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How can I release memory firefox uses after closing the browser?

tseverhardt
tseverhardt
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Using Win7 Pro X64 with 32Gb memory. Firefox gets to the point where it uses 90% of my memory and if I use the task manager to close all instances of the browser, windows won't give the memory back! At present the only solution is to reboot, which is a non-starter! What's using the memory after the browser is closed? And how can I free up the resources it was hogging while it was open? This is the only program that does this to me. I shouldn't have to reboot after closing a program to regain the use of the memory resources it was using!!

I've tried using windows memory cleaners to no avail. Is there some program or extension I can run to get my memory back? Any suggestions I've tried when googling to reduce memory usage has flat out failed. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Task Manager shows 80% memory used WITH FIREFOX CLOSED! Usage should be no more than 20% with not much else running and 32Gb memory installed. How can I fix this without rebooting?

Using Win7 Pro X64 with 32Gb memory. Firefox gets to the point where it uses 90% of my memory and if I use the task manager to close all instances of the browser, windows won't give the memory back! At present the only solution is to reboot, which is a non-starter! What's using the memory after the browser is closed? And how can I free up the resources it was hogging while it was open? This is the only program that does this to me. I shouldn't have to reboot after closing a program to regain the use of the memory resources it was using!! I've tried using windows memory cleaners to no avail. Is there some program or extension I can run to get my memory back? Any suggestions I've tried when googling to reduce memory usage has flat out failed. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Task Manager shows 80% memory used WITH FIREFOX CLOSED! Usage should be no more than 20% with not much else running and 32Gb memory installed. How can I fix this without rebooting?

All Replies (2)

WestEnd
WestEnd
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I never had this happen on 32bit firefox nor on a 64bit firefox. What it sounds like more is a corrupted firefox that has memory leakage and is taking up memory without using it. At this point one need to uninstall all firefox and delete the mozilla folder and reinstall again to fix the memory leak issue. But also make sure to backup your bookmarks so you can restore them back after reinstalling the browser.

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 25 Contributor
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tseverhardt said

Using Win7 Pro X64 with 32Gb memory. Firefox gets to the point where it uses 90% of my memory and if I use the task manager to close all instances of the browser, windows won't give the memory back!

First, it's amazing Firefox could use that much memory. Are there particular sites that seem to be triggering the high usage? How long does Firefox need to be running to get over 20GB?

Second, the next time, after exiting Firefox (or using End Task under Applications), could you check the Windows 7 Task Manager's Processes tab for any instances of these processes that didn't close within 60 seconds:

  • firefox.exe
  • plugin-container.exe