My Keyboard Is Not Working With Certain Websites in Firefox

Jumbled letters and slow text input can be caused by incompatible or outdated add-ons.

A faulty keyboard can create a frustrating experience for the user. If Firefox is the only program on your computer having difficulty recognizing keyboard input, however, then the trouble is likely due to a software issue, rather than with the keyboard itself. There are several different ways to diagnose where the problem lies, but all of them can be performed quickly. Once you have isolated the cause, your browser will be back up and running in just a few minutes.

Instructions

1. Close any Firefox "Print Preview" windows that are open. The Firefox Knowledge Base says having a "Print Preview" window open can cause jumbled text, i.e., letters appearing in the reverse order from that in which they were typed. This indicates that the keyboard input is not being properly processed by Firefox.

2. Click on the "Help" menu and select "Check for Updates." It is possible that Firefox is out of date and needs to be upgraded. If this is the case, Firefox will prompt you to download the latest version.

3. Click on the "Tools" menu, and select "Add-ons." Click the "Plugins" icon. At the bottom of the window, click the "Find Updates" button. If you have an outdated plugin, Firefox will provide you with the instructions to install the most recent version. You will need to restart Firefox once this is complete.

   Some add-ons may be incompatible with your current version of Firefox. This will be indicated within the "Add-on" window if this is the case. If you have an incompatible add-on, it is best to uninstall it.

4. Disable all your add-ons. Restart Firefox. If the keyboard is now working properly, then the problem was due to a compatibility issue with an add-on. Reinstall the add-ons one at a time. After each install, try your keyboard again. This will help identify the offending add-on. When searching for add-ons, check that the add-on is compatible with the latest version of Firefox. This information can be found on the add-on listing on the official Firefox site (see References).

Tips & Warnings

• Some Firefox issues may be related to other software, a specific operating system or even a specific version of a program or OS. For assistance with such issues, you can seek help on the Firefox Support Forum (see Resources).

References

• Mozilla: Add-ons for Firefox
• Mozilla: Firefox Web Browser: International versions
• Mozilla: Typed Text Becomes Jumbled

Resources

• Mozilla: Firefox Support Forum