How to change a Firefox preference value

Firefox is a modern web browser with an extensive list of features and quite a few customization options. End users can customize how the browser works via its Options window however, Firefox has other settings that users can change from its about:config page. This page lists settings that are otherwise inaccessible from the main settings’ panel. Here’s how you can change a Firefox preference value.

Firefox preference page

Open Firefox and in the URL bar, enter the following;

about:config

Tap Enter and you will see warning telling you that if you tamper with the settings on the next page, you might void your ‘warranty’. This basically means Mozilla isn’t responsible if the browser crashes or if you happen to lose anything as a result of the crash. It also means that if you disable any security setting, and as a result, your data is stolen, the browser isn’t responsible. Accept the warning and you’ll be taken to the Firefox preference page.

Change preference value

The preference page, as you will see, is long and the preferences don’t have user friendly names. This means that if you intend to change a Firefox preference, you should already know what it’s called. New preferences are added to the browser as it updates over time and some preferences may also be removed.

Preference value

In order to change a Firefox preference, you must first know what kind of values it is capable of holding. Preferences hold two different types of values.

A preference can have one of the following values;

0 = Allowed

1 = Blocked

2 = Prompt

If you set the value of a preference to 0, whatever feature it controls will be enabled. If you set its value to 1, the feature will be blocked. If you set the value to 2, you will be asked if you want to run the feature.

The second type of value a preference can have is either True or False. This is far easier to understand and it is mostly for services instead of features e.g., is a certain service allowed to run in your browser.

Changing values

Double click a preference. If a value data box opens, it means you’re dealing with the first type of preference that can hold three different values. Enter the one you want to set for it. If a preference’s default value is either true or false, double-clicking it will change it.

Reset values

Any time you want to reset a Firefox preference back to its default value, right-click it and select Reset from the context menu. If a preference is in bold text, it means that it is not set to its default value. Preferences in normal, non-bold text are all in their default states.