Firefox – Preventing Firefox from updating specific extensions

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Is it possible to blacklist or prevent Firefox from updating certain extensions?

For example, Echofon, the Twitter client, no longer works on Linux Firefox past version 1.9.6.4. I usually uncheck the update box whenever I'm told about it, but sometimes I forget if it comes in a bunch of others. I then have to reinstall the old, working version.

Similarly the Gmail notifier doesn't work past a certain version either.

Anyone know if there is an about:config setting to tell Firefox never to update an extension..? Or if there's a way to fudge the version numbers so that FF thinks it already has a better version?

Best Answer

Disabling update checks for individual add-ons - Advanced users:

It is possible to prevent individual add-ons from updating automatically even when you have the Software Update feature enabled. To do so:

  • Find the GUID for the extension. GUIDs are either e-mail addresses or a bunch of random characters inside { } brackets. The folders named after extension GUIDs are in the extensions folder of the profile folder. You can look at the install.rdf file in each folder to see what extension it's for.
  • Type about:config in the address bar and press enter.
  • Right-click -> New -> Boolean
  • Name: extensions.<GUID>.update.enabled // (GUID including curly brackets)
  • Value: false

Simplified instructions for manually finding the GUID number:

  • You will find a listing of the extensions you have in your about:config list, simply filter on "extensions.{" as the GUID number (if it is not an email-like ID) is surrounded there with braces. You can then match the description there with what you see in the Tools, add-ons, extensions list.
  • If your browser supports the about:support page (currently Firefox 3.6 or above and recent trunk builds based on Gecko 1.9.3a) you will find the ID listed there for each installed extension.
  • Copy the name value of the one you want to change and create a new Boolean variable with the same name but change ".description" to ".update.enabled" and set it's value to False. If the updates for the incorrigible extension become suitable for use again you can toggle to reset this item back to it's default value.

Useful extensions that will find, display or copy the GUID number (id), include

  • At addons.mozilla.org:

  • Extension Manager Extended right-click on an item in the add-ons panel allows you to view the GUID, date installed, compatible application versions, copy the GUID, and open the folder of an extension or theme without having to look up its GUID number from the Add-on context menu.

MR Tech Toolkit also includes these functionalities, plus "Disable Update check", as part of its own; however, its Preferences include checkboxes to show or hide most of its menu items, so that's where you should look if you don't see them on right-clicking.

  • Infolister provides a list of extensions in a table. User can modify listing with their own template. Creates an "about:info" protocol link. Can also create an Add-on Compatibility Reporter link for an extension -- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/compatibility/reporter/%id% -- using a template. [6]

  • Some of the above addons are available for other applications than Firefox: to see if they are, try replacing "firefox" in addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ etc. in the above URLs by "seamonkey", "thunderbird", "sunbird", etc. as appropriate, and see if you get an add-on page with your application's logo (meaning the extension supports it) or with Firefox's (meaning it doesn't) (but remember that the procedures described on the present page do not apply to SeaMonkey 1.x).

  • Elsewhere:

  • Prefbar (with added Infolist button).

Extensions that have their updating suppressed will show "Updates are disabled for " on the add-ons list after you check for updates.

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