When it comes to computer repair, the most common problem I find is browser corruption. Malicious browser extensions are the most common way a browser can get corrupted. So here's how to clean up and reset Mozilla Firefox.

I've shown how to clean up and reset Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, so this article shouldn't be a surprise. What might surprise you is that all three browsers are installed on my personal computer, and Firefox is my default browser. Each has pros and cons, but since Firefox is a product of the Mozilla Foundation (a non-profit organization), I prefer supporting them.

I've always considered Mozilla Firefox a cross between Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, having the best elements. A case in point is how you can access the options in Firefox. You can either use the Menu button in the upper right-hand corner (the button with three (3) horizontal bars, similar to the three dots in Chrome) or enable the Menu Bar on top of the browser window (similar to Internet Explorer).

To get the Menu Bar, right-click the blank area above the Address Bar and select Menu Bar. Some options can only be accessed using the Menu Bar, but I'll discuss that later in this article.

Let's start with the necessary options. If you're using the Menu Button, select Settings; if you're using the Menu Bar, select the Tools pull-down menu and then Settings. This will bring up the Firefox preferences. On the left-hand side is a list with several selections; General, Home, Search, Privacy & Security, Sync, Firefox Labs, More from Mozilla, Extensions & Themes, and Firefox Support.

The first panel on the left-side menu is General and is where you will find the most basic settings: Startup, Import Browser data, Tabs, and Browser Layout. Also, under the General section, you will also find Language and Appearance, Files and Applications, Firefox Updates, Performance, Browsing, and Network Settings.

These settings are mainly personal preferences that configure how Firefox looks and works. Under Files and Applications you will find the Downloads section. This is one setting I always change, as I prefer to be prompted as to where I want to save a download, as I don't always want them just saved into my default downloads folder.

Right below Downloads is Applications. Here you can choose what happens when you select different actions, like when you click a mailto: link. There is nothing really out of the ordinary here. I would review them to make sure everything looked good. If you think something is questionable, just change the action. You can always change it back if it doesn't work how you want it to. Below Files and Applications is the Firefox Updates section; make sure that Automatically install updates (recommended) is selected.

The second panel is Home and includes Homepage and new windows, New tabs, and the Firefox Home Content. If Firefox has been modified by a malicious piece of malware/adware, you'll want to check the Homepage and new windows and New tabs settings to ensure they are not opening up malicious web pages when Firefox starts. If any of the settings have been changed, you can reset Firefox back to the default settings by clicking on the pull-down menu and selecting Firefox Home (Default).

The next panel on the left-side menu is Search. This is where you configured how Search works in Firefox.

You can select what search engine Firefox uses from a preset collection of the most popular search engines. You also can have a separate search bar or use the address bar for navigation and search. If you decide to use the separate search bar, you can change the search engine it uses on the fly by clicking on the magnifying glass on the Search box's left side.

The next panel is Privacy and Security. In this section, you have to go through each subcategory and make sure the settings will work for you. Right out of the box, these settings are pretty perfect, although there are a couple I prefer to configure for my taste.

Under Browser Privacy, you can select how Firefox handles website tracking. The default setting (Standard) works fine, but you can restrict what a website can do if you want to. But remember that with stricter security policies, you may break or disable the functionally of some sites.

In the Cookies and Site Data section, you can manage the website data that Firefox stores. Here, you can clean out the cookies and cached data from websites. You can automatically have Firefox clean out this data when you close it, but that setting is in the History section (see below).

The Passwords section is, as the name implies, where you configure Firefox to save usernames and passwords or not. If you plan on using the Sync feature, you will want to have Firefox save this data.

The next section is the Autofill area. If you want Firefox to automatically fill out website forms with your data (name, phone, email address, etc.), make sure the Save and fill address and Save and fill payment methods checkboxes are selected. You can edit any saved data here, too.

In the History section is where you can have Firefox clear data when you close it. If you pull down the selections under Firefox will: and select Use custom settings for history, you get a few more options. I recommend that you check Clear history when Firefox closes box and then click on the Settings button.

You can choose what items you want Firefox to delete when it is closed in the window that appears. I deselect everything but Cache. But this is strictly a personal preference.

Next is Permissions, and there are two (2) items you want to make sure are selected: Block pop-up windows and Warn you when websites try to install add-ons. Firefox Data Collection and Use comes next. It is your preference if you want to enable any of these options.

Under the Security section, make sure that Block dangerous and deceptive content, Block dangerous downloads, and Warn you about unwanted and uncommon software are selected. The Certificates section is, again, personal preference, but the default settings are just right.

The next panel on the left side menu is Sync. This is a cool feature if you have Firefox installed on multiple devices. I use this feature with a couple of computers and a smartphone. I love how it will sync saved passwords across all of my devices. Enough said.

The next panel is Firefox Labs. Here you can reset Firefox back to default and try some experimental features.

The More from Mozilla panel has links to some of their different products.

Now that we've checked/reset and changed the preferences let's look at the add-ons section. There are three (3) ways to get to it:

• On the Settings page, click on the Extensions & Themes link at the bottom of the left-hand column.
• Click on the Menu Button (3 horizontal bars) in the upper-right hand corner and select Add-ons and Themes.
• On the Menu Bar, left-click on Tools and select Add-ons and Themes from the drop-down menu.

Once you have the Add-ons page up, you will find four (4) selections on the left side menu; Recommendations, Extensions, Themes, and Plugins.

The first selection is Recommendations, which, as the name implies, are extensions and themes that Firefox recommends. Pretty simple.

The second selection on the left side is Extensions. This is where you look for malicious apps that like to run inside Firefox. Go through the list here, and if you find one that you don't remember installing, just click the Enable / Disable slider on the right-hand side.

You will be prompted to restart Firefox to disable it altogether. Remember that even if you disable an extension, you can always enable it at a later date. Or if you find you don't need it at all, you can always delete it. But remember that if you delete an extension and then realize you did want it, you will have to reinstall it.

The next selection on the left side menu is Themes, and this is where you change the look of Firefox. If you don't like the default theme, you can always download a new tone using the Find more themes button at the bottom of the right-hand column.

The fourth selection down the left side menu is Plugins.

Plugins add support for different types of Internet content, like videos and encrypted media.

Now, if after going through the previous steps and Firefox is still not working the way it did when you installed it, there are two (2) things you can do. You can either reset it or uninstall/reinstall it. Usually, a reset will fix about 90% of Firefox problems, but sometimes, only an uninstall/reinstall will work. I always try a reset first.

To reset Firefox, you will need to have access to the Menu Bar. To get the Menu Bar to appear, just right-click the blank area above the Address bar and select Menu Bar from the context menu. Once you have the Menu Bar, left-click on Help and then More Troubleshooting Information.

When the Troubleshooting Information page appears, click on the Refresh Firefox button on the page's right side. You will be prompted on how you're about to reset Firefox back to its default settings. Click on Refresh Firefox, and Firefox will be reset back to its original default settings. It also creates a folder on your desktop called Old Firefox Data, just in case you need to restore anything, like your bookmarks.

Now, if that doesn't get Firefox back to normal, then the last resort is to uninstall/reinstall. This may take a little time to perform, but if you really want Firefox back to pristine condition, this is what it might take. There are two (2) ways to uninstall programs in Windows; the Settings app or the Control Panel.

Uninstall a program using the Settings app

1. Click on the Start menu, then Settings (the gear icon), then Apps. then Installed Apps.
2. Scroll down the list of apps in the right-hand column until you find Mozilla Firefox.
3. Highlight Mozilla Firefox and click on the three (3) horizontal dots to the right and select Uninstall.

Uninstall a program using the Control Panel

1. In the search box next to the Start button type Control Panel and click on it from the results.
2. Select Uninstall a program (if viewing by category) or Programs and Features (if viewing by icons).
3. Highlight Mozilla Firefox and click on the Uninstall button.

Once Mozilla Firefox is uninstalled, restart your computer. When your computer is rebooted, and you are logged back in, you will need to remove any traces of Firefox before reinstalling it. There are three (3) places that you will need to look for any leftover files, two (2) inside your user profile and one (1) inside of the Program Files directory. The files inside your user profile are hidden by default, but you can get there quickly by bringing up a Run dialog box (Windows Logo key + R) and typing or copy/paste the following lines:

%userprofile%/AppData/Local/Mozilla %userprofile%/AppData/Roaming/Mozilla

This will open the File Explorer to the locations of your Firefox user profile settings. If there is a folder named Firefox, go ahead and delete it. Next, you will have to navigate to the location of the Program Files directory and check under the folder named Mozilla Firefox. Its location is usually C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox, but it may be different if your Windows version is 32-bit or if you installed Firefox on a different drive. Once you get there, go ahead and delete it. Now you can download and reinstall Mozilla Firefox.

Internet browsers are prone to getting compromised. It can happen by opening an infected e-mail or viewing a malicious ad on a web page. But knowing how to get your browser back to normal is the key. Here's how to clean up and reset Google Chrome.

Of the top three (3) browsers out there, Google Chrome is the most popular. One of the main reasons is that to use Google's products, like Google Earth, you have to have Chrome installed. And since it is the most popular, it is also the biggest target for adware and malware. In fact, in the past, the Chrome web store has been compromised with infected apps. Google is now scrutinizing the Chrome extensions harder than ever because of it. So knowing how to clean up and reset Chrome comes in handy.

Cleaning up and resetting Chrome

Google has made resetting the Chrome browser reasonably simple. Just open Chrome and click on the Customize and control button in the upper right-hand corner (it looks like three (3) vertical dots).

Go down and click on Settings, which will open a page with all user-configurable settings. On the left-hand column, you will find sixteen (16) links: You and Google, Autofill and passwords, Privacy and security, Performance, AI innovations, Appearance, Search engine, Default browser, On startup, Languages, Downloads, Accessibility, System, Reset settings, Extensions, and About Chrome.

The first section is You and Google. This is where you can synchronize Chrome (bookmarks, history, passwords, etc.) across multiple devices. If you are using Chrome on your computer and smartphone, this is a feature you may want to look into.

In this section, you can set up syncing all the different Google services, add a name and picture to your profile, and import bookmarks and settings from other browsers.

The second section is Autofill and passwords and has three (3) categories: Google Password Manager, Payment methods and Address and more. It is here you can choose whether or not to allow Chrome to save passwords, credit cards, and addresses.

Privacy and security is the next section. There are two categories: Safety Check and Privacy and security.

The first category is Safety check. When you click the Go to Safety Check button, Chrome checks for updates, insecure passwords, browsing protection, and harmful extensions.

The second category is Privacy and security and there are six (6) sub-categories: Delete browsing data, Privacy Guide, Third-party cookies, Ad privacy, Security, and Site settings. Let's look at each one separately.

The first category is Delete browsing data and is the first place I go when a customer complains about a website not functioning correctly. There are two categories here: Basic and Advanced.

Quite often, selecting the Basic settings with the Time range of All time will do the trick. If that does not fix things, try some of the Advanced options. Do one at a time until Chrome works the way you want.

The second category is the Privacy Guide, which allows you to review key privacy and security controls.

The third category is Third-party cookies. This where you define how Chrome handles cookies. The default setting is to block third-party cookies only when you use incognito mode and be perfectly safe. You can completely block third-party or all cookies if you want, but I recommend turning on the Do Not Track option. Chrome allows you to define which websites can use third-party cookies.

The fourth category is Ad privacy. This is where you can define what info websites can use to display ads. There are three (3) categories: Ad topics, Site-suggested ads, and Ad measurement.

The fifth category is Security, and this is where you define how Chrome displays websites. The default setting for Safe Browsing is Standard protection, which is recommended. You can use the Enhanced protection, but it does send browsing data back to Google. The rest of the default settings are recommended.

The sixth and last category is Site Settings. The default settings are recommended, but you can always modify them to your personal preferences. Some of these settings are in other sections, so don't be surprised if you see a setting you already configured.

The next section is Performance. You can configure various options here, including page preloading and the Memory Saver.

The AI innovations section allows you to configure the various AI settings.

The next section is Appearance, which is more about personalizing Chrome the way you want it to look. Just personal preferences here.

The Search engine section defines what search engine Chrome will use in the address bar.

This is one place to check and see if your default search engine in Chrome has been hijacked. If you're not getting the search results you are expecting from the address bar,

more than likely, your default search engine was changed without your knowledge. You can add or remove any of the search engines on this list.

The Default browser section has a link to the Default apps so you can make Chrome your default browser.

The On startup section defines what pages are displayed when Chrome starts up and is one of the first places I look for evidence of browser hijacking. A lot of malicious apps will try and get your browser to automatically open up their website(s) when you start up Chrome. They will also try to take advantage of another setting under System that allows apps to run even without Chrome being open (more on this one later in this article).

If Open a specific page or set of pages is selected, review the pages listed. If there are any page(s) you didn't add yourself, click on the three vertical dots that appear on each page's right-hand side and select Remove. You can also add any page you want to open when you start Chrome here.

The next following (3) sections, Languages, Downloads and Accessibility are for customizing how Chrome works and are more personal preferences. Now when it comes to downloads, I prefer having Chrome ask where I want each file to go before downloading them. Again, personal preference.

The next sections is System. Remember how I told you Chrome could be run without it having to be started? This is where you'll find the setting to turn off this feature. If you are using any Google apps that require Chrome, like Google Docs Offline, you will need to leave the Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed selected.

If not, I recommend that you turn this feature off. I've seen adware/malware use this setting to start Chrome when the computer starts up and then controls it remotely. If in doubt, turn it off until a Google app prompts you to enable it.

The next section is Reset settings. The link labeled Restore settings to their original defaults will do just that, reset Chrome back to its default, 'out-of-the-box' setup. It will be just like when you first installed it.

The second to the last section is Extensions. This is where you will find all of the installed apps that run inside Chrome. These extend the functionality and usefulness of Chrome. You'll typically find malicious apps that have installed themselves without your knowledge (usually in kiosk mode). It's here that you can either enable, disable, or remove them from Chrome. If you're unsure about an extension, you can always disable it to find out what it did or didn't do inside Chrome. And when you're sure you don't need it or don't remember installing it, just click the Remove button. If you accidentally remove an extension and want it back, you will have to go through the process of reinstalling it, so be careful.

When you click the Details button for an extension, you will get an option screen. One of the extension options is Allow in incognito for private browsing. Chrome can run in what is called Incognito mode, where it does not save any record of where you have been or what you may have downloaded. If an extension has the option to select Allow in incognito mode, it can be enabled for it. If you use incognito mode, I would defiantly recommend enabling any type of anti-virus, anti-adware, or anti-malware application extension.

The last section is About Chrome and will tell you what version of Chrome you currently have installed and has links to get help, report an issue, and Chrome's privacy policy.

Reinstalling Google Chrome

The last option to get Chrome back to default and work correctly is to uninstall and reinstall it. I only use this option when all else fails to get it back to full functionality. It can take a little time to do, but if you need to get Chrome fully reset, this may be the only option. There are two (2) ways to uninstall programs in Windows; the Settings app or the Control Panel.

Uninstall a program using the Settings app

1. Click on the Start menu, then Settings (the gear icon), then Apps, then Installed apps.
2. Scroll down the list of apps in the right-hand column until you find Google Chrome.
3. Highlight Google Chrome and click on the Uninstall button.

Uninstall a program using the Control Panel

1. In the search box next to the Start button, type Control Panel, and click on it from the results.
2. Select Uninstall a program (if viewing by category) or Programs and Features (if viewing by icons).
3. Highlight Google Chrome and click on the Uninstall button.

Once Google Chrome is uninstalled, restart your computer. When your computer has rebooted, and you are logged back in, you will need to remove any traces of Google Chrome before reinstalling it. There are two (2) places where you will need to look for any leftover files; inside your user profile and inside the program files directory. The files inside your user profile are hidden by default, but you can get there quickly by bringing up a Run dialog box (Windows Logo key + R) and typing or copy/paste the following code:

%userprofile%/AppData/Local/Google

This will open the File Explorer to the location of your Google user settings. If there is a folder named Chrome, go ahead and delete it. Next, you will have to navigate to the location of the Program Files directory and check under the folder named Google. Its location is usually C:\Program Files\Google, but it may be different if you installed Google Chrome on a different drive. Once you get there, if you find a folder named Chrome, go ahead and delete it. Now you can download and reinstall Google Chrome.