Fix: Right-click not Working on Firefox

Some users have been reaching us with questions after discovering that the right-click functionality is effectively disabled on their Mozilla Firefox browser. Affected users report that they can’t use right-click at all in Firefox, while the mouse button functions just fine anywhere outside the browser (even on any other browser). The issue is not exclusive to a particular Windows version as it’s reported to occur on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

What is causing the ‘right-click not working on Firefox’ issue?

We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they used to get the issue resolved. Based on what we gathered, there are several common culprits that are often responsible for the apparition of this particular issue.

If you’re currently struggling to resolve this particular issue, this article will provide you with a collection of troubleshooting steps. Down below,  you’ll discover a collection of methods that other users in a similar situation have used to resolve or circumvent the issue.

For the best results, follow the methods in the order that they are presented. You should eventually stumble upon a fix that resolves the issue in your particular scenario.

Method 1: Closing the web page that is blocking right-clicks

On some web pages, the right-click functionality is disabled by the web admins. This will typically occur with online surveys and other types of website that feature restrictive content. However, sometimes Firefox will block the functionality for all opened pages.

So if you’re unable to right-click or right-clicking opens a black box with no menus to choose from, see if you have any tab lurking behind others. If that’s the case, closing all tabs and opening the browser again should resolve the issue entirely.

If the issue is still occurring or this method was not applicable to your current situation, move down to the next method below.

Method 2: Update Firefox to the latest build

As a lot of users have reported, the issue is likely to have been addressed already. Some affected users have reported that updating the client to the latest version available and restarting the browser did the trick. If the issue is caused by the notorious bug that disables the right-click functionality on 52.0 and older builds, updating to version 53.0 and above should resolve the issue automatically.

Here’s a quick guide on updating Firefox to the latest version available:

1. Open Firefox and click the action button in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, go to Help and click on About Firefox.
   

   

2. Once the initial scan is complete, you will be given an option to Update & Restart Firefox (if a new version is available). Do so and wait for the process to complete.
   
3. When the updating process is complete, click on Restart to update Firefox and see if the issue is resolved at then browser startup.

If the issue is still occurring, move down to the next method below.

Method 3: Refreshing Firefox

Several affected users have reported that they managed to get the issue resolved by doing a browser reset.  Firefox includes a Refresh feature that is known to resolve this particular error by restoring the browser to a factory default state. But rest assured as this procedure will not make you lose your bookmarks, history, passwords, cookies, and other essential information.

Here’s a quick guide on refreshing Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and press the action button in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, access the Help window and click on Troubleshooting Information.

   

2. Inside the Troubleshooting Information tab, click the Refresh Firefox… button (under Give Firefox a tune-up) to get started with the refresh process.

   

3. Click the Refresh Firefox button once again to confirm the Refresh process and get it started.

   

4. Once the procedure is started, the browser will automatically export any user preferences and bookmarks into an external file. Once the process is complete, you will be asked whether you want to reinforce customizations and add-ons. Select Restore all windows & tabs to export them all or choose to Restore only the ones you want to choose them yourself.

   

5. Start the browser and see if the issue is still occurring.

If you’re still unable to right-click in your Firefox browser, move down to the next method below.

Method 4: Starting Firefox in Safe Mode

Some add-ins are also confirmed to be triggering this particular error. There are some extensions that will change the way the right-click menu behaves – some will add to the right-click menu, some will remove some options and some will disable the feature altogether.

Some affected users report that their ability to right-click inside Firefox was hindered by an add-in (plugin) called Web Companion. Disabling the plug-in resolved the issue in their case.

However, there are multiple plugins known to cause this particular issue, so the best approach is to confirm if the issue is add-in related before you go ahead and uninstall every installed plug-in that you got. With this in mind, follow the guide below to start Firefox in Safe mode and see if the issue is no longer occurring while nor add-in is used:

Note: Safe Mode will start Firefox without any installed add-ons (extensions or themes) If the issue is no longer occurring while add-ons are disabled, it’s clear that one of them is causing the issue while Firefox runs in normal mode.

1. Open Firefox, type “about:support” inside the navigation bar and press Enter to land right into the Troubleshooting Information menu.

   

2. Inside the Troubleshooting Information menu, click on Restart with Add-ons Disabled (under Try Safe Mode). When prompted by the confirmation window, click Restart once again.

   

3. At the next Firefox Safe Mode window, click on Start In Safe Mode to finally trigger the restart.

   

4. Wait until your browser restarts in safe mode, then check to see if the issue is still occurring. If you are able to right-click in Safe mode, return to normal mode, type “about:addons” inside the navigation bar and press Enter.
   

   

5.  Upon reaching the extensions menu, systematically Disable every installed extension until you discover your culprit. Once you figure out which of your installed extensions is causing the problem, Remove it and restart your browser.

   

If the issue is still occurring, move down to the next method below.

Method 5: Reinstall Firefox & restart

Some affected users have reported that the issue was only resolved after they uninstalled the Firefox software and reinstall it after a system restart. This is typically reported to be effective in those instances where the issue occurs on 64-bit machines.

Here’s a quick guide on uninstalling Firefox & reinstalling the latest version available:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features screen.

   

2. Inside Programs and Features, scroll down through the list of applications and locate the Firefox installation. Once you see it, right-click on it and choose Uninstall.

   

3. After clicking Yes at the UAC Prompt, follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the Firefox browser.

   

4. Restart your computer before attempting to reinstall the software. This step is very important as a lot of users have reported that the right-clicking issue remained until they restarted between the uninstall & reinstall processes.
5. At the next system startup, visit this link (here) from a different browser and download the latest Firefox build available.

   

6. Once the download is complete, open the installation executable and follow the on-screen prompts to reinstall Firefox. When the process is complete, launch the Firefox browser and see if the issue has been resolved.

Method 6:  Bypassing the “No right-click” rule

As mentioned above, there are some pages in which the right-click functionality is disabled by the admin. If you’re only encountering this issue selectively (on a couple of web pages) and you really need to use an option from the right-click context menu, you can use a couple of workarounds that will circumvent the issue. Follow whichever guide seems more convenable to your current situation.

Using the Shift Key

The easiest way to bypass the right-click functionality block is to keep the Shift key pressed while performing the right-click. In most cases, the context menu will open even if the site at hand would normally block it.

Forcing the right-click via the Configuration Menu

If you’d like to unblock the right-click menu for a lot of web pages you visit frequently, the preferred approach is to use the Configuration page to modify the setting page associated with the Context Menu. But keep in mind that this procedure involves accessing the hidden Configuration menu of Firefox. If you’re determined to go through with it, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Firefox, type “about”config” in the navigation bar and press Enter to open up the Configuration page. When prompted by the Warning sign, click on I accept the risk! to gain entry to the Configuration Menu.

   

2. Once you get inside the hidden Configuration Menu, type “context” inside the Search bar. Then, double-click on dom.event.contextmenu.enabled.
   
3. Once the value of the dom.event.contextmenu.enabled setting is set to false, restart The Firefox browser and see if the issue is now circumvented.

Method 7: Changing Assign Settings

In some cases, merely changing some assign settings can get Firefox to work normally. In order to do that, follow the guide below.

1. Right-click on the Firefox icon on the dock.
2. Select “Options>” and then check the “None” option in Assign to setting.

   

3. Check to see if the issue persists.