Fix: Firefox Won’t Open

Lately, a lot of users are complaining about “Firefox not opening”. The issue is that a lot of people can’t open the Firefox browser. Double-clicking the icon won’t do anything and running the browser as administrator won’t have any effect as well. Some users reported that they saw the loading icon of Firefox for a second but others mentioned no change at all. The issue isn’t that Firefox isn’t showing on the screen but the issue is that it isn’t even starting. A lot of users confirmed this by having a look at the Task Manager. Once you double-click the Firefox icon, you won’t see an instance of Firefox in the Task Manager. There isn’t going to be an error message so troubleshooting this issue is quite difficult.

What causes Firefox to Not Open When Double-clicked?

The main reasons why this issue occurs are:

Before moving on with the solutions, temporarily disable your antivirus and turn off your Firewall to check if they are creating the problem.

Warning: Disable your antivirus or turn off your Firewall at your own risk, as this will make your system vulnerable to threats.

Method 1: Complete Reinstall of Firefox

Since the most likely cause of this is a corrupted file, it is wise to perform a full reinstall of the browser. The usual solution for a corrupted file is to replace the file with a good copy but because we aren’t getting any error message, it is really hard to pinpoint the exact file causing this issue. So, a complete reinstall of the Firefox browser usually fixes the issue. Keep in mind that you have to get rid of all the Firefox files so simply uninstalling Firefox won’t do the job. You have to perform a series of steps in a particular order for this solution to work. So, follow the steps given below

1. Hold CTRL, SHIFT, and Esc (CTRL + SHIFT + ESC) keys simultaneously to open the Task Manager
2. Look for Firefox in the processes list. If you find any instance running then select Firefox and click End Task. This is to make sure that there isn’t any instance of Firefox running because that will prevent you from uninstalling the program

   

3. Hold Windows key and press E
4. Type C:\Program Files in the address bar and press Enter
5. Locate the Mozilla Firefox folder, right-click and select Delete.
   

   

6. In the Address bar, type

   C:\Program Files (x86) 
   

   and press Enter.

7. Locate the Mozilla Firefox folder, right-click and select Delete
   

   

8. Hold Windows key and press R
9. Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter
   

   

10. Locate Mozilla Firefox from the program’s list and select it
11. Click Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions

    

12. Reboot
13. Download the latest version of Firefox through the Mozilla Firefox’s official website.
14. Once downloaded, run the newly downloaded setup and follow the on-screen instructions

Everything should work as expected once the installation is complete.

Method 2: Remove Add-ons

Removing the add-ons is a good way to go especially if you noticed this issue after installing a new add-on. Now you won’t be able to uninstall the add-on without opening Firefox so you will have to open Firefox in Safe Mode. Opening Firefox in Safe Mode works because Safe Mode will run Firefox with minimalistic software and drivers. So, if any third party add-on was causing the issue then you will be able to figure it out. Follow the steps given below to open Firefox in Safe Mode and get rid of the add-ons.

1. Press and hold the SHIFT key while opening Firefox. This will open Firefox in the Safe Mode. You might see a dialogue asking you to confirm your actions so click Start in Safe Mode for that.

   

2. If Firefox opens then that means the issue was most likely caused by an add-on. Now you should disable all the add-ons by following the steps given below
3. Type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter
4. Click the Disable button for all the add-ons on this page. There should be a Disable button for every add-on
5. Close Firefox once all the add-ons are disabled

   

6. Start Firefox normally (without pressing Shift) and it should work now
7. Type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter

Now you should click Enable for one add-on at a time to see which add-on is causing the issue. Once you locate the add-on that’s causing the issue, repeat the first 2 steps to open Firefox in Safe Mode and get to the add-ons page. Click Remove for that add-on and that’s it. You should be good to go.

Method 3: Delete Logitech Cam Drivers

It’s a known issue that the latest Logitech cam drivers cause various issues with the Firefox. The driver in question is the driver for Logitech Webcam Pro 9000. But you should uninstall the driver even if you have a different Logitech Webcam just to make sure. So, uninstalling the cam drivers will most likely fix the issue for you. Follow the steps given below to uninstall the Logitech Webcam drivers

1. Hold Windows key and press R
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter
   

   

3. Locate and double-click Imaging device
4. Right-click your Webcam drivers and select Uninstall
   

   

5. Reboot the system.

Check if this resolves the issue. If the issue is gone then download an older version of the webcam from Logitech’s official website or let the Windows handle the driver problem. If you don’t have a driver installed then Windows install a generic driver. These generic drivers aren’t the best but they are compatible and a safe option.

If nothing has worked for you, then create a new Windows user account and then use the Firefox through that user.