Join the AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the Firefox leadership team to celebrate Firefox 20th anniversary and discuss Firefox’s future on Mozilla Connect. Mark your calendar on Thursday, November 14, 18:00 - 20:00 UTC!

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

Tab reloading add-ons "forget" settings and stop working

  • 13 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 12 views
  • Last reply by Jordan

more options

I have tried using tab reloading add-ons but they "forget" their settings and stop working. Because more than one add-on behaves this way, I suspect that there might be something in my FF settings causing this.

Typically, I have as many as 25 tabs open at once, and I might want to have 6 of these reload every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. I have plenty of memory for the system to run smoothly.

The add-ons I have tried using are: Tab Reloader and ReloadMatic. Both are fine add-ons; I only wish my settings -- per individual tab -- stayed in place, including after I close FF, turn off the desktop, and restart the next day. Instead, they "disappear" and the tabs stop reloading.

I am using FF 62.0 (64 bits).

Is there anything I can look for in the FF settings to address this?

Thank you,

Jordan

I have tried using tab reloading add-ons but they "forget" their settings and stop working. Because more than one add-on behaves this way, I suspect that there might be something in my FF settings causing this. Typically, I have as many as 25 tabs open at once, and I might want to have 6 of these reload every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. I have plenty of memory for the system to run smoothly. The add-ons I have tried using are: Tab Reloader and ReloadMatic. Both are fine add-ons; I only wish my settings -- per individual tab -- stayed in place, including after I close FF, turn off the desktop, and restart the next day. Instead, they "disappear" and the tabs stop reloading. I am using FF 62.0 (64 bits). Is there anything I can look for in the FF settings to address this? Thank you, Jordan

Modified by Jordan

All Replies (13)

more options

Separate Security Issue, please update your Flash 27.0 r0 by removing it with this tool : https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html If you use it Reinstall with Flash Player Version: 31.0.0.108 Current Version https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/ Step 1: Select Operating System Step 2: Select A Version (Firefox, . . . .) Note: Other software is offered in the download. <Windows Only>

Hi, please give this a try : uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files , C:\Program Files(x86) & C:\ProgramData Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. (Note: This should be Pinned and run Weekly, If never done below expect 10's of gig's) Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do :

Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 62.0.0 with a Full Version Installer

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

more options

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, having done everything you suggested didn't solve the problem. Both add-ons I mentioned continue to not retain their tab-reloading settings.

I'd greatly appreciate any further suggestions.

Thanks, Jordan

more options

Make sure you do not run Firefox in permanent Private Browsing mode (Always use Private Browsing mode; Never Remember History).

  • Options/Preferences -> Privacy & Security
    Firefox will: "Use custom settings for history"
  • remove checkmark: [ ] "Always use Private Browsing mode"

In case you use "Clear history when Firefox closes" or otherwise clear history.

  • do not clear the Site Preferences
  • clearing "Site Preferences" clears exceptions for cookies, images, pop-up windows, and software installation and exception for password and other website specific data
  • clearing "Cookies" will remove all selected cookies including cookies with an "Allow" exception you may want to keep
more options

Thank you cor-el! But I don't use this mode and do not clear the browser.

Anybody with experience with the two add-ons I'm trying to use? Is it possible both of them fail such basic function as retaining the user settings? Hard to believe, no?

Thank you again!

more options

try to use just one,

if all of them doing the same thing.

more options

Thank you, FFus3r.

I have always used/installed only one tab reloading add-on at a given time...

Right now, I'm using ReloadMatic, here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/reloadmatic/

The problem I reported is that both this one and the other, Tab Reloader, do not retain their settings, surely not after the PC is turned off and then on again and, I suspect, sometimes even when it stays on.

Thank you again, Jordan

more options

see this page:

if it didn't help then read About this extension you mentioned:

In contrast to ReloadEvery, ReloadMatic will stop reloading a tab when its URL changes. If you want the old behavior back, enable the Sticky Reload option. You can make it turned on by default in the addon settings.

more options

Thank you, FFus3r.

First the easy part, ReloadMatic: I'm already using the Sticky Reload setting, and I am not changing the url of those tabs I want to reload. However, when I restart the PC, tab reloading gets reset to "don't reload."

Now, if you look at at the first advice I got (above), it involved removing FF and its files and a fresh reinstall. I did that.

As best as I can tell, FF remembers everything else: the multiple tabs I have open come back after I close FF, shut down the PC and then turn it back on and restart FF. I don't believe any of my settings get 'forgotten,' other than the tab reloading add-ons -- both the ones I've tried so far, as detailed above.

Reviewing your advice, I believe I already have a "refreshed" FF, just by virtue of reinstalling it, no? (That's the first item here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-to-fix-preferences-wont-save .) And, I'm not sure that any of the following items apply, or might they? Would you point to a specific setting or solution among the several mentioned that you believe to be appropriate?

I am concerned about changing default or custom settings that are now working as intended or desired, that's why I'm asking.

Thank you again, Jordan

more options

try this first:

because it says:

certain settings change back each time you start Firefox.

more options

Hi Jordan, is the problem mainly or only with tabs restored from a previous session?

At the point of session restore, tabs other than the active tab are in a "pending" state, and when a restored tab is viewed, it loads a cached version. Possibly this disables any code the add-on had injected into the tab and you need to reload the page at least once by hand to get the add-on to start working there again.

Maybe that's not the only place you see the problem, but I could certainly understand why it could occur with restored tabs.

more options

Thank you, FFus3r.

Unfortunately, there's no User.js file in my FF profile. And, again, I believe all other settings (open tabs, homepage, etc.) are retained between sessions.

UPDATE: I also confirmed that the prefs.js file isn't locked and I removed a couple of prefs-n.js files. No change.

Thank you, jscher2000.

If I understand your question correctly, I believe the problem is only experienced after I restarted FF. It seems to me that the reload settings remain in effect for as long as I don't close FF. But I will retest this (with ReloadMatic) just to be sure.

As to the cached version of the (inactive) tabs interfering with the add-on's instructions, I will test that as well. I am inclined to doubt it: When I discover that the tab is no longer reloading, I reload it manually (CTRL+F5); doing so reloads the tab but does not restore the prior reloading instructions -- at least not on the drop-menu of the tab, where the reload settings are visible. With Tab Reloader, the other add-on I tried, it is very easy to detect that the settings are gone: there's an icon that indicates how many tabs are set to reload, and it grays out when the settings are lost. There's no change of status after I manually reload a tab. Therefore, I think those reload settings are truly gone.

So, it is still a puzzlement, especially given that this is a new install of FF -- yes, I know that the profile is the same old profile...

I would greatly appreciate your suggestions.

Thank you again, both! Jordan

Modified by Jordan

more options

It appears like I fixed the problem...

The following plugin: Don't touch my tabs! (rel=noopener), which I had in place for a long time, was conflicting with Tab Reloader. Once I disabled it, Tab Reloader started to retain its settings. I'm hoping it stays just like this...

Thank you all for your help -- much appreciated! Jordan

more options

Regrettably, this is a clear case of premature sense of success.

Although a few short-term turning-off and restarting of FF resulted in the Tab-Reloader retaining its settings, subsequent repetitions of the same resulted in lost settings.

Any thoughts?

Many Thanks, Jordan

Modified by Jordan