Installing Firefox: Difference between revisions

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Basic installation instructions can also be found in the [http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/releases/ Firefox release notes].
This article will help you install Firefox on your system.  Once Firefox is installed, the [[Software Update]] feature provides for automatic download and installation of future Firefox updates (see the linked article for details).


===All Systems===
===All Systems===
Firefox system requirements are listed [[http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/system-requirements.html here]]. Download the latest version of the Firefox installer for your system from [http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/all mozilla.org].  If you install Firefox on a multi-user system where access privileges are restricted, you must run Firefox as a user with access to that location upon installation so that all initial startup files are generated.
Download the Firefox installer from [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox mozilla.org] or go to [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all.html this page] to choose the full installer for your language and OS.  System requirements for the current version of Firefox are listed [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/system-requirements.html here].   If your computer doesn't meet those requirements, you can download a previous Firefox version from the [http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/  CDN] serverSystem requirements for Firefox 3.6 are listed [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/3.6/system-requirements/ here].


''Note:''  In most cases, you can install a newer version of Firefox over an existing 1.0 or later version [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=247884].  If you prefer a clean install,  [[Uninstalling Firefox | Uninstall your current Firefox version]] and delete the [[installation directory]] before launching the Firefox installer.
If you install Firefox on a multi-user system where access privileges are restricted, you must run Firefox as a user with access to that location upon installation so that all initial startup files are generated.
 
'''Note:'''  In most cases, you can install a newer version of Firefox over an existing version [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=247884].  If you prefer a clean install,  [[Uninstalling Firefox | Uninstall your current Firefox version]] and delete the [[installation directory]] before launching the Firefox installer.


===Windows===
===Windows===
Download the Firefox setup .exe file to your desktop. After the download has completed, close the browser and any other running programs.
Using any browser, download the Firefox setup file to your desktop or other location. After the download is complete, [[Kill application |exit Firefox completely]] (if open).  Double-click the downloaded setup file to launch the installer.  See the article [[Installing Firefox on Windows]] for detailed information, including Standard and Custom setup and screen images.
*''Optional'': Open the Windows Temp folder (''Windows 98/ME'': Start -> Run -> Type <tt>C:\Windows\Temp</tt> -> OK.  ''Windows 2000/XP'': Start -> Run -> Type '''%temp%''' -> OK).  Select all files and folders and delete, then close the Temp folder window.
Double-click the downloaded Firefox setup .exe file to launch the installer.


===Mac OS X===
If you have problems with the Firefox installation, do the following:
After downloading the Firefox .dmg file, double click the Firefox Disk Image to open it in Finder, and then drag the Firefox application onto your hard disk. Be sure to drag the Firefox application out of the disk image and onto your Hard Disk before running it. Do not double click the icon in the disk image!
#Re-download the Firefox setup file if you receive the message, [[7-Zip Unspecified Error]] 
#Open the Windows Temp folder
#*''Windows XP'':  Start -> Run -> Type '''%temp%''' -> OK
#*''Windows Vista and above:''  Start ->  Type '''%temp%''' in the Search box -> press Enter
#Select all files and folders in the Temp folder and delete them, then close the Temp folder window.
#Make sure Firefox is not running and that no instance of "firefox.exe" appears in the Windows Task Manager
#Disable your antivirus program and try again.


===Linux===
===Linux===
Download  the Firefox .tar.gz file. When download is complete, use an archiving utility such as Ark to extract the Firefox files. When extraction is complete, execute Firefox.
Note: the article, [[Moving from Windows to Linux]] includes [[Moving_from_Windows_to_Linux#Installation_alternatives|installation alternatives]].
 
First, download the latest release to your home directory with your browser or download manager.
<pre>
bash$ cd ~
bash$ wget http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/.../firefox-<version>.tar.gz
</pre>
 
Next, extract the contents with an archiving utility such as Ark or tar.
<pre>
bash$ tar zxf firefox-<version>.tar.gz
</pre>
 
Now you must select the installation directory. If you are the only user, the extracted files could stay where they are, but If this is a multi-user system, the firefox directory must be moved to a publicly accessible location such as /usr/local or /opt.
<pre>
bash$ su
<password>
bash# mv firefox /usr/local
bash# chown -R root:root /usr/local/firefox
</pre>
 
The installation is more or less complete, but it's recommended that the firefox script be available somewhere in your path to avoid the inconvenience of having to enter the full path. This can be accomplished by creating a symbolic link in the relative 'bin' directory.
 
For the personal installation:
<pre>
bash$ mkdir bin
bash$ cd bin
bash$ ln -s ../firefox/firefox .
</pre>
 
Or the mult-user installation (as root):
<pre>
bash# cd /usr/local/bin
bash# ln -s ../firefox/firefox .
</pre>
 
Many Linux distributions already include /usr/local/bin and ~/bin in their global environment variable path, which can easily be verified by running 'firefox' from the shell or the desktop environment's (run) menu. If execution fails (command not found), you can adjust the path by appending "/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin" to the existing PATH variable in /etc/profile and/or /etc/bashrc.
 
<!--Download  the Firefox .tar.gz file. When download is complete, use an archiving utility such as Ark to extract the Firefox files. When extraction is complete, execute Firefox.-->
 
{{Right-pic|Macdmgvl1.jpg}}
 
===Mac OS X===
Mac OS X system requirements for the current version of Firefox are listed [http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/system-requirements.html here]. 
*'''Firefox 4 and above requires at least Mac OS X 10.5 and will only run on an Intel Mac.'''  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=587799]  Mac OS X 10.4  users, and 10.5 users with a PPC Mac,  can download the latest Firefox 3.6.xx release version for Mac OS, currently available from [http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all-older here] or from the [http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases Mozilla CDN site] (Firefox 3.6 requires  Mac OS X 10.4 or above).  Another option is [http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/ TenFourMac], which is based on Mozilla 2.0 and Firefox 4 code.
*'''Firefox 3 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or above.''' Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.2 users can [http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/2.0.0.20/mac/ download Firefox 2.0.0.20] ('''en-US''' is US English).
 
 
The images shown on the right illustrate, in step-by-step detail, how to install Firefox on Mac OS X systems, using the installer file "Firefox 2.0.dmg" as an example.
 
 
Download the Firefox .dmg (disk image) file to the desktop.
 
 
Double click the downloaded file to open (mount) it. 
 
 
This creates a "mounted disk" image icon on the desktop and opens a disk-image folder window containing the Firefox application icon.
 
 
'''Note:'''  If you get a "disk image failed to mount" warning,  read [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=523231 this forum topic] for a possible solution.  If you can't launch any dmg files you likely have corrupted launch service cache files. You can go [http://thexlab.com/faqs/resetlaunchservices.html here] to get information for different OS X versions. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=3201642#3201642]
 
 
Drag the Firefox application icon to a Hard Disk location such as the Applications folder
 
 
Close the disk-image folder window.
 
 
'''Important:''' Be sure to drag the Firefox application out of the opened disk image window and onto your Hard Disk before running it.
 
'''Do not double click the Firefox icon in the disk image!'''
 
 
To start Firefox, double-click the Firefox icon in the Applications folder. 
 
 
After doing all of the above,  select the mounted disk image by clicking it once. 
 
 
Next, from the File menu, select Eject "Firefox".  Alternately, you can control-click the mounted disk image icon and choose "Eject".
 
 
Finally, drag the .dmg file to the trash (unless you want to keep the .dmg file as a backup). [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=540321]
 
 
If you wish, you can create an alias of the Firefox icon in the Applications folder and place the alias on the desktop, so that you can quickly start Firefox by using the desktop alias.
 
==See also==
*[[Default browser]]
*[[Go back to an old version of Firefox]]


==External links==
* [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Installing+Firefox Installing Firefox] (Firefox Support)
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=358084 Bug 358084 – create detailed (step-by-step, with pictures!) installation instructions for Firefox]


[[Category:Installation and update (Firefox)]]
[[Category:Installation and update (Firefox)]]

Latest revision as of 14:38, 24 September 2013

This article will help you install Firefox on your system. Once Firefox is installed, the Software Update feature provides for automatic download and installation of future Firefox updates (see the linked article for details).

All Systems

Download the Firefox installer from mozilla.org or go to this page to choose the full installer for your language and OS. System requirements for the current version of Firefox are listed here. If your computer doesn't meet those requirements, you can download a previous Firefox version from the CDN server. System requirements for Firefox 3.6 are listed here.

If you install Firefox on a multi-user system where access privileges are restricted, you must run Firefox as a user with access to that location upon installation so that all initial startup files are generated.

Note: In most cases, you can install a newer version of Firefox over an existing version [1]. If you prefer a clean install, Uninstall your current Firefox version and delete the installation directory before launching the Firefox installer.

Windows

Using any browser, download the Firefox setup file to your desktop or other location. After the download is complete, exit Firefox completely (if open). Double-click the downloaded setup file to launch the installer. See the article Installing Firefox on Windows for detailed information, including Standard and Custom setup and screen images.

If you have problems with the Firefox installation, do the following:

  1. Re-download the Firefox setup file if you receive the message, 7-Zip Unspecified Error
  2. Open the Windows Temp folder
    • Windows XP: Start -> Run -> Type %temp% -> OK
    • Windows Vista and above: Start -> Type %temp% in the Search box -> press Enter
  3. Select all files and folders in the Temp folder and delete them, then close the Temp folder window.
  4. Make sure Firefox is not running and that no instance of "firefox.exe" appears in the Windows Task Manager
  5. Disable your antivirus program and try again.

Linux

Note: the article, Moving from Windows to Linux includes installation alternatives.

First, download the latest release to your home directory with your browser or download manager.

bash$ cd ~
bash$ wget http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/mozilla.org/.../firefox-<version>.tar.gz

Next, extract the contents with an archiving utility such as Ark or tar.

bash$ tar zxf firefox-<version>.tar.gz

Now you must select the installation directory. If you are the only user, the extracted files could stay where they are, but If this is a multi-user system, the firefox directory must be moved to a publicly accessible location such as /usr/local or /opt.

bash$ su
<password>
bash# mv firefox /usr/local
bash# chown -R root:root /usr/local/firefox

The installation is more or less complete, but it's recommended that the firefox script be available somewhere in your path to avoid the inconvenience of having to enter the full path. This can be accomplished by creating a symbolic link in the relative 'bin' directory.

For the personal installation:

bash$ mkdir bin
bash$ cd bin
bash$ ln -s ../firefox/firefox .

Or the mult-user installation (as root):

bash# cd /usr/local/bin
bash# ln -s ../firefox/firefox .

Many Linux distributions already include /usr/local/bin and ~/bin in their global environment variable path, which can easily be verified by running 'firefox' from the shell or the desktop environment's (run) menu. If execution fails (command not found), you can adjust the path by appending "/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin" to the existing PATH variable in /etc/profile and/or /etc/bashrc.


Mac OS X

Mac OS X system requirements for the current version of Firefox are listed here.

  • Firefox 4 and above requires at least Mac OS X 10.5 and will only run on an Intel Mac. [2] Mac OS X 10.4 users, and 10.5 users with a PPC Mac, can download the latest Firefox 3.6.xx release version for Mac OS, currently available from here or from the Mozilla CDN site (Firefox 3.6 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or above). Another option is TenFourMac, which is based on Mozilla 2.0 and Firefox 4 code.
  • Firefox 3 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or above. Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.2 users can download Firefox 2.0.0.20 (en-US is US English).


The images shown on the right illustrate, in step-by-step detail, how to install Firefox on Mac OS X systems, using the installer file "Firefox 2.0.dmg" as an example.


Download the Firefox .dmg (disk image) file to the desktop.


Double click the downloaded file to open (mount) it.


This creates a "mounted disk" image icon on the desktop and opens a disk-image folder window containing the Firefox application icon.


Note: If you get a "disk image failed to mount" warning, read this forum topic for a possible solution. If you can't launch any dmg files you likely have corrupted launch service cache files. You can go here to get information for different OS X versions. [3]


Drag the Firefox application icon to a Hard Disk location such as the Applications folder


Close the disk-image folder window.


Important: Be sure to drag the Firefox application out of the opened disk image window and onto your Hard Disk before running it.

Do not double click the Firefox icon in the disk image!


To start Firefox, double-click the Firefox icon in the Applications folder.


After doing all of the above, select the mounted disk image by clicking it once.


Next, from the File menu, select Eject "Firefox". Alternately, you can control-click the mounted disk image icon and choose "Eject".


Finally, drag the .dmg file to the trash (unless you want to keep the .dmg file as a backup). [4]


If you wish, you can create an alias of the Firefox icon in the Applications folder and place the alias on the desktop, so that you can quickly start Firefox by using the desktop alias.

See also

External links