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Hardware acceleration broken on Firefox 60 beta, MacOS

  • 6 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 7 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

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When using Firefox 59, Google Maps works fine. However, using the same profile with Firefox 60 beta, Google Maps does not work at all. I've updated my Nvidia drivers, and I've tried using both the MacOS drivers and the Nvidia "web drivers". I have also tried refreshing my profile (which didn't work either).

If I start in Safe mode, firefox 60 works correctly, but I believe that's because of disabled HW Accel.

When using Firefox 59, Google Maps works fine. However, using the same profile with Firefox 60 beta, Google Maps does not work at all. I've updated my Nvidia drivers, and I've tried using both the MacOS drivers and the Nvidia "web drivers". I have also tried refreshing my profile (which didn't work either). If I start in Safe mode, firefox 60 works correctly, but I believe that's because of disabled HW Accel.

All Replies (6)

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Disable hardware and see if the issue is still there after restarting Firefox.

Try disabling graphics hardware acceleration in Firefox. Since this feature was added to Firefox it has gradually improved but there are still a few glitches.

You will need to restart Firefox for this to take effect so save all work first (e.g., mail you are composing, online documents you're editing, etc.,) and then perform these steps:

In Firefox 54 and below:

  1. Click the menu button New Fx Menu and select Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac, Linux).
  2. Select the Advanced panel and the General tab.
  3. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
  4. Close Firefox completely and then restart Firefox to see if the problem persists.

In Firefox 55 and above:

  1. Click the menu button New Fx Menu and select Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac, Linux).
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Under Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings. Additional settings will be displayed.
    Fx55Performance-disableHWA
  4. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
  5. Close Firefox completely and then restart Firefox to see if the problem persists.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

If the problem is resolved, you should check for updates for your graphics driver by following the steps mentioned in these Knowledge base articles:

Thank you.

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Yes of course disabling hardware acceleration makes Google Maps work again... because hardware acceleration is broken in Firefox 60

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Hardware acceleration has been giving Firefox users a pain since day one.


I am glad to hear that your problem has been resolved. If you haven't already, please select the answer that solves the problem. This will help other users with similar problems find the solution more easily.

Thank you for contacting Mozilla Support.

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Thanks for your response Fred, but this doesn't really solve the problem because it seems like there's a regression in Firefox 60 that's causing the issue.

You helped me confirm that the regression is definitely in Firefox's hardware acceleration, but unfortunately disabling the feature does not solve the real problem.

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Did you try a new profile?

Firefox 42+ has a Tracking Protection feature that is enabled by default in Private Browsing mode. Firefox shows a shield icon at the left end of the location/address bar in case content is blocked by Tracking Protection You can click the shield icon for more information and check the Web Console to see what content is blocked.

You can disable this feature in "Options/Preferences -> Privacy & Security" or via the about:privatebrowsing page that get when you open a New Private Window.

  • Options/Preferences -> Privacy & Security: "Use Tracking Protection in Private Windows"

If you use extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) that can block (wanted) content (Adblock Plus, NoScript, Ghostery, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin) always make sure such extensions do not block (wanted) content.

  • make sure your extensions and filters are updated to the latest version
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r0bbyt said

seems like there's a regression in Firefox 60 that's causing the issue.

Sometimes, when the real problem can't be fixed, we have to use a workaround.

It's like patching a flat tire when you can't get a new one.