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

I use gmail on Firefox, but it won't let me attach files to emails. Is there something I need to turn off?

  • 7 replies
  • 34 have this problem
  • 28 views
  • Last reply by BoBrown

more options

I click on the attach files icon on my gmail email message and nothing happens.

I click on the attach files icon on my gmail email message and nothing happens.

All Replies (7)

more options

Hello,

Try disabling graphics hardware acceleration. Since this feature was added to Firefox, it has gradually improved, but there still are a few glitches.

You might need to restart Firefox in order for this to take effect, so save all work first (e.g., mail you are composing, online documents you're editing, etc.).

Then perform these steps:

  • Click the orange Firefox button at the top left, then select the "Options" button, or, if there is no Firefox button at the top, go to Tools > Options.
  • In the Firefox options window click the Advanced tab, then select "General".
  • In the settings list, you should find the Use hardware acceleration when available checkbox. Uncheck this checkbox.
  • Now, restart Firefox and see if the problems persist.

Additionally, please check for updates for your graphics driver by following the steps mentioned in the following Knowledge base articles:

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

Thank you.

more options

I tried all these things, I promise, and none of them has had any effect. I've just updated Windows and I updated my graphics drivers. Yesterday I could attach documents, and today I cannot. I finally had to resort to using gmail in Explorer, which worked just fine. But we all know I don't want to use Explorer, for all the obvious reasons. So I'm hoping you'll be able to give me some other ideas of what to do. The only things I've downloaded, not including the updates and Windows Defender updates (and that scan is fine), was Gimp and the Gimp manual, both from the official Gimp website.

more options

If you can't add attachments to Gmail messages then you need to add an allow exception to allow pop-ups for the Google website. Easiest to do this is to click the padlock on the location bar and click the "More Information" button to open the "Tools > Page Info" window with the Security tab selected. Proceed to the Permissions tab Remove the tick on "Open Pop-up Windows" > "Use Default" and click the Allow radio button to change the permission to allow pop-ups for this domain.

Google is looking into this issue, see:

more options

Firefox's pop-up blocker may have prevented the file upload window from opening. Please try adding Gmail to your list of allowed sites by following the steps below:

  1. Click on the menu button The image "new fx menu" does not exist. and choose Options.
  2. Select the Content panel.
  3. Click on the Exceptions button next Block pop-up windows.
  4. In the Allowed Sites window, type in mail.google.com in the address field, then click Allow to add it to the list.
  5. Click Close to finish.

thank you

more options

According to the link to the Google forum this issue has been fixed by Google, so it should work without the allow pop-up block permission setting.

  1. https://productforums.google.com/forum/#%21topic/gmail/q0BxcGOa6pk
more options

cor-el said :

According to the link to the Google forum this issue has been fixed by Google, so it should work without the allow pop-up block permission setting.

yes, indeed

more options

When I came into the office today, the issue had been resolved. Perhaps by Google, I don't know, I'm having all kinds of strange issues with this new computer (Windows 8.1) and every single program on it, and many times they simply evaporate after a few days. Doesn't help when I'm in the middle of something though. But thanks so much for your help.