Firefox hosts a few different types of add-ons. Extensions and Themes usually can be removed from the Add-ons page. Plugins usually are added by an external program so you typically need to remove them using Windows' programs and settings control panel, or by changing the options in the associated software.

Add-ons page: orange Firefox button or classic Tools menu > Add-ons

For plugins that are hard to track back to a particular application or installer, you can research their physical location on your system to remove them. Please see this recent thread for a discussion of the process: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/933492

Does that help?

No, doesn't work. The Garmin, and Logitech have subsequently disappeared, but Java, but the BitCometAgent and 2 Microsoft add-ons are still there

Usually Java can be uninstalled through Programs and Features. I actually don't have it on this laptop, so I can't confirm the name in the control panel but if it's not under Java, check Oracle or Sun Microsystems. You also could try to delete the DLL manually. Please see the above link for guidance on locating the file.

What are the two Microsoft add-ons?

These are the plug-ins I am trying to delete. The first 2 are disabled on recommendation of Firefox, the others I do not need, but can only disable them. Why can't I delete them? They are cluttering up the add-ons listing page

Java Plug-in 1 :- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/p125 Java Plug-in 2 :- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/p80 Microsoft Office 2003 11.0.8161.0 Microsoft Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin 1.0.0.8 BitCometAgent 1.30.11.3

Firefox does not integrate with the Windows Installer, so programs installed that way need to be uninstalled that way.

Java: In the Windows Control Panel, Programs and Features, you will find one or more entries starting with Java. You may need to close Firefox to have the uninstall complete cleanly.

Windows Media Player: If you're certain you will never need it, look in the Windows Control Panel, Programs and Features, for "Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin".

Microsoft Office plugin: There might be a checkbox to remove this in the Office installer if you choose to change its features. However, it's probably simpler just to disable it if you don't find it useful.

BitCometAgent: No idea, but do you have some BitComet software installed? You could check its options/preferences.

Microsoft Office, BitCometAgent and ShockwaveFlash are still there. The others have gone via Control Panel, Programs & Features.

I do not understand why a plugin can be deleted, but an addon can only be disabled? Surely this is an incongruity in the program design? I like Firefox, and don't want to go back to IE, or Opera or Chrome. Maybe I'll just have to put up with the illogical program response.

I do not understand why a plugin can be deleted, but an addon can only be disabled?

Let's clear up the terminology a bit: the term add-ons encompasses Plugins, Extensions, and Themes/Personas. I'm going to generalize a bit here:

• The typical purpose of plugins is to render specific kinds of binary content, such as media or PDF, within a web page, tab or browser window. Nearly all plugins install through the Windows installer (either directly or as part of another program) and can be disabled in Firefox but cannot be uninstalled from within Firefox.

• Extensions and Themes modify web pages or the Firefox UI. They are nearly always stored in your personal Firefox settings folder (AKA Firefox profile) and usually are installed directly into Firefox and can be both disabled and removed from the corresponding add-ons page. Certain toolbars (e.g., security toolbars) are installed by other programs and cannot be removed from within Firefox.

Part of the cost of being extensible and supporting so many different technologies is this inconsistency. But variety is the spice of life, no?

Shockwave Flash, AKA the Flash player, is necessary to browse a lot of sites even if you don't want to watch videos. For example, it seems very popular with restaurant websites. However, if you want to remove it, look in Programs and Features for Adobe Flash Player.

You can try to open the pluginreg.dat file in the Firefox Profile Folder to see if that gives the location of the blocked or installed plugins that you want to remove.

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

• Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Open Containing Folder

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox

I have now solved most of these problems, but that doesn't answer the question of why, if addons and plugins are the same (see above), are they treated differently.

Post closed.

Note for Mozilla.

Make it easier for the proletariat to understand and use your great suite of programs. A little more thought will increase your popularity

Extension are installed within Firefox and extend Firefox with new features.
Firefox is able to check if there are updates available because they are installed and maintained in Firefox.

Plugins make it possible to handle specific content that Firefox can't handle internally.
Plugins are always installed externally by other programs and are never maintained within Firefox.
You always need to check for updates of plugins by visiting their web page if a plugin or the program that it belong to doesn't do that itself automatically (e.g. Flash can do this).

Flash Global Notifications Settings Panel:

• http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager05.html

You wrote -

Make it easier for the proletariat to understand and use your great suite of programs. A little more thought will increase your popularity

- and I thought you might be interested in knowing that the Knowledge base articles here, and these responses, are created by volunteers. Join us and help make the documentation clearer.

dag_baruch

Short answer: Extensions and Themes/Personas are installed in Firefox while Plugins are not installed in Firefox.

Firefox is just making use of appropriate Plugins (like Flash, Java) that it finds on the system. This is why Plugins only have a disable/enable button in Plugins section of Addons manager.

The words Addons and Plugins are not the same thing as Addons does not refer to one thing but is a general term that Mozilla started using about Firefox 2.0/3.0 to group together the separate Extensions, Themes, Personas, Plugins and such. Overall Mozilla should have kept the old separate terms of before.