Mozilla Add-ons Community Blog
Categories: developers end users

Firefox 4 & add-ons: made for each other

19 responses

Not only is Mozilla Firefox 4 fast, feature-rich, and secure, but it’s also the most customizable Firefox ever. Whether you’re an add-on aficionado or just getting started with personalization, our brand new Add-ons Manager, restartless add-ons, and automatic updates make finding and using add-ons a breeze. And with hundreds of thousands of add-ons updated for this version, there’s no better time to make Firefox your own with a time-saving notifier or stylish Persona.

Completely new Add-ons Manager

Discovering, installing, and managing add-ons is simple with the new Add-ons Manager in Firefox 4. The tab-based layout allows ample room to view your installed add-ons and search for new ones. The Get Add-ons pane now features our favorite picks and even recommends add-ons for you based on those you currently use.

Screenshot of Add-ons Manager

Install add-ons without restarting Firefox

Firefox 4 allows certain types of add-ons to be installed, managed, and removed without restarting your browser. These add-ons are marked as “No restart required” in our gallery. Go ahead, give it a try!

Automatically keep your add-ons updated

Add-on updates mean new features, bug fixes, and an active add-on development community, but for users with several add-ons, the update prompts can be frequent and distracting. That’s why in Firefox 4, you won’t see them by default; your add-ons will stay up-to-date automatically! If you’d rather update your add-ons manually, or update manually for specific add-ons, it’s easy to do that from the Add-ons Manager.

Hit the ground running

Now that you know about the great customization features of Firefox 4, grab a copy and head over to our Firefox 4 Collection to find some of our favorite add-ons.

19 comments on “Firefox 4 & add-ons: made for each other”

  1. Jivko wrote on

    “Firefox 4 allows certain types of add-ons to be installed, managed, and removed without restarting your browser. These add-ons are marked as “No restart required” in our gallery. Go ahead, give it a try!”

    Is there a way I can make my themes install without restart?This would be useful.I won’t have to wait for the browser when I work on them?

    Also the new Add-ons Manager can’t find some add-ons or themes (mine as well) and the search is slow.Is there something I can do about this? 🙂

    1. Tony Mechelynck wrote on

      “Lightweight” themes (aka Personas) will always install without restart. For other themes, IIRC it is possible but buggy. Try setting the preference extensions.dss.enabled to true in about:config.

  2. lois wrote on

    I downloaded firefox 4.0 so I can use google body, but it will not run because it is asking for WEB GL.. I click the download right from the google body site that shows the firefox, google chrome. etc.
    Any suggestion on how I can get google body to work.
    I tried it in firefox 4. and also in google chrome right from the site.

  3. Fernando Piancastelli wrote on

    É pena que Firefox 4 não aceita o Tv Fox.

  4. Inno wrote on

    I am having trouble with firefox 4, there isn’t any sign of the download manager. I have tried everything and now i cant use IDM or Orbit

  5. Andrew wrote on

    So I’ve tried out Firefox 4 and my only real problem is that it doesn’t seem to support the yahoo toolbar.. Anyone have an answer for this? Just curious

  6. Bert wrote on

    Bij de nieuwste versie van FF reageert een klik op een site in de zoekgeschiedenis van Google niet meer en moet iedere site worden ingetypt.
    Is hier ook een hulpmiddel voor om dit euvel te herstellen?

  7. Harry Makings wrote on

    Hi all,

    Just upgraded to firefox 4 and found some quicktime problems with sites. Also parsing problems with some sites.

    I use CoolIris a great deal when researching images for my job – Not working with Firefox 4.

    Have now downgraded back to 3.6.6 – am much happier.

    For speed I use Sunrise browser – very fast, I also use Web Kit nightly builds – very fast.

    I have until recently been using Firefox exclusively but now it’s got more problems with some sites than it used to have.

    I used it exclusevely because of the added security of NoScript – which is brilliant, and makes browsing after a search very safe.

    Will not try Firefox 4 again until version 4.1 or 4.2.
    Kind Regards
    Harry

  8. anupam wrote on

    free download manager not work firefox4

  9. ansh wrote on

    hi,
    i latest download fire fox 4 but it have some problem some add-on not work on it
    like free download manager not work on it .

  10. AJ31 wrote on

    When Google Chrome came out I loved the speed of it and the only reason I did not give up Firefox was because my favorite addons such as Firebug & LiveHTTP headers did not work with Chrome.

    Firefox 4 I like the speed enough to even dump Chrome for, however just like Chrome the add on’s I like don’t work the way they used to on previous versions.. Sure I have can get them to work with some effort but it’s not worth it for me, it’s easier to just go to a previous version of what works right after the install without any special tweaking.. involved…

    Sooo back to Firefox 3.6 until… either a good http headers add on comes out for either chrome or Firefox 4 or I don’t need my favorite addon’s anymore…

  11. FFeXuser wrote on

    Generally, programmers have amazing brain circuits for what they do. Social circuitry component do not exist in their brain. Evidence – many software “improvements” people find annoying. If start of certain project was brilliant, why the f…. it has to be always degraded with common practice – take out what people liked and replace with new “better” functions. Firefox is remarkable sample of such behavior. Firefox is as good as supporting addons are. No addons no Firefox, period. If Opera would have equivalent addons it would be my number one choice, where same story repeats.

  12. FFeXuser wrote on

    There was time when https://addons.mozilla.org website could not be opened with Firefox 3.6 but could with earlier versions. It is repeating with Firefox 4, where it works with 3.6 versions. It has nothing to do with firewalls. Brilliant developers pretend ignorance persistently blaming firewalls.
    Why cannot simply state it is your restricting policy, what ever reason it has

  13. Raymond wrote on

    I see how to get new add-ons but I cannot seem to find how to manage those already installed. I’m having awful trouble with 4.0 hanging (not responding) and it was suggested to disable them. While loading is safe mode is all well and good, I’d still like to see what add-ons I may have working in the background currently.

  14. Brib wrote on

    Where is the Add-ons manager?

  15. Kid wrote on

    After the update all my add ons stopped working. whyy.

  16. Michael wrote on

    On Firefox 4.0.1, I can’t find any “update” button in the Add-ons Manager. Such a button was present in FF 3.6. Where is it now? Or what else does this text refer to: “If you’d rather update your add-ons manually, or update manually for specific add-ons, it’s easy to do that from the Add-ons Manager”?

    1. Justin Scott (fligtar) wrote on

      Click the options cog next to the search box in the top right of the Add-ons Manager.

  17. Lyndsxey wrote on

    I have no updated addons or anything in the new Firefox 4. I can’t even open a link to an addon from somewhere on the web, I get a “Connection was Reset” screen when I attempt any links. The manager is empty always, even when I search for specific addons, extensions, plugins, etc. The only things I can see are the ones I already have installed/enabled. Does anyone know what this is all about? I’ll take any help on this one, anything at all…Thanks!!!