Join the AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the Firefox leadership team to celebrate Firefox 20th anniversary and discuss Firefox’s future on Mozilla Connect. Mark your calendar on Thursday, November 14, 18:00 - 20:00 UTC!

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

Firefox downloads window gets closed when closing webs

  • 28 iimpendulo
  • 183 inale ngxaki
  • 40 views
  • Impendulo yokugqibela ngu 504plan

more options

Hello. I'm used to close Firefox's actual window when only downloading a file, and usually the downloads window never closed when I closed the main window. Suddenly it does. What can I do to keep it open?

This happened

Every time Firefox opened

== PRobably when I updated, not sure.

Hello. I'm used to close Firefox's actual window when only downloading a file, and usually the downloads window never closed when I closed the main window. Suddenly it does. What can I do to keep it open? == This happened == Every time Firefox opened == PRobably when I updated, not sure.

All Replies (20)

more options
more options

Sorry, that's not what I meant. I don't care how downloads behave once I close the whole Firefox, I just want the downloads -window- to stay open even if I close the main -window-, so that in fact, I will not look at any site, only at my downloads, yet Firefox won't automatically close the downloads window too.

So for instance, I want to be able to leave only the downloads window open and the rest of Firefox hidden/closed, like it used to be.

more options

If you set the pref to 2 then you get a warning if you use the close X on the title bar to inform that there are unfinished downloads. If the Download Manager window is open then the download continues if you use the close X on the title bar.

more options

I have the same problem since updating to 3.6.7 (today). Before today, when I closed FF the Downloads window, if open, stayed open, regardless of whether a download was in progress or not. Now it closes when FF closes. I would like to restore the old behavior.

more options

same problem here since updating

more options

Same thing for me. Before, I would close the main browser and have the download list still open. But now when I close the main browser, the download manager also closes.

more options

The latest Firefox 3.6.7 closes down after a very short time and the only way to use firefox is to restart the whole computer. Can anybody suggest a simple solution ?

more options

further note... this doesn't happen if there is an active download

more options

This is a pain in the ass. Firefox automatically updated and restarted my computer without asking me, thus interrupting my downloads. On top of that, the update removes the very feature I had intended to use once my downloads completed! I want to keep my download window open as a list of all the videos I downloaded, so that I can refer to it and remove videos from the list as I watch them. I don't need or want a browser window open at the same time, but now I have to keep one open anyways or my downloads window will close!

more options

How could such smart people allow such a glitch to pass into the cyber world.? It is very poor for a group of people that have so far achieved so much. As alternative Internet Explorer is such a dog and completely mangled with advertising and self interest.

Anybody having success with any other browser?

more options

Same problem here. The download window should not close when the browser is being closed.

more options

propblem persists with 3.6.8

more options

Can't provide a solution but I can suggest a reason for the change.

When the download window remains open in Wiindows 7, clicking the Firefox taskbar icon just brings focus to the downloads rather than opening the browser.

Still, seems bad manners to change this without providing a way to opt out.

more options

This from the Firefox bug database explains why this was changed and why there is no option to keep the old behaviour.

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=544356

more options

same problem, not cool guys. I'm hoping someone will create an add-on that allows me to keep download window open. Or firefox people could just fix it.

more options

There's an add-on that lets you show your downloads in a tab of the main FF window. This would let you see downloads with a single window open.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/256/

It adds a bunch of icons that make the screen look very busy, but you can turn them off.

more options

Dear Mozilla,

just to let you know: THE NEW BEHAVIOUR SUCKS!

more options

I hate this change too.

Like BSaito, I like to download a bunch of videos and then watch them off of the 'Downloads' window, but now I have to keep a Firefox window open to even have that option available (and the Downloads window closes automatically when I quit the browser, forcing me to open it again if I want to view the list of videos and their download locations).

more options

very inconvenient - I like to leave it ope when I dl programs and start the install from the download mgr without having the main window open. If people have a problem with ff and win 7 they should learn how to use win 7 instead of screwing up firefox

more options

I agree, the old behaviour was much better, and there should definitely be at least an option to go back to it.

  1. 1
  2. 2