The ability to expand Firefox's functionality through add-ons makes the browser useful in a business environment. Because the add-ons are created by third-party developers, there is a risk that some might interfere with certain aspects of the browser, such as download speeds. If you find that your Firefox browser is suddenly downloading content from the Internet much slower than before, there are also a few other factors that could be playing a role. Updates to other programs could be running in the background, a malware infection could be the cause -- or you may simply have too many tabs open in your browser.
While extensions to Firefox can assist with many tasks, they can also cause problems and interference. Extensions can become outdated when Firefox is updated; this can cause issues such as slower download speeds or even crashes. Click the "Firefox" button and then click "Restart with Add-ons Disabled" from the "Help" section to troubleshoot the problem. Click the "Firefox" button and then click "Add-ons" to view a list of the extensions that you have added to your browser. Click the "Disable," "Remove" or "Update" buttons next to the extensions if it is indeed one of the extensions causing the problem.
Too Many Tabs
Each time you open a new tab on Firefox, the browser uses bandwidth and resources to load the page. If you open too many new tabs while a Firefox download is in progress, you will notice a decrease in download speed. The speed of your Internet connection also plays a role -- slower connections will see a more dramatic decrease in download speed when you open too many tabs. Once the contents of the tabs you have opened has loaded, your Firefox download speed should return to normal.
Speed Throttled By File Hosts
File-hosting services sometimes throttle the speed at which you can download from them to prevent abuse. This decrease in download speed can occur after you have reached a certain daily limit, or it might be imposed from the start unless you buy a premium account. If you find that your downloads are suddenly slower while using Firefox and making use of a file hosting service, you might have reached your download limit. Check the speed of your Internet connection or download a file from a different site to make sure that it is the file hosting site that is causing the slowdown.
Updates Running In Background
Your operating system, as well as software that is installed sometimes downloads updates in the background. These downloads are used to automatically update the software in order to add new functions or to fix security vulnerabilities. Since these updates use bandwidth to download, they can suddenly decrease the speed of your Firefox downloads. Check that no updates are running in the background or schedule them for a time when you know you will not be busy downloading through Firefox to prevent interference.
If your computer security software is disabled or your Firefox browser is not updated to the latest version, you run the risk of a malware infection. When this happens, the overall browser speed -- including downloads -- can become noticeable slower. Firefox automatically downloads new updates, but it requires a restart to install them. If you have not restarted your browser in more than 24 hours, you will be promoted to do so. Do not ignore these prompts, as the updates usually fix the security and stability of the browser. Do a thorough scan of your system using an anti-virus or malware scanner to ensure that there is no malware present that can cause a slowdown.
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