Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

your stupid plugins that won't update

more options

My system is going to crash because your plugin update doesn't work and I'm tired of wasting my time fooling with it. Why do I have to deal with a download when it should be automatic? I hit help and it presents windows that are frozen. I need a live person vs. articles to read. I've had these plugin windows come up before and I think I recall having to get my software support person to make it work!

My system is going to crash because your plugin update doesn't work and I'm tired of wasting my time fooling with it. Why do I have to deal with a download when it should be automatic? I hit help and it presents windows that are frozen. I need a live person vs. articles to read. I've had these plugin windows come up before and I think I recall having to get my software support person to make it work!

All Replies (1)

more options

Sorry to hear about your frustration. Does this occur when you are using Mozilla's plugin checker site, or do random popups appear? Please be extremely skeptical of random popups as those can lead to malware.

Your post currently is under Firefox for Android, but I suspect you are having this issue on a Windows system, or perhaps on Mac or Linux. So that your post gets the attention it deserves, could you clarify which system you're using?


Regarding the question of downloads, Mozilla doesn't host plugins for other companies, you need to connect directly with those providers. Since plugins are optional, and only a few are used with any frequency, you might find it simplest to disable all the ones you don't care about.* Then we can focus on the ones that seem to post the most challenges for updating.

In particular the Adobe Acrobat plugin on Windows is a challenge. Adobe is not offering every point update of Reader for direct download. To get the latest in your series, open your Adobe product and use its Help menu to Check for Updates. That should bring your product up-to-date, including the plugin included with Reader and not available separately.


* To disable plugins, open the Add-ons page using either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a (Mac: Cmd+Shift+a)
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Plugins. Then on the right, set unimportant plugins to "Never Activate". That prevents websites from seeing and trying to use them, including the plugin checker site.