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 do I stop Firefox from increasingly blocking more content even on secure sites?

more options

Recently I had to reinstall the OS on my Mac Powerbook. Ever since then, Firefox has blocked content I could previously get. Increasingly, it blocks more content. For instance, I have an Amazon author account where I get sales reports. I can get to the page, but Firefox won't load the report. Safari will. Another example: I have a subscription to the New York Times. When I click on an article, Firefox won't let me see the full article. Safari will. I prefer to use Firefox, but if this continues, I will have to switch to Safari. Thanks.

Recently I had to reinstall the OS on my Mac Powerbook. Ever since then, Firefox has blocked content I could previously get. Increasingly, it blocks more content. For instance, I have an Amazon author account where I get sales reports. I can get to the page, but Firefox won't load the report. Safari will. Another example: I have a subscription to the New York Times. When I click on an article, Firefox won't let me see the full article. Safari will. I prefer to use Firefox, but if this continues, I will have to switch to Safari. Thanks.

All Replies (3)

more options

Those New York Times are subscriptions based and if Safari is auto login then you will see the full articles. Sites are doing this more and more nowdays so if your not logged in to those news sites you will not see all the articles. As for Amazon author a screenshot of what they are blocking would give a those looking what is going on-minus or blackout any personal info before posting.

more options

The answer was helpful, but not the answer to my problem. Now Firefox is blocking access to pretty much anything with a click through. Links that aren't subscriptions. Videos when I'm signed in to the site. This problem started after I had to re-install the OS on my powerbook.

more options

Hi CBode, could you describe the problem in more detail? For example, you wrote:

(1) I have an Amazon author account where I get sales reports. I can get to the page, but Firefox won't load the report. => Is the report a section of the same page, or an embedded page, or a Flash plugin area, or a PDF?

One method to start diagnosing a blank section of a page is to right-click it (on a one button mouse, Ctrl+click) and check the context menu for either of these:

(2) I have a subscription to the New York Times. When I click on an article, Firefox won't let me see the full article. => What exactly happens when you click? For example:

  • Firefox shows an error message (what does it say?)
  • Firefox shows a blank page (what is the address in the address bar?)
  • Firefox shows part of the article but the interactivity in the article is broken
  • Firefox just sits there and doesn't do anything
  • Something else

More generally, has your Firefox had any difficult making secure connections since your reinstall?

If a site is generally known to work in Firefox, these are standard suggestions to try when it stops working normally:

Double-check content blockers: Firefox's Tracking Protection feature and extensions that counter ads and tracking may break websites that weren't built to operate normally without the blocked components.

Do you see a shield icon toward the left end of the address bar, near the lock icon? More info on managing the Tracking Protection feature in this article: What happened to Tracking Protection?.

Extensions such as Adblock Plus, Blur, Disconnect, Ghostery, NoScript, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin or uMatrix should provide toolbar buttons to manage blocked content in a page. There may or may not be a number on the icon indicating the number of blocked items; you may need to click the button to see what's going on and test whether you need to make an exception for this site.

Cache and Cookies: When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Clear Firefox's Cache

See: How to clear the Firefox cache

If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:

  • right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
  • (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "Clear Cookies and Site Data"
  • click the padlock or "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "Clear Cookies and Site Data" button

In the dialog that opens, you will see one or more matches to the current address so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?

Testing in Firefox's Safe Mode: In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?