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How to fix, that changing to another tab in firefox won't change the content displayed?

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The problem showed up some weeks ago on my ubuntu linux system. Switching tabs works in a second seperate firefox windows if i open more than one but not in the first one. Dragging tabs between windows works. The problem persists even after some regular firefox updates from the ubuntu repos.

The problem showed up some weeks ago on my ubuntu linux system. Switching tabs works in a second seperate firefox windows if i open more than one but not in the first one. Dragging tabs between windows works. The problem persists even after some regular firefox updates from the ubuntu repos.

All Replies (3)

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Are you saying the following happens:

  1. If you have two separate adjacent open tabs both different sites and icons
  2. Initially the first tab has focus and you can see the correct website content
  3. Now you select the second tab by clicking on it
  4. The second tab is then highlighted but the content remains that of the first tabs's page but the tab itself shows the detail of the new second tab.
  • What address shows in the address bar wheb you do that, the address of the first or of the second tab ?

If what is seen differs please describe it in detail.

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"Clear the Cache":

  • Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Network > Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove Cookies" :

  • Edit > Preferences > Privacy > "Use custom settings for history" > Cookies: "Show Cookies"

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite database file in the Firefox profile folder.


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem

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Dear John99,

that is kind of right. In the first window opened I always see the content of the tab I opened last. When I switch to another (older) tab the addressbar changes but not the content displayed.

As far as I can tell keyboard and mouse events in the content area go to the activated tab that is not displayed. It is possible to switch to the tab I opened last and interact with it correctly.

It is also possible to rip off tabs thus creating a second window for the tab. Tabs in the second window will then display and function as expected.

This is my current workaround: Open a first window to ignore it, open another window and use that.