How to Check for Updates in Mozilla

The Mozilla Corporation has consistently provided the Internet community with innovative software solutions. Their most popular offering is Mozilla Firefox, which has been rapidly gaining in popularity. Many users have switched from Microsoft Internet Explorer to Firefox because of the security issues and software bugs in Explorer. Mozilla Firefox protects from viruses, trojan horses and spyware. In order to keep the security features of Firefox on the cutting edge, it's important to update it on a regular basis. Follow these simple steps to check for and apply Mozilla updates in Firefox.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check for updates manually. Open Mozilla Firefox (see Resources below). On the tool bar click "Help" then "Check for Updates." If the link is disabled in Linux, your distribution controls the upgrades. Use your distribution's package management utility to update Firefox.

2. Turn automatic updates on. On the tool bar click "Edit," then "Preferences" and then "Advanced." Click on the "Update" tab.

3. Check "Automatically check for updates to Firefox" to have Mozilla check for updates on a regular basis. You can also choose to have Mozilla check for updates to installed add-ons and search engines.

4. Check "Warn me if this will disable extensions and themes" to receive a warning if the upgrade might corrupt your add-ons.

5. Click the "Show Update History" button to see a list of previously installed updates.

Tips & Warnings

• Some Linux distributions only provide security updates to Mozilla Firefox. To make a major upgrade, install it outside of your package manager.
• Mozilla may disable updates if a user doesn't have proper permissions. Make sure you are logged in as an administrator before attempting manual upgrades.

Resources

• Mozilla Firefox