Mozilla Firefox automatically checks for and installs updates for all of your browser extensions (add-ons) in the background. While this ensures you always have the latest features and security patches, it can sometimes introduce unexpected bugs or drastically change the user interface of an extension you rely on for daily work. If you prefer to review release notes and manually test updates before allowing them to install, you can completely turn off automatic add-on updates.
How to Stop Automatic Add-on Updates
You can change the update behavior directly from the Add-ons Manager.
- Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Click the Application Menu button (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
- Select Add-ons and themes (or press Ctrl + Shift + A on your keyboard).
- In the left-hand sidebar, ensure you have Extensions selected.
- Look for the small gear icon located near the top-right corner of the Extensions list, just below the search bar.
- Click the gear icon to open a drop-down menu.
- Click on Update Add-ons Automatically to uncheck it.
Firefox will immediately stop downloading and installing extension updates in the background. Moving forward, you will need to return to this menu, click the gear icon, and select “Check for Updates” whenever you are ready to manually install new versions of your add-ons.