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Add-Ons list is empty after Safe Mode restart

I started Firefox (42) in Safe Mode since it felt a little cludgey and slow. In the past when doing this, my list of add-ons was still present, just all disabled. This time, when I started in Safe Mode and went to the Add Ons pane, the list was empty. I then restarted Firefox normally, and when I went into the Add Ons pane the list is still empty, even though the add-ons appear to be back and all functional. I restarted Firefox again, and the list is still empty.

Using Firefox 42 on Win7 64bit

I started Firefox (42) in Safe Mode since it felt a little cludgey and slow. In the past when doing this, my list of add-ons was still present, just all disabled. This time, when I started in Safe Mode and went to the Add Ons pane, the list was empty. I then restarted Firefox normally, and when I went into the Add Ons pane the list is still empty, even though the add-ons appear to be back and all functional. I restarted Firefox again, and the list is still empty. Using Firefox 42 on Win7 64bit

All Replies (1)

One reason for this problem to occur would be some corruption in Firefox's database of extensions. You can force Firefox to regenerate the files by doing the following:

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 any of these files that you find:

  • compatibility.ini to something like compatibility-old.ini
  • extensions.ini to something like extensions-old.ini
  • extensions.json to something like extensions-old.json
  • extensions.sqlite to something like extensions-old.sqlite (might not exist depending on how long you've been using this settings folder)

When you start Firefox back up again, it should explore your profile folder and other folders to rebuild the list. It probably will ask you to approve some of the extensions. Once things settle down, could you check the Add-ons page again.

Any improvement?