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Firefox is not freeing/releasing memory (2.1GB with 3 tabs)

  • 9 replies
  • 27 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Taffer

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Hi,

I am just sick of this. Since Firefox <16 it uses so much of my memory across different systems. The longer firefox is running the more memory is being consumed. I am also using hibernation in Windows 7 (maybe this is relevant..). The memory usage is increasing until the x86 version of firefox reaches the critical 2.8/3GB ram usage and therefore crashes.

Now F. is using 2.1GB although I closed all but 3 tabs! And I don't think the tab recovery function is the cause, because after some hours this cache should be cleared, shouldn't it? Here is my 16MB(!) about:memory log: http://www66.zippyshare.com/v/46085509/file.html (xhtml & json)

Hi, I am just sick of this. Since Firefox <16 it uses so much of my memory across different systems. The longer firefox is running the more memory is being consumed. I am also using hibernation in Windows 7 (maybe this is relevant..). The memory usage is increasing until the x86 version of firefox reaches the critical 2.8/3GB ram usage and therefore crashes. Now F. is using 2.1GB although I closed all but 3 tabs! And I don't think the tab recovery function is the cause, because after some hours this cache should be cleared, shouldn't it? Here is my 16MB(!) about:memory log: http://www66.zippyshare.com/v/46085509/file.html (xhtml & json)

All Replies (9)

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We're sorry to hear that Firefox is crashing. In order to assist you better, please follow the steps below to provide us crash IDs to help us learn more about your crash.

  1. Enter about:crashes in the Firefox address bar and press Enter. A Submitted Crash Reports list will appear, similar to the one shown below.
  2. Copy the 5 most recent Report IDs that start with bp- and then go back to your forum question and paste that into the "Post a Reply" box.

aboutcrashesFx29

Thank you for your help!

More information and further troubleshooting steps can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly) article.

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https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-uses-too-much-memory-ram?esab=a&s=more+memory&r=1&as=s

Firefox uses too much memory (RAM) - How to fix This article describes how to make Firefox use less memory to make it run faster and prevent crashes.

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Crash reports: bp-c18fb101-38e4-4f0d-b3c0-972bf2140528 bp-634bc014-543c-4e9b-bd7c-9fdeb2140420 bp-859c9ee4-1691-46ee-8d5a-ec1122140419 bp-4a840a68-3398-4f5b-87ce-50a412140330 bp-b6788ac2-c868-43bb-a28f-af7be2140228

Edit: I'm not even mad at Firefox crashing, but of its unnecessary memory usage (2.1GB - 3 tabs left). I just don't get it..

I already read that article about decreasing memory usage, thanks.

"Add RAM to your computer

If you exhausted all tips in the previous sections and your memory usage is still close to the maximum, maybe it's time for you to add more memory to your computer. RAM is cheap and will provide a huge performance boost. "

Lol, if FF could even use more than 3GB due to its x86 version

Modified by bob2021

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All of your reports say OOM = Out Of Memory.

One mentions Java.


Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} While you are in safe mode; Press the Alt or F10 key to bring up the tool bar. Followed by;

Windows; Tools > Options Linux; Edit > Preferences Mac; application name > Preferences

Then Advanced > General. Look for and turn off Use Hardware Acceleration.

Poke around safe web sites. Are there any problems?. Then restart.

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Funny, I have 8GB of Ram, Firefox x86 theoretically can only use 3-4GB, right? Everytime it crashed it got buggy before and when I looked at the task manager, ff used exactly 2.8-2.9GB everytime before crash. Also my memory use was never >80%.

OK, I'll try that again with safe mode and acceleration..

But back to the question: ""Why does ff consume more and more memory over time, even if I close nearly all tabs? Summing up my memory log, what is it saying ?

Modified by bob2021

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Don't forget, it's not just Firefox. There are also plugins and add-ons working. Not to mention all the other programs running in the back ground.


Start your Computer in safe mode. Then start Firefox normally. Poke around safe web sites. If there are any problems, Start FF in save mode and try again.

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On a Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

I have a similar problems but no crashes, yet. Just lucky, I'm thinking. When I open maybe 8 or 10 Firefox windows, the memory shoots up to 1.7 gig of memory and my laptops slows down so much, it makes a snail look like it's in warp drive. Then, even if I close all the windows but one, Firefox still keeps the 1.7 gig of memory and doesn't release it until I close all the Firefox windows. Is there a setting in Firefox that I don't know about that tells it to release the memory that it's not using? If not, shouldn't there be? Actually, shouldn't it do that automatically without having a setting?

How can I get around this problem? And how can I prevent it from happening again? Thanks for your help.

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No, Firefox is just shit.

I tried everything now...new profile, all adons deactivated, hardware acceleration deactivated, etc. The memory increased up to 3.1 GB and then it shows black tabs with some white flickering (I think that's because x86 FF can't handle more than 3GB of ram) and then crashes.

Chrome isn't a real equivalent, even its speed is far better than FF.

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I've had the same problem for a long time. I'd say somewhere around 2011 is when firefox started getting memory hungry on me; one day it had an update (can't remember the number) and ever since then it has had memory issues. I've had new installs and profiles, and I see the same problem on other computers. This is something that has never been fixed since it was introduced.

I have 12GB of ram. When firefox gets up to 2gb I know I'm in for a bad time. I don't even have to look at the task manager. I can FEEL when it's hitting the limit. Closing tabs or windows will not help. FF has to be closed entirely, and restarted.

So what I do is:

Save session Close Firefox entirely Start FF back up Load session Continue using browser until it goes stupid again.

I guess I can understand why it happens when I go tab crazy opening up to 20 or more tabs and leaving them open (it just can't handle it). However, it also happens on it's own if I leave it running long enough; putting computer to sleep at night and continue using the same firefox process for a few days (not tab crazy). Eventually it HAS to be closed because it just doesn't know how to stop using memory that it doesn't need to use anymore.