Tabs that I can't close
Hi! I'm going nuts. I have Firefox set to NOT remember sessions when I close and re-open. But every time I re-open the (latest) Firefox on my (up to date) Mac, 3 tabs reappear. It doesn't matter how often I delete history or cookies or empty caches. They are not even 3 tabs from the most recent session! They are from a week ago. And no, they are not pinned tabs!
And yes, I have reinstalled Firefox.
Any idea what I should do?
Many thanks!
David
All Replies (9)
If you are closing the browser using the X at the corner of the window, this may be the problem. Close the browser using;
- 1) Press the 'hamburger' button on the toolbar and select Exit
- 2) Press the Alt or F10 key to bring up the toolbar, then Menu > File > Exit.
- 3) <Control><Shift> Q
Hi Fred. Thanks. Sorry if this sounds stupid, but what is the 'hamburger' button? I'm on a Mac. I never quit using the X at the corner of the window, but only via Apple Q.
2nd reply. Also, why is it only these old, historic tabs that keep coming back? Nothing on earth will get rid of them.
You can check for problems with the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file in the Firefox profile folder that stores session data.
- rename/remove sessionstore.jsonlz4 and sessionstore.js
You may also have to rename the sessionstore-backups folder.
When sessionstore.jsonlz4 is deleted you lose pinned-tabs and open tabs and you will have to recreate them, so if necessary make a note or bookmark them. sessionstore.jsonlz4 is only present in the Firefox profile folder when Firefox is closed.
You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data
The hamburger button should be at the end of the toolbar. It is 3 horizontal lines on top of one another. This opens the menu to settings and other things.
The Firefox browser has an automatic restore in the event the browser crashes. When you restart the browser, you are back where you were before the crash.
By closing the browser using the X instead of one of the commands, the program may think it has crashed and so does the restore.
Sometimes, what also happens is that the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file becomes corrupt. See cor-el's post on how to remove it.
To cor-el: Thanks, but there are no sessionstore folders or files on my Mac. Nothing I can find, and nothing that shows up via Spotlight.
To Fred: If I press the hamburger button, there is no Exit option. And I do regularly customise my toolbar: I know how to do that, but I don't yet see how that can solve this problem.
Thanks, but there are no sessionstore folders or files on my Mac. Or nothing I can find, and nothing that shows up via Spotlight.
If I press the hamburger button, there is no Exit option. And I do regularly customise my toolbar: I know how to do that, but I don't yet see how that can solve this problem.
Did you use this button to open the profile folder ?
You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data