Preferences not saved

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This article deals with changes to options or preference settings not being saved after you restart your Mozilla application. If Firefox toolbar customizations are not being saved, see this article.

Read-only or locked preference file

The inability to save any preference changes can be caused by having a read-only or locked prefs.js file or "prefs.js.moztmp" file in the profile folder. You may receive an error similar to "Failed to save the preferences file. Any preference changes will be lost at the end of the session" [1]. You may also find multiple files named "prefs-<n>.js" (where <n> is a number) in the profile folder. Check the file properties of the prefs.js file (and "prefs.js.moztmp" file, if found) and make sure that the "read-only" attribute is not set. You can also delete any "prefs-<n>.js" file copies.

See Multiple profile files created for more information about locked or multiple files in the profile.

Corrupt prefs.js file

A corrupt prefs.js file can prevent preference changes from being saved. [2] [3] Close your Mozilla application and,

  • If you have a current profile backup, replace the prefs.js file in your profile folder with the backup copy.
  • If you have no backup, open the profile folder and rename prefs.js to prefs.jsOLD. A new prefs.js file will be generated when you next open your Mozilla application. All preferences will be reset to default values but future changes will be saved.

Note: This fix may also resolve an issue in which an additional "Firefox Updated" tab opens a page stating, You’ve been updated to the latest version of Firefox, each time you restart Firefox. [4]

Other software prevents preference changes

  • Dell Network Assistant can lock or "protect" the preferences file. If you have this program, try disabling or uninstalling it. [5]
  • McAfee Privacy Service can disable your Mozilla browser's popup blocker. If you use McAfee, you will need to select the option to block popup ads within the McAfee Security Center settings. See this article for details.
  • Norton 360 includes a "Firefox Privacy Cleanup" feature that, if enabled, overrides your Firefox Privacy settings and prevents you from keeping your Browsing History, Cookies or other private data between sessions. If you use Norton 360, deselect the "Firefox Privacy Cleanup" option in your Norton 360 settings. [6]
  • Various other computer "cleanup" programs can override your Mozilla browser's Privacy settings and remove private data. [7]

User.js file locks certain preferences

If you are able to change some preference settings but not others, look for a user.js file in your profile folder (Windows users, read this for help finding it). The user.js file does not exist by default; it is created by users and, in a few cases, by some software programs, so that certain settings get written back to the prefs.js file each time you restart your Mozilla application If you find a user.js file, either remove it from the profile folder or edit the file to remove any unwanted settings. See Resetting preferences for more information.

Other solutions

  • Problematic extensions can change certain preferences settings, causing your changes not to be saved [8]. To see if an extension is causing the problem, disable it (or uninstall unneeded extensions) and then make your preference changes. (Note that preference changes made by some extensions will persist even after the extension is uninstalled or disabled, until you change the settings.)
  • The Standard diagnostic provides a basic troubleshooting guide if the preceding suggestions do not fix the problem.

See also

External links

Preferences are not saved (Firefox Support)