21 About:Config Hacks(Tweaks) For Firefox 3
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Firefox 3 one of the maximum downloaded open source browser which has set a Guinness world record. Their were Over 8,000,000 downloads in 24 hours!. Along with Firefox 3 Spreadfirefox also got new cool look.
Firefox 3 about:config file is the core configuration file of Firefox. By editing about:config file we can get amazing hacks for Firefox 3. Firefox allows the users to change many preferences in the about:config file so it’s totally ethical to do it.Here is list of 21 Firefox 3 hacks & tweaks.
To get the Firefox 3 configuration file type “about:config” at address bar.
Here is List of about:config hacks for Firefox 3
1) Disable Extension Compatibility Checks
extensions.checkCompatibility = False
extensions.checkUpdateSecurity = False
2) Location Bar (Set number Auto Complete URL at Address Bar)
This is a good hack to trim down that huge auto-complete list on your URL bar. By default it displays maximum 12 URL
browser.urlbar.maxRichResults = #
Enter Number at # (3,10,12 etc)
3) Stop Displaying Website Icon (Favicon) in Address bar & On Tab
browser.chrome.site_icons = False
4) Disable Prefetch (Helpful for frequent Google searcher, low-speed internet connection or low RAM)
network.prefetch-next = False
5) Extend Spell check to forms
layout.spellcheckDefault = 2
Change Value from 1 to 2
6) Disable Blinking Text
browser.blink_allowed = False
7) Speed Tweaks
network.http.pipelining false to true
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests 30 to 8
network.http.max-connections 30 to 96
network.http.max-connections-per-server 15 to 32
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server 6 to 8
network.http.pipelining.ssl false to true
network.http.proxy.pipelining false to true
8 ) Disable Annoying Browser Behavior
dom.disable_window_open_feature.menubar
dom.disable_window_move_resize
dom.disable_window_open_feature.titlebar
dom.disable_window_open_feature.toolbar
Set all of above to value False
9) Remove Tab Close Button from all Tab and set A single Close Button at Right
browser.tabs.closeButtons = 3
Single Close Button to control all Firefox Opened Tabs. (value should be 3 and not 2 Thanks Andreas )
10) Disabler Browser Toolbar Tip
browser.chrome.toolbar_tips = False
11) Show More Tabs on Single Firefox Window before Scrolling
browser.tabs.tabMinWidth = 75
Setting lesser value with reduce Tab width
12) Past Copy Content with Middlemouse Click
middlemouse.paste = True
13) Scroll webpage in One Go
mousewheel.withaltkey.action=1
14) Disable Delay Time While Installing Firefox Add-on
security.dialog_enable_delay = 0
(Zero is number of seconds Firefox should wait while installing Add-on)
15) Increase History Undo Close Tab Limit ( Recently Closed Tabs )
browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undo=15
By default you can undo 10 recently closed tabs inorder to increase your history closed tabs. Change number 13 to as per your choice.
16) Open Firefox Default Search Bar Result in New Tab
browser.search.openintab=True
17) Right Click View Source in Your Favorite Editor
view_source.editor.external=True
view_source.editor.path= Path of Editor
(e.g. path C:\Program Files\npp.4.8.2.bin\notepad++.exe)
18) Enable/Disable Single Click to Select Whole URL in Address bar
To Enable Single Click Select URL of address bar use the below about:config Tweak
browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll = True
To disable Single Click Select
browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll = False
19) Emule/ed2k link association (Linux users)
network.protocol-handler.app.ed2k= /usr/bin/ed2k
network.protocol-handler.external.ed2k = true
20) Fast Scrolling Across Tabs
toolkit.scrollbox.scrollIncrement =75
( 75 is number of pixels to scroll at a time when scrolling the tab strip’s scrollbox. (Default: 20)
21) Auto Complete URL while You type at address Bar
browser.urlbar.autoFill=True
Many of above about:config hacks are available in Older Firefox Version, at the end if some thing goes wrong then feel free to restore your about:config to older setting see the below image of how to restore about:config
Hope you guys like this Firefox 3 hacks, If you have any tips or hacks related to Firefox 3 about:config, hacks, tweaks do let me know I will include it in above list.
Check out 9 Fix for Firefox 3 Crashes and Hang Problem.
Reader Comments
Nice collection man. Stumbled!
Thanks Alot Syahid.
Hi,
great Post. But there’s a mistake. To enable one close button for all Tabs you has to set
browser.tabs.closeButtons = 3 (not 2)
gr8 post…stumbled…neways can you share how you have tweaked daily32 theme?
@Andreas Thanks for notifying That mistake.
@abhishek Thanks for Stumble, Tweaking Daily32 Theme isn’t difficult.In case you need this modified theme let me know.its just simple font and header changes.
great post… i knew of a few firefox 3 tweaks provided… however, I’ve learned some new ones.. thanks!
Great list, but I’d like to know more about the speed tweaks. Right now, I don’t know much about them, and don’t feel too safe messing around with them.
Any explanation for those?
Fantastic post. Bookmarked for future. Thanks.
browser.urlbar.matchOnlyTyped;true
to turn off the awsome bar
This even helps out a no nothing average joe like myself.
I was stumbling and found this. Cant say thanks enough. I so did not like explorer and have enjoyed using firefox but the speed of pageloading was getting annoying. Thanks to you I am able to really enjoy using firefox.
My compliments to the chef and thanks again
Very useful….! Goog job dude!
Great work man…….
keep up the good work :)
There is a mistake with view_source.editor.external;false, it should be view_source.editor.external;true. And then view_source.editor.path;Path to Favorite Editor (VIM FTW).
@lvleph Thanks for notifying that mistake.
Great firefox 3 tweak list. I’m passing on this URL.
Problem in #8…you have titlebar twice, one of those should be toolbar.
@FredEx Thanks, have Rectified.
Great list. Thanks.
Dude I have been tweaking firefox since I first started using it 2 years ago..I love the fox. And I must say some of your suggestions here are entirely new to me. But before I can attempt them I need some help with this new ff 3. Everytime i go into about:config and change my basic features like nglayout or pipelineing. When I restart ff 3 they are all reset to the original values. Any ideas?
mr_cbrooks@yahoo.com
Speed tweaks:
content.interrupt.parsing=true
content.max.tokenizing.time[integer]=3000000
content.maxtextrun[integer]=8191
content.notify.backoffcount[integer]=200
content.notify.interval[integer]=100000
content.notify.ontimer=true
content.notify.threshold[integer]=100000
content.switch.threshold[integer]=650000
network.dnsCacheEntries[integer]=256
network.dnsCacheExpiration[integer]=86400
network.ftp.idleConnectionTimeout[integer]=60
network.http.keep-alive.timeout[integer]=30
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy[integer]=24
network.http.pipelining.firstrequest=true
nglayout.initialpaint.delay[string]=0
What is the difference if browser.urlbar.autoFill is on or not?
Great List Dude nice Firefox 3 Tweaks. I love Tweaking Firefox 3.
Between the tweaks in the OP and the tweaks CarolinaFaithful posted, my FF3 is freaking so fast… I took the risk and did Carolina’s tweaks and I can confirm that they work. Go for it! If you don’t like it, just reset all of the tweaks.
Have tried to reset about:config using suggested restore about:config but I am taken to Google!!! I hope I haven’t messed-up my FF3 by making all the above changes.
The ed2k tweak for Linux users DOESN’T WORK!
I have tried it several time, always under FF3, and the same happens always… nothing!
Could any1 please change it by working tweak?
TIA!
What I would really like to know, is a simple tweak to sort alphabetically the bookmarks, directly on the Bookmarks tab, something like simple right clicking over any folder and choosing “Sort by name”.
great collection. I’ve been looking for several of these and un sure how to do them! thanks!
Firefox is the best no doubt. It is just irritating when the plugins lag behind the updates
Thanks for this.
I have a question though, does Firefox 3 have a limit on the number of autocomplete items it stores? I’m visiting new sites and they aren’t appearing in the autocomplete list when a letter or several beginning letters are entered. Anyone experienced this?
Thanks for these. The network tweaks work REALLY good! More information about the Rich Results can be found here: http://www.phurtive.com/2008/07/how-to-disable-firefox-3-location-bars.html
If you don’t mind, I’d like to make a post about these tweaks linking back to you.
Good collection.. all in one place..
very useful…
this is a sweet post, well chuffd wif it, thanx maaaaan ;-)
Excellent! Very good to know.
Very nice list of useful firefox wizadry.
Just a tiny typo I noticed:
On 14 you’ve mentioned “Zero is number of seconds” while the correct would be “Zero is number of *mili*seconds”. Just in case someone doesn’t want 0.
thanx a lot for these…
it would be much better if you included a piece of information next to the speed hacks…
for some strange reason i noticed that after doing the “speed tweaks” and only the speed tweaks i had a drop in speed, more to the point certain pages wouldn’t load at all and others lost functionality.
this page wouldn’t load being one problem had to get google cache to rectify them and social sites ie. facebook half the pages didn’t load/work, all fine after undoing the changes.
FF still got some nice settings I didn’t know before, thx.
I personally really like this one:
Set image.animation_mode to none or once.
This will play animated images (e.g. gifs) never or just once. Helps to get peace in some annoying ads.
Greets
speed tweaks by CarolinaFaithful July 9, 2008 worked well for most sites
thanks CarolinaFaithful
~norseye
This is terrific. I’ve made two of your tweaks successfully using the about:config procedure to alter one of the existing settings, but don’t understand how to enter an entirely new setting (browser.urlbar.hideGobutton (boolean) true) to get rid of the go button.
I can’t figure out how to put a curser in there so I can insert that text.
Bill W
Totally photoshopped, look at the sha…oh wait, i’m just kidding. Thanks a bunch man, i dragged this url onto my desktop, I will be checkin’ it out tomorrow. I hate (although have been becoming accustomed to in the last 3 days) having a single click in the URL ball select all…i’ve already got my (4-button kensington) mouse set up to double click lower right button and single click lower left button, so i’ve gotten into the habit of clicking ‘left-right’ for 3 clicks, and it drives me batty clicking in the url box. thanks.
Regarding “8 ) Disable Annoying Browser Behavior” shouldn’t it be “set all values to true” and not false to disable the annoying behaviors?
For example:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Dom.disable_window_open_feature.status
Some of these can be set in the Edit -> Preferences -> Content
Thank you.
amazing post, i love firefox3 its cooolio! its better than google chrome
Nice and informative article…
Excellent article, I’m giving some of these suggestions a test run now.
Thanks
oh yea !!! tear it up YO!!!
apariencia de open office 3.0
DJ says: “Regarding “8 ) Disable Annoying Browser Behavior” shouldn’t it be “set all values to true” and not false to disable the annoying behaviors?
You are right, for example: if you set “dom.disable_window_move_resize” to false, you’ll *cannot* “move or resize” the window opened by the external application (e.g. a little window popped with the choices) If you want to have control over your browser, that entries *must* *be* *set* *to* *TRUE*
Sandip, you must change that paragraph in the post.
BTW, cool hacklist. Cheers.
Hi all these tweaks works.bt u find it bit slower when we are visiting new sites for the first time but it will be much faster when u visit it again another time.thanks for this tweaks
how do i set it so that i have a universal close “X” AND a “X” close feature on each individual tab?
IVE TRIED 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ETC
it would make sense if this option was “2″, can anyone make this happen PLEASE! it is so much easier to close many tabs using the general close however sometimes i need to only close a few tabs and would like to have an “x” (i know i can right click but im lazy!)
browser.tabs.closeButtons = 3 (not 2)
how do you enable close on all tabs AND have 1 universal master close button at the same time?
Hello, Thanks for your great tips on FF. The #18 is very useful for me. I’m a fan of FF but I did not know these tips! I have add to Stumble for later read. Thank you
thank uuu verrrry much …
what a nice tips!!
I like it..thx for sharing
used this and it worked great A+!
thank you thank you thank you
re:
browser.urlbar.maxRichResults
I put that puppy to ZERO!
“6) Disable Blinking Text
browser.blink_allowed = False”
Aren’t there some extensions (I believe R.I.P. or Remove It Permanently) for which blinking text is useful?
please release a firefox extension to force url as prefix or suffix to page title in firefox titlebar for better parental tracking- or enhanced anti-phishing
last extension doing this was URL2title
I think by disabbling the startup checks for extension compatibility, etc. Firefox will start up sooner. My firefox starts very slowly, I have used Speedyfox but still it is as slow as ever.