does not autoupdate unless I want. Thanks

Thanks, 

                Carlos
Hi there, Every time Firefox updates it crashes the work that I am doing on my websites and I have to restart again. In occassions, it makes my extension to stop working properly, which is more annoying cause Firefox is just a tool and the extensions are the only reason why I stay in Firefox and I do not switch to Chrome. In the past, you could select when to update, that is I updated when I wanted and I had time and not in the middle of a process or line of daily tasks. I have Ubuntu, and I select the repositories that I want to update everytime. It is time consuming, but I do not want to risk that Lastpass stop working and I have to look for other ways to findout my passwords. Is there anyway to disable update in Firefox as it was in the past and made me very happy? This post https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1199816 opted as solution "There is no reason to use an old version of Firefox"... well, congratulations for not thinking on your clients, that is a terrible response cause to take the power of your users to update whenever they want and take it for yourself. Anyway, I will switch to Chrome as it does not autoupdate unless I want. Thanks Thanks, Carlos

All Replies (3)

FredMcD
FredMcD
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I am still using v54 and so far no real issues.


How do you completely turn off update checks in Firefox v64? You can use a policies.json file to disable updates for all users. https://github.com/mozilla/policy-templates/blob/master/README.md or https://winaero.com/blog/disable-updates-firefox-63-above/

You can use a policies.json file in the distribution folder in the Firefox installation folder instead as also listed in the article, so no need to use GPO keys in the Windows Registry. • https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customizing-firefox-using-policiesjson

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Hi Carlos, if you are using a version of Firefox installed through your distro's package manager, that may modify and/or override the built-in controls.

With all other versions of Firefox, there is a setting on the Preferences page to "Check for updates but let you choose to install them". This has always worked for me (on Windows).

Are you using the Extended Support Release of Firefox 78? You can confirm whether you have the "release" or "esr" version on the Troubleshooting Information page. Either:

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

In the first table on the page, look for Update Channel. More info on the choices: Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for personal use. Download page: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/#product-desktop-esr

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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You also can check the "Distribution ID" on the as about:support page to see if your Linux distro is controlling updates.

You can install Firefox in a location that requires root permissions for write like in /usr/local/. That way you can only update Firefox if you use a 'sudo' command to start Firefox. As a normal user you only get a notice that updates are available, but they can't be installed. If you install Firefox in your home directory then Firefox can update on its own when it detects that updates are available and you haven't set "Check for updates but let you choose to install them" like posted above.