Firefox Override Compatibility
Mozilla Firefox checks each add-on you install for compatibility. Each add-on specifies a maximum version and minimum version of Firefox that it works with. If the add-on’s developer doesn’t update it promptly enough, it may be disabled when you install a new version of Firefox. You can override this compatibility check using an add-on, a configuration setting or by modifying the extension itself.
Other People Are Reading
-
Add-on
-
You can override compatibility checking with Mozilla’s official Add-on Compatibility Reporter add-on. Install it from the Add-ons interface and restart Firefox. The add-on automatically enables all disabled add-ons after you install it. You can provide feedback about which add-ons work after overriding the compatibility check by clicking the ‘Compatibility” button next to an add-on in the Add-ons interface and selecting “This Add-on Still Works” or “This Add-on No Longer works.”
About:config
-
Firefox includes an advanced setting that can override compatibility checking for the current version. Type “About:config” into the address bar and press “Enter” to access the about:config window; then click the “I’ll Be Careful, I Promise” button. Right-click in the about:config window, point to “New” and select “String.” Type “extensions.checkCompatibility.6” into the box, replacing “6” with the version number you want to override version checking for, set the preference to “False” and restart Firefox. The example overrides compatibility checking for versions 6, 6.0.1 and similar versions. Recreate this preference for each new major version of Firefox.
-
Add-on Modification
-
You can modify an add-on to change the version numbers it claims compatibility with. First, download the extension’s XPI file from the Mozilla Add-ons website at http://addons.mozillla.org. Change the XPI file’s file extension to “.zip” by renaming it. Open it in an archive manager, extract the “Install.rdf” file and open it in a text editor such as WordPad. Change the version number after “<em:maxVersion>” in the file to make it compatible with a new version. After editing the file, save the Install.rdf file, replace the original Install.rdf file in the archive with your edited file, change the ZIP file’s extension back to “.xpi” and install the extension.
Warnings
-
Many add-ons won’t work properly with new versions of Firefox, even if you override the compatibility check. You can disable add-ons that aren’t working from the Add-ons interface in Firefox. Firefox automatically installs updates for these disabled add-ons and re-enables them when the add-ons’ developers fix the problem and update them to work with new versions of Firefox. You should also be careful when using the about:config interface; it contains a variety of advanced settings that could negatively affect your Firefox configuration, if changed.
-
