How to reset Firefox to default settings on Windows 11, 10

If you're experiencing issues with Firefox, use these steps to reset the browser to its factory settings to start fresh preserving your data.

By Mauro Huculak (@Pureinfotech) , Windows How-To Expert and IT Specialist with 21 years of experience.

November 2, 2023

2023-11-02T08:56:02-04:00

To reset Firefox to default settings on Windows 11 (or 10), open Firefox’s “More troubleshooting information” page, click “Refresh Firefox” and confirm the action.

It’s possible to reset your Mozilla Firefox browser to its default settings on Windows 11 and 10 (or in any other supported platform) to fix errors, resolve problems, and improve performance. In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to complete this task.

When you first install Firefox, everything is blazing fast, but over time, you will notice performance issues and other problems. In these cases, you can reset the browser to restore the default settings while keeping your more important data (such as login credentials, bookmarks, browsing history, autofill, cookies, and even the previously opened websites) to start fresh again as if you were installing Firefox for the first time.

The reset feature will remove the add-ons, such as extensions and themes, and it’ll delete the current profile and its settings since these elements are usually the ones that cause problems.

In this guide, I’ll teach you the steps to reset and start fresh with Firefox on Windows 11 and 10.

Reset Firefox to defaults without losing your data

To reset Firefox to its defaults to fix problems and improve performance, use these steps:

Open Firefox on Windows 11 (or 10).
Click the main menu (hamburger button) and click on Help.
Choose the “More troubleshooting information” option.

Quick tip: You can also navigate straight to “about:support” from the address bar to open the troubleshooting information page.
Click the Refresh Firefox button to reset the browser.
Click the Refresh Firefox button again.
(Optional) Choose the “Restore all windows & tabs” option.
Click the “Let’s go” button.

Once you complete the steps, Firefox will proceed to reset the browser by backing up the profile data, such as credentials, history, autofill, cookies, and more. It’ll delete the profile, including add-ons and customizations, and finally, the process will recreate the profile and restore your data. Since the settings will be restored to their defaults, you will have to reconfigure your preferences.