Mozilla Firefox - Plugins and Extensions - Disable an Extension or Plugin without Uninstalling It

SUMMARY: Temporarily turn off Mozilla Firefox extensions and plugins that you do not need.

After using Mozilla Firefox for a long time and installing a variety of extensions and plugins, you may find that at certain times you may not need a particular add-on:

* Some extensions or plugins may use up too much memory, causing Firefox to run slower.

* Some extensions may be incompatible with each other.

* For security reasons you may wish to disable rendering a particular media type via a vulnerable plugin until an update is available.

* Too many extensions may clutter the toolbars or status bar.

It's possible to disable an extension or plugin without completely removing (uninstalling) it. This way it will later be available without having to be re-downloaded and installed.

1. Select "Tools" - "Add-Ons".

2. The "Add-Ons" dialog box appears. Click the "Extensions" button.

3. To disable an extension, click on the extension name then the "Disable" button that will appear. Firefox will prompt you that the add-on will be disabled when you restart the browser.

4. Click the "Plugins" button.

5. To disable a particular plugin type, click the plugin then the "Disable" button that will appear. The extension icon will be grayed-out to signify it has been disabled.

6. When done, close the "Add-Ons" dialog box.

7. You may have to restart Firefox if previously prompted.

To re-enable the disabled extension or plugin, go through the above steps but click the "Enable" button.