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Where is the shield I used to have in the address bar?

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I do not see the little shield next to items in the address bar. Now all I have is a green or gray padlock, which is not bad, but I want the other shield "indicator" back. See the attached image of the shield from a Mozilla help page

I do not see the little shield next to items in the address bar. Now all I have is a green or gray padlock, which is not bad, but I want the other shield "indicator" back. See the attached image of the shield from a Mozilla help page

Chosen solution

If you think mixed active content blocking is not working on your Firefox, you could check here to make sure it hasn't been turned off:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste mix and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the security.mixed_content.block_active_content preference is set to false instead of true, try double-clicking it to restore the normal behavior. If the status is "locked" and you can't re-enable it, that could indicate malware or an unwanted "autoconfig" file that we can help you investigate.

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All Replies (9)

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Oops, the upload failed. You can attach an image to a reply to yourself: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1083107#question-reply

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Modified by cor-el

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Okay, I see you posted the image over in this thread: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1083113

You generally would only see that when there is "mixed active content" -- an HTTPS page using scripts, frames, or other "active content" from an HTTP address instead of an HTTPS address. This article has more information on this feature: Mixed content blocking in Firefox

Since this is a sign of a lapse in page design, I'm not sure why you want to see it more often. What am I missing?

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Seçilmiş Həll

If you think mixed active content blocking is not working on your Firefox, you could check here to make sure it hasn't been turned off:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste mix and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the security.mixed_content.block_active_content preference is set to false instead of true, try double-clicking it to restore the normal behavior. If the status is "locked" and you can't re-enable it, that could indicate malware or an unwanted "autoconfig" file that we can help you investigate.

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I right clicked on the shield and disabled it after not being able to get to a website I use as my homepage for over 10 years. I wanted it back to no avail so....

cor-el: your info was good but not what I needed because that is where I got the image of the shield but not how to "activate" it

jscher: I did #1-3 and I tried different sites but there was no shield so I do not know if the sites i tried did not "spawn" the shield in the address bar so I won't know if it worked unless I finally see it.

IN GENERAL: Thank you for both responding so quickly. The kind of tech support I do helps my graduate students, and they are VERY impatient about getting an answer. So I know when people take the time to help, they are using their knowledge, experience, and time. THANK YOU for helping out!

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The shield is only present if there is mixed active content on a web page. If the shield is no longer there then that means that the website has fixed this security vulnerability on their website.

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It sounds as though there might be a site you still cannot get to. Do you just get a blank page? Error message?

If you haven't already tried "the usual" I'll mention it here:

When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Bypass Firefox's Cache

Use Ctrl+Shift+r to reload the page fresh from the server.

Alternately, you also can clear Firefox's cache completely using:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced

On the Network mini-tab > Cached Web Content : "Clear Now"

If you have a large hard drive, this might take a few minutes.

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first). While viewing a page on the site, try either:

  • right-click and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • click the padlock or globe icon in the address bar > More Information > "View Cookies"

In the dialog that opens, you can remove the site's cookies individually.

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?

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Shield is now visible after following jscher2000's instructions about true/false

It is important to me to see the shield because I am a warning worrier.

PROBLEM IS SOLVED!!!

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No cookie issues--i do support for my grad students using different browsers to access password protected databases. I have to help with proxies, and cookies, and other issues such as firewalls and so on. So I know about caches and cookies, but thanks for the help! I can use it for my firefox-using students